Reuniting children with their families after foster care: An exploratory study of the family reunification process

The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine common themes in 14 families who had been reunified for at least 6 months after the placement of a child in foster care. Six areas were explored: services received during the reunification process, family-system structure, "attachment" among family members, child psychosocial development, adult behavioral change, and factors of resiliency in parents.; Among the most important factors were the supportive relationships between service workers and families. Other qualities of service workers that were described as helpful were respectful treatment, the ability to listen, the willingness to guide clients toward opportunities and services, and the combination of setting high expectations for clients and supporting them as they worked to meet the new standards.; Other services that were helpful were drug-treatment programs, family therapy, and assistance obtaining housing and transportation. Only 4 of the 14 families reported parenting-skills training as a requirement for family reunification. This lack of mandatory parenting-skills training was notable given that placement of children in foster care is for the children's safety. Developing parenting-skills classes that provide multiculturally-sensitive instruction that addresses the needs of reunifying families may be an important adjunct to the current requirements for family reunification.; Most children were described as academically and socially well-adjusted, but emotional adjustment was more difficult for children who were 8 years or older when separated from their parents. The development of trust and autonomy was impacted by conditions in the families prior to the intervention of Child Protective Services and by the placements in foster care. Parents' behavioral changes during the reunification process and the formation of clearer parental authority, role expectations, and family structure were instrumental in developing children's trust and age-appropriate autonomy.; Four elements of resiliency were found: an increased ability to recruit supportive relationships outside of nuclear families, the ability to utilize training opportunities and services to alter risk trajectories, the ability to choose to decrease exposure to adverse situations, and the development of confidence through successfully changing personal behaviors and attitudes in order to achieve family reunification.