After arguing that New York City is one of many States being audited by the United States Department of Human and Health Services to insure compliance with the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), the author describes New York’s and other jurisdictions’ struggles to devise a wellness regimen to insure permanency for foster children. Arguing that ASFA has been a valuable tool for New York’s Model Court, the author discusses New York’s past difficulties with attempts to pass ASFA-conforming legislation on time. Following a discussion of the ways in which New York’s ASFA legislation initially met considerable resistance from the Family Court bench, the author describes New York’s preparations in designing their Model Court. Arguing that the Model Court adopted the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges recommendation of adjudication within 60 days of the filing of the petition, the author maintains that the single most important component of New York’s Model Court is the preliminary conference that occurs within 3 to 10 days after the filing of a child abuse or neglect petition. The author claims that judges need to listen to and address concerns from child welfare administrators about the ways in which the judicial process impacts social work efforts such as the ASFA.