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| 1 | |
| Document Title: | Relentlessly Fighting for Permanency |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway National Foster Care Month: 2021 |
| Publication Year: | 2021 |
| Abstract: | Shares the story of a family reunited after a decade in out of home care. An adoption worker tirelessly explored every permanency option available for a youth, and after multiple group care and adoptive placements, the father's parental rights were reinstated. This Real-Life Story was developed as part of National Foster Care Month 2021. |
| Available Online | |
| 2 | |
| Document Title: | Reinstatement of Parental Rights. |
| Corporate Author: | National Conference of State Legislatures. |
| Publication Year: | 2021 |
| Abstract: | Every State has statutes providing for the termination of parental rights by a court. Termination of parental rights, which can be voluntary or involuntary, ends the legal parent-child relationship. Once parental rights have been terminated, the child is legally free to be placed for adoption. Approximately nine states have legislation in place that allows for the reinstatement of parental rights following termination of parental rights. If a permanent placement has not been achieved within a specific timeframe, a petition may be filed with the court requesting reinstatement of the parent's rights. If the court determines that the parent is now able...more |
| Available Online | |
| 3 | |
| Document Title: | Building Connections for Kentucky's Children: Kentucky Citizen Foster Care Review Board 2020 Annual Report. |
| Corporate Author: | Kentucky Citizen Foster Care Review Board. |
| Publication Year: | 2021 |
| Abstract: | This annual report describes the activities and accomplishments of the Kentucky Citizen Foster Care Review Board (CFCRB) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. It begins by noting during FY 2020, there were 13,838 children in care, with 744 CFCRB volunteers reviewing 23,641 cases. Additional statistics are reported that indicate: the average length of stay for children in care was 21.5 months, a slight increase over the 17.5 months reported in FY 2019; of the children reviewed by the CFCRB, 36% were released through reunification to parents or primary caregivers in FY 2020 and another...more |
| Available Online | |
| 4 | |
| Document Title: | Meeting the Moment: 2020 Annual Report. |
| Corporate Author: | Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth. |
| Publication Year: | 2021 |
| Abstract: | This 2020 annual report discusses the activities and accomplishments of the Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth (SAFY) , an organization that provides coordinated, community-based programs that ensure the physical and emotional safety of each individual while improving family functioning. Following an introduction, organizational efforts are described in the areas of family preservation and reunification, behavioral health services, adoption and post-adoption, older youth services, and therapeutic foster care. Statistical data is shared that indicates in 2020: SAFY was able to conduct a safety and risk assessment for 5,431 families; SAFY was able to provide Family Preservation services to help 3,709 families...more |
| Available Online | |
| 5 | |
| Document Title: | Family-Centered Reunification in Child Welfare: A Review of Best Practices. |
| Corporate Author: | National Quality Improvement Center on Family-Centered Reunification. Kaye Implementation & Evaluation. University of Maryland at Baltimore. School of Social Work. Institute for Innovation and Implementation. |
| Publication Year: | 2021 |
| Abstract: | The Quality Improvement Center on Family-Centered Reunification (QIC-R), led by The Institute for Innovation and Implementation at the University of Maryland School of Social Work in collaboration with the federal Children’s Bureau (CB), will work with five to seven sites to install, implement, and evaluate selected practices and interventions to support the timely, stable, and lasting reunification of families by preserving, nurturing, and strengthening parent-child relationships and supportive community connections and resources, including through meaningful engagement of birth parents, foster families, youth, alumni of foster care, and other stakeholders. This federally funded scoping review is intended to provide applicants for the...more |
| Available Online | |
| 6 | |
| Document Title: | Reunification in Custodial Grandfamilies: An Examination of Resilient Family Processes. |
| Personal Author: | Dolbin‐MacNab, Megan L.,Smith, Gregory C.,Hayslip Jr., Bert. |
| Publication Year: | 2021 |
| Abstract: | Objective: This study examined how custodial grandmothers navigated the process of their grandchildren being reunified with a biological parent. Background: Prior research has focused on factors associated with unsuccessful reunification instead of resilient family processes that may support successful reunification. How custodial grandfamilies navigate reunification has not been examined, despite their unique relational configuration and grandparents' frequent involvement in raising their grandchildren. Method: Guided by Walsh's model of family resilience, semistructured, in‐depth qualitative interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 17 grandmothers whose custodial grandchildren had been reunified with a biological parent. Data analysis was guided by grounded theory methodology....more |
