If young people have permanence, they have family members — including at least one parenting adult — who intend to always be there for them.
There are two general ways to describe permanence: legal and relational. In legal permanence, a court order has cemented and validated a child’s relationship with a parenting youth. In relational permanence, a youth maintains lifelong connections with others, including at least one adult who serves as a meaningful and permanent parental figure. This connection is subjectively defined by the youth irrespective of a legal status.