Increase Exits from Foster Care to Reunification

Root Causes: Timely Exits from Foster Care to REUNIFICATION

Why Is this Trend Important?

Many of the issues that bring children into care can be resolved quickly with the right combination of services and supports. The longer children stay in care, the less likely they are to successfully reunify with their parents. Youth who leave care with no permanent home face greater mental health disorders, unemployment, homelessness and other difficulties.

What Do We Know About this Trend?

Reunification is the primary reason why children exit foster care. Many states have shown improvement in helping children return home in recent years, but others show declines or no change in performance. [i] Even for states that show improvement, quick reunification can sometimes mean that children re-enter care at a higher rate if all the issues that brought the child into foster care have not been fully resolved. States must simultaneously track re-entry rates to get a full picture of their success at reunification.

What Are the Forces and Influences at Work?

A number of factors can impact state performance on timely reunification, and typically barriers can most effectively be removed by working in partnership with other agencies and systems that play a role in helping children return home as soon as possible. Factors include:

· Availability of services . Multiple agencies and community partners must work together to address the needs of families when children come into care (i.e. substance abuse, poverty, mental health issues and domestic violence).

· Court timeliness. Courts have a critical role to play to ensure that families get the help they need when they need it. Court oversight of case plans can ensure that families have timely access to services.

· Adequate representation. Attorneys, guardians ad litem, and others can ensure that the needs and concerns of the child and family are met in a timely way in the court process.

· Staff turnover. High staff turnover can cause delays to timely reunification. Staff continuity makes it more likely that children and families get the help they need in a timely way than when workers change frequently.

· Federal financing. Federal funding is available to reimburse states for the cost of placing children in foster care but there is very limited funding to help children stay in their own homes or return home.

· Age and racial disparities. Specific strategies are needed to address the unique needs of children of different ages and races in foster care.

· Risk assessment and comprehensive family assessment . Assessment tools allow states to determine when children can safely stay at home or return home. See the federal Comprehensive Assessment Guidelines for Child Welfare .

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