| 7 | |
| Document Title: | Recovery Coaching Interventions for Families Involved with the Child Welfare System: Moving Toward Evidence-Based Practices. |
| Personal Author: | Francis, Kimberly,,Jessica Thornton Walker,,Jill Hamadyk,,Sandra Jo Wilson, |
| Publication Year: | 2021 |
| Abstract: | This report — part of the first phase of the Expanding Evidence on Replicable Recovery and Reunification Interventions for Families (R3) project — describes features of select interventions that use recovery coaches in the child welfare system, characterizes their current stage of readiness for replication and further evaluation, and informs a long-term effort by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to build high-quality evidence on recovery coaching interventions for families involved with the child welfare system. Section 8082 of the 2018 Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment...more |
| Available Online | |
| 8 | |
| Document Title: | Child Welfare Practice With Families Affected by Parental Incarceration. |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
| Publication Year: | 2021 |
| Abstract: | Provides an overview of the intersection of child welfare and parental incarceration; highlights practices to facilitate parent-child visits during incarceration, include parents in case planning, and work toward reunification; and points to resources to help caseworkers in their practice with these children and families. |
| Available Online | |
| 9 | |
| Document Title: | Information Memorandum to State, Tribal and Territorial Agencies Administering or Supervising the Administration of Titles IV-E and IV-B of the Social Security Act, and State and Tribal Court Improvement Programs: Achieving Permanency for the Well-being of Children and Youth. |
| Corporate Author: | United States. Children’s Bureau. |
| Publication Year: | 2021 |
| Abstract: | The purpose of this memorandum is to provide information on best practices, resources, and recommendations for children and youth in a way that prioritizes the child’s or youth’s wellbeing. Using an analysis of child welfare data, this Information Memorandum (IM) also outlines typical patterns in exit outcomes for children and youth in foster care. This IM reviews the permanency goals of reunification, adoption, and guardianship and emphasizes the importance of state and tribal child welfare agencies and courts focusing on each child’s unique needs, attachments, and connections when making permanency decisions. (Author abstract modified) |
| Available Online | |
| 10 | |
| Document Title: | Fostering for Two: A Young Mother's Story |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway National Foster Care Month: 2021 |
| Publication Year: | 2021 |
| Abstract: | Describes the journey of one young mother in foster care and how being a part of the decision-making process helped her reunite with her daughter. This Real-Life Story was developed as part of National Foster Care Month 2021. |
| Available Online | |
| 11 | |
| Document Title: | Maryland’s Family Recovery Courts: Successfully Reuniting Families With the Help of Customized Substance Use Disorder Treatment [Webpage]. |
| Personal Author: | Antezzo, Mia. |
| Publication Year: | 2021 |
| Abstract: | To reduce substance use as a key cause of children removed from their homes, Maryland implemented a Family Recovery Court program in 2004 that connects parents to intensive treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) and provides case management and incentives. Over a one-year period, program evaluations show the program produced a 25 percent higher reunification rate, reduced days that children spend in non-kinship foster care (252 vs. 346), and produced more than $1 million in savings for the state’s child protective system due to reduced foster care utilization. (Author abstract) |
| Available Online | |
| 12 | |
| Document Title: | Reviewing Foster Care Case Plan Tasks and Permanency Outcomes: A Performance Audit Report Presented to the Legislative Post Audit Committee [Kansas]. |
| Personal Author: | Luthi, Josh.,Rottinghaus, Kristen.,Flanders, Meghan.,Dadds, Samuel, IV.,Beason-Manes, Ashley.,Sloan, Jessica. |
| Publication Year: | 2021 |
| Abstract: | Our audit objective was to answer the following questions: Do tasks included in foster children’s case plans appear reasonable and relevant to their successful reunification with their families and are they being completed by children’s parents? Do outcomes for children in foster care vary based on factors such as age, race, or ethnicity? The scope of our work on the first objective included a review of a nonrandom selection of 48 foster children’s case files from 2016 through 2020. We reviewed children’s case files and parents’ case plan tasks related to reunification. We also interviewed case management staff and judges. Our...more |
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| 13 | |
| Document Title: | Parenting Resources & Support / Family Services of Tulare County [Webpage]. |
| Corporate Author: | Family Services of Tulare County. (Calif.) |
| Publication Year: | 2021 |
