Another Planned Permanent Living Arrangement (APPLA) is a plan for a stable, secure living arrangement that includes relationships with significant adults in the youth's life that will continue beyond foster care. APPLA is the least preferred permanency goal and must be used only when other more permanent plans, including reunification, adoption, guardianship, or PPFWR have been ruled out. When APPLA is a youth's permanency goal, it must be regularly reviewed to make sure another goal is not more appropriate for the youth. A youth's age or disability alone should never be the reason to rule out adoption or guardianship first.
APPLA can only be decided as a youth goal if:
- The child is at least 16 years old
- Every effort has been made to attempt the more preferred permanency goals (reunification, adoption, guardianship, PPFWR)
- The foster parents caring for the youth have agreed in writing to continue to do so until the youth's foster care case is closed
There are no "official" APPLA placements, although Foster Family Agreements and Independent or Semi-Independent Living are often appropriate APPLA placements for a teen.