Agencies thank legislature for post-permanency funding, describe service reach and challenges

Easterseals Vermont and Lund told the House Committee on Human Services on Thursday that funding added in last year’s budget for post‑permanency adoption and guardianship services helped expand staff capacity and stabilize operations, and speakers asked the committee to help the agencies reach families who may not know the services are available.

The agencies described services that include in‑home, trauma‑informed caregiver support, school consultation, case coordination and support groups for families formed by adoption or guardianship; they said those services are voluntary and available to families at any time until a child reaches 18.

"We don't have an ask, we don't have a complaint. We really wanted to say thank you for its $270,000," Paul Gebo, political director for Easterseals Vermont, told the committee, referring to last year’s appropriation. Gebo said the funding helped Easterseals attract and retain staff and reduce a persistent funding shortfall.

Melissa Appleton, coordinator for Lund’s post‑permanency program, read a caregiver’s statement to the committee about parenting a child who experienced early trauma: "Thanks to my post permanency service provider, I learned that parenting children from the foster care system is not intuitive… Post permanency plays a primary role in this for my family." Appleton said Lund and partner agencies emphasize caregiver regulation, relationship building and practical strategies to reduce crises and promote stability.

Easterseals said it typically has about 145 families open at a time and operates with six staff covering multiple counties; Lund described serving families statewide through its adoption projects and supervision teams and said agencies are coordinating with the Department for Children and Families (DCF) permanency manager to improve outreach to families after finalization. Committee members repeatedly asked how families learn about post‑permanency services; presenters said referrals remain largely voluntary and come from multiple sources — DCF, self‑referral, schools or community members — and that a statewide warm‑handoff system to notify families after finalization is “in the works.”

Legislators raised questions about whether families who finalize adoption or guardianship a year or more earlier can still access services. Appleton said services are available at any time up until the child’s 18th birthday and that agencies regularly receive calls from families years after finalization for help with adolescence or other later‑arising issues.

Committee members also pressed presenters about the timeliness of state grants and contracts. Easterseals and Lund said experiences vary across contract lines and agencies: some contracts now arrive on time while others remain slow, and smaller nonprofits can face cash‑flow challenges when state reimbursements are delayed. "It's improving slowly," a speaker from Easterseals said of contract timeliness; Lund’s interim CEO, Sam Schatz, said performance has been mixed but that DCF staff have been responsive when delays occur.

The agencies told the committee they plan continued outreach — including use of social media, return‑visits and events such as Lund’s annual adoptive family picnic — so families and community partners know what services exist. Presenters said some families come from private or out‑of‑state adoptions and not all are captured in Vermont foster‑care records, which complicates proactive outreach.

The hearing included no formal votes. Committee members thanked the agencies for the update and for last year’s appropriation, and chair Teresa Wood signaled that agencies may return in future years if additional funding is requested.

For now, the agencies emphasized that the appropriation enabled modest program stabilization and improved ability to serve families formed by adoption or guardianship across multiple counties.