| Abstract: | This webpage explains the Tulare County, California Family Services program teaches free parenting classes, provides in-home parenting support for families that have experienced or who are at risk for child abuse or neglect, and, in collaboration with the Tulare Sheriff’s Office, provides parent education to inmates who are close to being released to help them develop parenting skills that can put in use when they return to live with their families. Links are provided to information about issues addressed by Family Services and different programs and services. |
| Available Online | |
| 14 | |
| Document Title: | Temporary Stays and Persistent Gains: The Causal Effects of Foster Care. |
| Personal Author: | Gross, Max.,Baron, E. Jason. |
| Publication Year: | 2021 |
| Abstract: | Six percent of children in the United States enter foster care by age 18. We estimate the effects of foster care on children’s outcomes by exploiting the quasi-random assignment of child welfare investigators in Michigan. We find that foster care improved children’s safety and educational outcomes. Gains emerged after children exited the foster system when most were reunified with their birth parents, suggesting that improvements made by their parents were an important mechanism. These results indicate that safely reducing the use of foster care, a goal of recent federal legislation, requires more effective in-home, prevention-focused efforts. (Author abstract) |
| Available Online | |
| 15 | |
| Document Title: | National Center for Missing and Exploited Children [Website]. |
| Corporate Author: | National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (U.S.) |
| Publication Year: | 2021 |
| Abstract: | This federally funded website provides information on missing and exploited children in the United States and offers resources to parents, victims, and professionals. Information is provided on specific children who are missing, steps parents should take if their child is missing, parent tips for helping children set physical boundaries, and resources for assisting parents and victims. Links provide information on runaways, family abductions, online exploitation, foster children who are missing, and child sexual exploitation. Types of assistance provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are reviewed and include family and victim support services and professional training and materials....more |
| Available Online | |
| 16 | |
| Document Title: | Families Can Heal |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway National Foster Care Month: 2020 |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Describes how a woman who had a child placed in foster care eventually regained custody and became a parent partner at a local service provider. Later, she became the director of family resilience strategies and assisted in developing a national outreach plan for families in need of concrete supports. This real-life story was developed as part of National Foster Care Month 2020. |
| Available Online | |
| 17 | |
| Document Title: | Permanency And Well-Being Outcomes For Maltreated Infants: Pilot Results From An Infant-Toddler Court Team. |
| Personal Author: | Stacks, Ann M.,Wong, Kristyn.,Barron, Carla.,Ryznar, Tina. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Background Evaluations of infant-toddler court teams suggest improvements related to permanency, service provision, and parenting. However, findings regarding permanency are limited in that they do not capture children who remain in care for long periods. Less is known about how court teams impact child development. Objective The first two objectives are to describe baseline development for a small group of infants and toddlers participating in a pilot court team project and to explore changes in their development and behavior. The third objective is to describe permanency outcomes. Participants and setting Infants and toddlers (n = 25) under court jurisdiction for substantiated...more |
| 18 | |
| Document Title: | Foster Care and Children's Wellbeing. |
| Personal Author: | Gross, Max. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This report presents the findings of a study that explored how foster placement influences children’s safety and educational outcomes using information from over 240,000 child welfare investigations in Michigan between 2008 and 2016. The study followed public school students who enter foster care as well as those that do not and tracked children for up to nine years after their investigation. Results indicate children placed in foster care were less likely to be abused or neglected in the future and performed better in school than those who were not placed. The study also found foster children’s safety and educational outcomes improved...more |
| Available Online | |
| 19 | |
| Document Title: | Reunification For Young Children Of Color With Substance Removals: An Intersectional Analysis Of Longitudinal National Data. |
| Personal Author: | Sieger, Margaret H. Lloyd. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Background: The opioid epidemic has resulted in increasing attention to the effect of parental substance use disorders on child welfare system involvement, including foster care utilization. Opioid use disorders are more common among whites than people of color, however. Objective: This study sought to determine number and proportion of children of color with substance removals and whether disparities exist in likelihood of reunification compared to white children. Participants & setting: This study used U.S. Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) data to determine rates of foster care entries and outcomes between 2007–2017 across intersections of child race/ethnicity, age,...more |
