Predictors of Permanency The Adoption and Safe Families Act created specific outcomes for permanency for children in foster care. Federal reviews completed in each state have found that no state has meet ASFA's primary outcome of permanency and stability of placement for foster children. A number of foster children are still spending long periods of time in foster care. This project sought to identify which variables, if any, are significantly different in groups of children who find permanency when compared to those who do not and which family, child, social worker, and system variables predict long term foster care. Methodology Two research designs were utilized: (a) a static-group comparison (Rubin & Babbie, 1997) study of children who have found permanency compared to those who have not and (b) an ethnographic study (Rubin & Babbie, 1997) of children in foster care over four years. Independent Samples T test and Chi-Square analysis were conducted with each of the independent variables to identify statistically significant differences in two groups of children, one who spent found permanency within ASFA's specific timeframes and a group of children who experienced long term foster care post ASFA. Due to the large number of variables contained in this project, a number of statistical procedures were performed to build the best model for predicting long term foster care. Correlations and intercorrelations among all variables, regression analysis and path modeling were conducted with each of the four variable subgroups. Qualitative data collection occurred through ethnographic interviews with twenty current foster children. Interviews focused on children's perspectives regarding permanency and satisfaction with foster care post ASFA. For these children, stability of placement was the foremost concern Findings Seven direct predictors and nineteen indirect post of long term care were identified for the children in this study. Of the direct predictors, three direct predictors and fourteen indirect predictors were present at point of entry into foster care. The seven direct predictors included: (a) increased number of days between case plans, (b) child being Caucasian, (c) lower level of family and community support, (d) having more than one child in care, (e) lower average cost of care, (f) increased number of moves, and (g) termination of parental rights. Number of days between case planning conferences was the strongest predictor of long term foster care. The final regression model in this study had a significantly strong predictive relationship with placing children in long term foster care by accounted for 69.7% of the variance. Implications Research studies such as this one can assist individual social workers and agencies to evaluate their practices related to permanency. Outcome driven social work is still considerably new for child welfare and other forms of social work. Agencies must find ways to marry the concepts of research outcomes with direct field practices that accomplish goals and standards set by governmental agencies and recognized social work values associated with direct micro practice. References Rubin, A., & Babbie, E. (1997). Research methods for social work, (3rd ed.) Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks-Cole.