PERMANENCY PLANNING FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES Arlene S. Kanter Abstract Under federal law, the state must develop “permanency plans” for all children who are removed from their homes due to neglect or abuse. Such permanency planning secures for children permanent family placements as opposed to temporary foster care or institutional placements. Central to permanency planning is the belief that all children belong with families. For children with disabilities who are voluntarily placed in institutions by their parents because their parents can no longer take care of them at home, no such permanency planning is generally required. In this Article, I argue that two important policies that have developed in recent years to protect the best interests of children generally -- permanency planning for children who have been neglected and abused, and the expansion of the definition of legal parenthood, in the context of surrogacy, same sex families, step-families, and children born to unmarried adults -- should be expanded to address the needs of families who require support to keep their children with disabilities at home rather than placing them in institutions.