| 20 | |
| Document Title: | Agencies and Courts: Putting Families Front and Center Activity and Discussion Guide |
| Corporate Author: | Capacity Building Center for States |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Explains how agency personnel, court staff, and stakeholders can collaborate to create a shared vision for child welfare and to prioritize reunification. The videos and activities can help build mutual understanding and spark change across the child welfare system. Child welfare program managers or supervisors can use the resources for one-on-one coaching and in team meetings. Teams can identify strategies that promote family-centered, strength-based practice and coordinated supports. Court Improvement Program coordinators and court personnel can gain insight into strategies that emphasize multidisciplinary support for families. Training managers can integrate the content into training for child welfare workers or for cross-system...more |
| Available Online | |
| 21 | |
| Document Title: | Colaborando con parientes para promover la reunificación (Partnering With Relatives to Promote Reunification) |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Comparte las experiencias y los consejos de padres biológicos y proveedores de cuidado que han tenido arreglos de cuidado por parientes ("kinship care"). Aborda la importancia de mantener limites saludables, cómo manejar la dinámica familiar, cómo fomentar la confianza, prácticas de crianza y comunicación positivas y cómo conseguir apoyo. Shares stories and advice from caregivers and birth parents who have experienced kinship care on the importance of maintaining boundaries, managing family dynamics, building trust, positive parenting and communication, and securing support. |
| Available Online | |
| 22 | |
| Document Title: | Montana Department of Justice Office of the Child and Family Ombudsman Annual Report 2019. |
| Corporate Author: | Montana. Department of Justice. Office of the Child and Family Ombudsman. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This annual report of the Montana Department of Justice Office of the Child and Family Ombudsman (OCFO) summarizes activities for January 1 through December 31, 2019. Information is provided on the mission of the OCFO and then the report is organized by each duty assigned to OCFO in Montana Code: respond to citizen’s requests, resolve or recommend outcomes, procedure reviews, outreach and education efforts, and challenges identified in the 2018 annual report that were addressed as well as outlining challenges and successes from 2019. The report notes that citizen contacts increased in 2019 for a total of 327 contacts, the overall...more |
| Available Online | |
| 23 | |
| Document Title: | Maine Child Welfare Services Ombudsman 17th Annual Report 2019. |
| Personal Author: | Alberi, Christine E. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | The Maine Child Welfare Services Ombudsman office investigates general complaints to ensure that the State's response to children's needs is equitable and efficient. The 2019 Ombudsman's report reports data for the period of October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019. Findings indicate in Fiscal Year 2019, 611 inquiries were made to the Ombudsman Program, an increase of 6 inquiries from the previous fiscal year. As a result of these inquiries, 109 cases were opened for review (18%), 329 cases were given information or referred for services elsewhere (54%), and 173 cases were unassigned (28%). An unassigned case is the result of...more |
| Available Online | |
| 24 | |
| Document Title: | Loving and Letting Go |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway National Foster Care Month: 2020 |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Presents a story by a foster mother that describes the pain she experienced when one child in her care was going to be placed with a family member. She writes of the importance of the child reuniting with his biological family and how foster parents are not meant to replace them. This real-life story was developed as part of National Foster Care Month 2020. |
| Available Online | |
| 25 | |
| Document Title: | Providing a Safe Place While Families Address Their Challenges |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway National Foster Care Month: 2020 |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Describes a couple's experience as foster parents in Massachusetts. The couple cared for a child and then maintained a strong relationship with the child and her family after reunification. This real-life story was developed as part of National Foster Care Month 2020. |
| Available Online | |
| 26 | |
| Document Title: | Returning to Foster Care: Age and Other Risk Factors. |
