Trouble on the journey home: Reunification failures in foster care

Miller, Keith A.; Fisher, Philip A.; Fetrow, Becky; Jordan, Kathy A.

doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2005.03.010

Cited by 55 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Children who entered care for reasons of parental alcohol and substance abuse and domestic violence were vulnerable to slower rates of reunification relative to other reasons. Children in care for reasons of parental substance abuse had 86% lower rate of return in this study, a finding reflected in previous studies (Marsh et al 2006;Miller et al 2006;Terling 1999). Substance use is related to high levels of maltreatment and poor parenting during return.…”

Section: Implications Of Findings For Policy Practice and Future Ressupporting

confidence: 78%

Returning Children in Care to Their Families: Factors Associated with the Speed of Reunification

Fernández

Lee

2011

Child Ind Res

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Various factors influence children's tenure in protective care. The current study examined whether the speed of reunification with parents differs by reasons in care and social environment at intake. The effects of age and sex of the child and referral source were also examined. The study sample consists of 155 children aged 0-12 years from 92 families, who presented at Barnardos temporary care services in two metropolitan areas in Australia. Participants continuously entered the study over the 4 year study period from 1 Jan 2003 to 31 Dec 2008, the study window being 18 months since the intake. Drawing on event history analysis models two analyses were conducted: one focusing on the primary reason in care and another focusing on a risk typology based on the North Carolina Family Assessment Scale-Reunification (NCFAS-R). The risk typology developed through latent profile analysis grouped families with similar profiles of social environmental risks together. Children were reunified with their parents rapidly at the beginning until week 13 and the rate became slower but steady until the end of study period. Compared to children with parental health issues, children with parental substance abuse issues had 86% lower rate, children who experienced abuse/neglect had 83% lower rate of return, children from domestic violence situations or other issues had 73% lower rate of reunification with their parents. Compared to children with low risks in their social environment, children with high risks had 73% lower speed of reunification with their parents. The rate of reunification with parents was higher for older children whereas there was no difference on the speed of reunification by child's sex or the source of referral. The implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed.Keywords Reunification . Out of home care . Foster care . Event history analysis . Latent profile analysis Child Ind Res (2011) 4:749-765

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Section: Implications Of Findings For Policy Practice and Future Ressupporting

confidence: 78%

Returning Children in Care to Their Families: Factors Associated with the Speed of Reunification

Fernández

Lee

2011

Child Ind Res

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“…Although Fuller's study evaluated factors related to recurrence of maltreatment as opposed to subsequent reentry, it provides useful insight into factors placing children at risk of future CWS involvement postreunification. Miller, Fisher, Fetrow, and Jordan (2006) studied the reunifications of children between 4 and 7 years of age through close observation and interviews with children who had recently returned home from foster care. Miller and colleagues found that parental substance abuse treatment (probably indicative of substance abuse problems), children in special education due to developmental delays, child's use of therapy for psychosocial maladjustment, overall parent skill, parental use of discipline, and the quality of neighborhood were all related to reentry.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reentry of elementary aged children following reunification from foster care

Barth

Weigensberg

Fisher

et al. 2008

Children and Youth Services Review

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A recognized goal of family reunification programs is preventing the reentry of children into foster care. Using data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, this study examined reentry for 273 children between the ages of 5 and 12 years. In multivariate models, reentry into foster care was associated with higher Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores and higher numbers of children in the household when the child is living at home. Although these are not the only risk factors that should be considered in deciding whether to reunify a child, these characteristics appear to be high valence problems for families and their children who are reunified. Future research on reentry and on placement disruptions from foster care should routinely include information about the number of children in the family and behavior problems when endeavoring to explain caseload dynamics.

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“…Following an initial maltreatment investigation, children of AOD-involved parents are more likely to be re-reported for maltreatment (Connell, Bergeron, Katz, Saunders, & Tebes, in press;English, Marshall, Brummel, & Orme, 1999), and the reports are more likely to be substantiated (Fuller & Wells, 2000;Wolock & Magura, 1996;Wolock, Sherman, Feldman, & Metzger, 2001). Children of AOD-involved parents also are more likely to be removed from the home (Kelley, 1992), and are more likely to reenter foster care following reunification (Frame, Berrick, & Brodowski, 2000;Miller, Fisher, Fetrow, & Jordan, 2006;Terling, 1999).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Parental Alcohol or Drug Removals on Foster Care Placement Experiences: A Matched Comparison Group Study

et al. 2007

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Research has established the coincidence of parental alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and child maltreatment, but few studies have examined the placement experiences and outcomes of children removed due to parental AOD use. The present study examines the demographic characteristics and placement experiences of a sample of children removed from their homes as a result of parental AOD use (n=1,333), first in comparison to the remaining sample of children in foster care (n=4554), then to a matched comparison group of children in foster care who were removed for other reasons (n=1333). Relative to the comparison sample, children removed for parental AOD use are less likely to experience co-occurring removal due to neglect and physical or sexual abuse, and are more likely to be placed in relative foster care. In addition, these children remain in care longer, experience similar rates of reunification, and have significantly higher rates of adoption.

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Trouble on the journey home: Reunification failures in foster care

Cited by 55 publications

References 15 publications

Returning Children in Care to Their Families: Factors Associated with the Speed of Reunification

Returning Children in Care to Their Families: Factors Associated with the Speed of Reunification

Reentry of elementary aged children following reunification from foster care

The Impact of Parental Alcohol or Drug Removals on Foster Care Placement Experiences: A Matched Comparison Group Study

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