| Personal Author: | Wulczyn, Fred.,Parolini, Arno.,Schmits, Florie.,Magruder, Joseph.,Webster, Daniel. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This study uses longitudinal administrative data from twenty U.S. states to examine the risk of returning to foster care after children are either reunified with their parents or placed with guardians outside the foster care system. Our sample for this analysis includes all children who, before age 18, exited their first spell to either reunification or placement with guardians between 2003 and 2010 with follow-up through December 31, 2017 (N = 607,289). Focusing on demographics of the children, placement history and elapsed time since their exit from care as risk factors, a discrete time hazard model was specified to integrate children’s...more |
| 27 | |
| Document Title: | Wisconsin Out-of-Home Care (OHC) Report: Annual Report for Calendar Year 2019. |
| Corporate Author: | Wisconsin. Department of Children and Families. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This report provides information on Wisconsin children in out-of-home (OHC) placements during the calendar year 2019 and point in time, December 31, 2019. Data in this report are from the Child Welfare Data Warehouse. This report includes demographic information, as well as information on overall trends, entry into OHC, exiting OHC, and re-entry into OHC. Statistics indicate as of December 31, 2019: a total of 7,568 children were in an OHC placement, a decrease of 260 children from December 31, 2018; children under the custody of the Division of Milwaukee Child Protective Services (DMCPS) represented 26% of the total OHC population;...more |
| Available Online | |
| 28 | |
| Document Title: | Supportive Housing for Precariously Housed Families in the Child Welfare System: Who Benefits Most? |
| Personal Author: | Glendening, Zachary S.,Shinn, Marybeth.,Brown, Scott R.,Cleveland, Kyndra C.,Cunningham, Mary K.,Pergamit, Michael R. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Background: Supportive housing is a promising intervention for insecurely housed families in the child welfare system.Objectives: We examined factors associated with housing and child welfare outcomes to understand whom supportive housing benefits the most.Participants and setting: Analyses included 500 insecurely housed families involved in child protective services across five U.S. sites. Researchers randomized families to receive supportive housing or the usual services offered to families in local child welfare systems.Methods: We examined predictors of homelessness and child welfare outcomes with logistic regression, survival analysis, and receiver operating characteristic curves. We also examined supportive housing’s effect across risk levels for each outcome...more |
| 29 | |
| Document Title: | Family Reunifcation Decision‑Making in Dutch Family Foster Care: A Dual Perspective Approach. |
| Personal Author: | Teunissen, Mirte S. L.,Goemans, Anouk.,Holen, Frank van.,Nefs, Harold T.,Pijnenburg, Huub M.,Damen, Harm.,Vedder, Paul H. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | A study used concept mapping to identify themes that seem to be used by two groups of professionals in their judgement and decision-making on reunification. First, 78 foster care workers were consulted and 172 legal cases were examined for important criteria for reunification. Next, unique criteria were grouped and rated by 35 foster care workers and 12 family judges. Both foster care workers and family judges suggested the following themes in the reunification decision-making process: birth parents’ functioning and parenting abilities, birth parents’ acceptance of support, and the child’s functioning, developmental needs and wishes. The foster care workers’ considerations, however, seem...more |
| Available Online | |
| 30 | |
| Document Title: | "Which Home Are We Going Back To?": Children's Lived Experiences After Leaving Shelters For Battered Women. |
| Personal Author: | Vass, Anat.,Haj-Yahia, Muhammad M. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Background Shelters for battered women (SBW) are one of the main resources protecting battered women and their children from immediate threat, but the time the women can spend at the SBW is limited. Women and their children must leave the shelter when circumstances make it possible and rebuild their lives outside of it. To date, there has been a dearth of research examining how children perceive the transition from the SBW to the community and rebuild new personal and family routines. Objective The present study explores the subjective perceptions of children of battered women of their transition from the SBW to...more |
| 31 | |
| Document Title: | A Stronger Foundation for America’s Families: Transition 2021. |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare League of America. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Intended to assist President-Elect Joseph R. Biden and the incoming 117th Congress, this policy document from the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) offers policymakers a vision and recommendations that address both legislative and administrative efforts to improve child welfare services and advance the well-being of families and children. The document is based on a review of the CWLA National Blueprint, policies, best practice guidance, and advocacy positions researched and crafted over the past several years. It offers short- and long-term recommendations across eight key areas. The short-term recommendations address matters to be addressed quickly by changes in federal policy, guidance,...more |
| Available Online | |
| 32 | |
| Document Title: | Setting the Stage for Family Reunification. |
| Personal Author: | Harris, Elizabeth.,Becerra, Miguel. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Parents whose children are removed by the child welfare system are generally required to participate in a set of community‐based services as a condition for reunification. Often, these services are provided by outside non‐profit agencies. In this study, the authors analysed data from 27 interviews with parents whose children were removed by child welfare and four focus groups totalling 18 staff from a parent education service provider. The data suggest that while these non‐profit programmes are designed to improve the parental behaviours that led to their child welfare system involvement, staff and parents also describe the programmes as helping them develop...more |
| 33 | |
| Document Title: | Reunifying Successfully: A Systematic Review of Interventions to Reduce Child Welfare Recidivism. |
| Personal Author: | LaBrenz, Catherine A.,Panisch, Lisa S.,Liu, Chun.,Fong, Rowena. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | As many as one third of children who reunify from child welfare systems reenter care because of continued child maltreatment. This can have long-term deleterious effects on mental health. Yet, few studies have examined interventions that have been effective in promoting successful reunification or reunification that does not result in recidivism. This study presents findings from a systematic review of interventions that target successful reunification. We searched five academic databases, governmental and educational websites to identify prior literature. Three researchers extracted data from N = 216 studies retrieved and screened in 10 that met all inclusion criteria. However, small sample sizes,...more |
| 34 | |
| Document Title: | Compassion: The Necessary Foundation to Reunify Families Involved in the Foster Care System. |
| Personal Author: | Markey, Katherine.,Sankaran, Vivek. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Compassion plays a critical role in ensuring that stakeholders can engage with, and support parents trying to reunify with kids in the foster care system. This Article will explore the compassion crisis in foster care, will present the research documenting the impact of compassion on engaging families, and will identify key steps stakeholders can take to incorporate compassion into their work.(Author abstract) |
| 35 | |
| Document Title: | Book Review: Behavior Analysis Metrics and Applications for the Preservation and Reunification of Families. |
| Personal Author: | Ives, Lindsey. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This article is a book review for Behavior Analysis Metrics & Applications for the Preservation & Reunification of Families by Brandon F. Greene, a book that outlines the author's findings of his research into improving the lives of families with a history of child maltreatment. |
| 36 | |
| Document Title: | Hope, Healing, and Restoration—A Birth Mother's Story |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway National Foster Care Month: 2020 |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Describes a mother's journey to reunify with her children after they entered foster care. She received encouragement and support from her children's foster parents, with whom she still maintains contact. This real-life story was developed as part of National Foster Care Month 2020. |
| Available Online | |
| 37 | |
| Document Title: | Behavior Analysis Metrics and Applications for the Preservation and Reunification of Families. Volume 1. |
| Personal Author: | Greene, Brandon F. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This book is a 37-chapter anthology of some of the most enterprising work addressing the problem of child maltreatment. It describes: The development and application of Contextually Valid Family Treatment, a more viable alternative to the traditional training of a parent/child dyad; Empirically driven strategies for managing the visitation/reunification process; A protocol for predicting the vulnerability of women to recurrences of domestic violence; Training for young children and adolescents in self-protection against sexual and other forms of exploitation. (Modified author abstract) |
| 38 | |
| Document Title: | Description and Evaluation of a Trial Program Aimed at Reunifying Adolescents in Statutory Long-Term Out-Of-Home Care With Their Birth Families: The Adolescent Reunification Program. |
| Personal Author: | Malvaso, Catia G.,Delfabbro, Paul H. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | A significant international child protection issue is the gradual increase in the number of children in statutory out-of-home care (OOHC). This has led to strong policy interest in family reunification or family restoration; however, dedicated reunification programs that aim to reunify children who have been in care longer-term appear to be rare. In this paper, we describe the development, piloting and evaluation of a dedicated, intensive program for adolescents in long-term OOHC and their families of origin – the Adolescent Reunification Program (ARP). The ARP evaluation involved a mixed methods approach through the compilation of both quantitative data (the number and...more |
| 39 | |
| Document Title: | Answering The Need: A California Woman Decides To Become A Foster Parent: 30 Years Later Parenting Medically Fragile Children Has Become Her Life's Work. |
| Personal Author: | Phagan-Hansel, Kim. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This article highlights a woman who, with her husband, provides foster care for children with varying degrees of special needs. It explains that the foster parent’s own experiences as a parent of a biological child with special needs has given her a greater understanding of what the biological parents are feeling and describes her efforts in working with parents towards reunification. |
| 40 | |
| Document Title: | Walking Together: How Cultural Brokers Can Support Birth Parents |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway National Foster Care Month: 2020 |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Describes how a mother worked with a cultural broker to overcome parenting challenges and reunify with her children. Cultural brokers work collaboratively with families, social workers, the court, foster parents, and the community to help decrease the disproportionate number of African-American children in foster care and serve as an advocate to help parents navigate the child welfare system. This real-life story was developed as part of National Foster Care Month 2020. |
| Available Online | |
| 41 | |
| Document Title: | Understanding the Effects of an Interdisciplinary Approach to Parental Representation in Child Welfare. |
| Personal Author: | Gerber, Lucas A.,Guggenheim, Martin.,Pang, Yuk C.,Ross, Timothy.,Mayevskaya, Yana.,Jacobs, Susan.,Pecora, Peter J. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Prior research demonstrates that the interdisciplinary law office approach to parental representation in child welfare, used in the New York City Family Court, speeds up the time to permanency for children in foster care with no effect on child safety. Interrogating these findings further, this study utilizes a qualitative interview-based design to understand how the model works in practice to impact the outcomes of families’ cases. We interviewed 42 practitioners in the New York City Family Court and 17 parents who had had a recent child protection case in the New York City Family Court. Practitioners included judges, court attorneys, attorneys...more |
| 42 | |
| Document Title: | Reunification Of Looked‐After Children With Their Birth Parents In The United Kingdom: A Literature Review And Thematic Synthesis. |
| Personal Author: | Carlson, Lyndsey.,Hutton, Stephanie.,Priest, Helena.,Melia, Yvonne. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Background: Reunification of looked‐after children with their birth parents is the most common route to permanency for looked‐after children in the United Kingdom. Previous research evidence, mainly from American studies, suggests numerous fa-tors that contribute to successful reunification outcomes (Biehal, 2007). Less is known about the current evidence base for reunification practice in the United Kingdom. Objective: This review aimed to identify, appraise, and synthesize published literature concerned with the reunification of looked‐after children with their birth parents in the United Kingdom. Methods: A systematic search of the literature identified eight peer‐reviewed studies conducted between 2005 and 2017 exploring reunification practice...more |
| 43 | |
| Document Title: | Key Studies and Data About How Legal Aid Helps Keep Families Together and Out of the Child Welfare System. |
| Corporate Author: | American University (Washington, D.C.). Justice Programs Office. Justice in Government Project. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This report presents data from key studies that explored how legal aid helps keep families together and out of the child welfare system. It begins by explaining there are approximately 437,000 children in foster care and when legal aid helps address families ’unresolved legal problems it can prevent children from entering the child welfare system rather than redressing situations once removal from the home or foster/kinship care placement has taken place. It shares research findings that indicate when children do enter court-supervised out-of-home care, providing legal representation to parents resulted in less time spent in foster care, faster rates to adoption...more |
| Available Online | |
| 44 | |
| Document Title: | The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle Indicators 2018–19: Measuring Progress. |
| Personal Author: | Karunaratne, Kanishka.,Watters, Alison. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This brief explains the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP) is a framework designed to promote policy and practice in Australia that will reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the child protection system. It brings together the latest state and territory data on five ATSICPP indicators that measure and track the application of the Placement and Connection elements of the framework. Data on progress from 2018-2019 indicate: about 18,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were living in out-of-home care at June 30, 2019 (a rate of 54 per 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres...more |
| Available Online | |
| 45 | |
| Document Title: | Virtual Family Time: Tips for Families |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Provides parents with information about successful virtual family time sessions, including how to prepare, tips, and activities. Family time, also known as parent-child visits, is critical to promoting family bonding and setting the stage for successful reunification. Although in-person contact is preferred, there are extreme occasions when in-person contact is not appropriate or safe, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual family time, during which parents contact their children through video, offers a safe alternative. |
| Available Online | |
| 46 | |
| Document Title: | Who Will Go Back Home?: Factors Associated With Decisions To Address Family Reunification From Residential Care. |
| Personal Author: | Martin, Eduardo.,González-Navasa, Patricia.,Betancort, Moisés |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | One of the goals that can be addressed when a youngster enters residential care (RC) is family reunification, but this is not possible or recommended in all cases. The objective of this work is to determine the factors associated with deciding to address family reunification from RC. The sample consists of 281 youngsters aged 6 to 18, of whom 27.8% had a family reunification plan. The information was extracted from the administrative files, through the “Sistema de Evaluación y Registro en Acogimiento Residencial” (SERAR [Evaluation and Register System in Residential Care]; Del Valle & Bravo, 2007). Logistic regressions were conducted, which...more |
| 47 | |
| Document Title: | The Twenty-Sixth Annual Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County [California]. |
| Corporate Author: | Orange County Children's Partnership. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This annual report on the conditions of children in Orange County, California, reports findings on indicators of good health, economic well-being, educational achievement, and safe homes and communities for 2020. Each focus area includes the most recent data for indicators to assess improving or worsening trends over 10 years. The most recent data ranges from 2017 to 2020, and up to 10 years of data are reported. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is also addressed. In the area of child welfare, statistics indicate: in 2019, 30,676 children were the subject of one or more child abuse allegations in Orange County...more |
| Available Online | |
| 48 | |
| Document Title: | Office of the Family and Children's Ombuds: 2020 Annual Report. Washington State Office of the Family and Children's Ombuds. |
| Corporate Author: | Washington (State). Office of the Family & Children’s Ombudsman. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This report provides an account of the Washington State Office of the Family and Children's Ombuds' (OFCO) activities from September 1, 2019 to August 31, 2020 and provides recommendations to improve the quality of State services for children and families. During this reporting period, OFCO received 821 complaints and completed 830 investigations regarding 1,228 children. This year, issues involving the conduct of DCYF staff and other agency services were the most frequently identified complaint issues. Issues involving the separation and reunification of families comprised the next highest categories of issues identified in complaints. Seventy-three complaints prompted intervention by OFCO in 2020,...more |
| Available Online | |
| 49 | |
| Document Title: | Recommendations for Trauma-Informed Care Under the Family First Prevention Services Act. |
| Personal Author: | Tullberg, Erika.,Lynch, Miranda.,Goldman, Jane Halladay. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This brief explains the federal Family First Prevention Act provides a significant opportunity for child welfare systems to better support children and families and includes requirements for the use of trauma-informed approaches. It then describes the impact of trauma on children and youth and the need for trauma-informed child welfare practice. Following sections describe key Family First provisions that address trauma; define and describe the components of trauma-informed child welfare practice; suggest ways to consider parental, caregiver and child trauma in the design and delivery of prevention and kinship navigation services; recommend the consideration of trauma and traumatic stress to inform...more |
| Available Online | |
| 50 | |
| Document Title: | Minnesota’s Out-of-Home Care and Permanency Report 2019: Children and Family Services. |
| Corporate Author: | Minnesota. Child Safety and Permanency Division. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | The annual report provides information on children placed in out-of-home care in Minnesota in 2019, and highlights the work that happens across the State to ensure and promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of children who experience out-of-home care. Information is provided on placement in out-of-home care, supervision and case management, leaving out-of-home care, adoptions, and post placement services and outcomes. Findings indicate: there were 15,297 children in 15,384 out-of-home care episodes who experienced one or more days in out-of-home care in 2019; there was a 9.4% reduction in the number of children who entered out-of-home care in 2019, from 6,741...more |
| Available Online | |
| 51 | |
| Document Title: | Reasonable and Active Efforts, and Substance Use Disorders: A Toolkit for Professionals Working with Families in or at Risk of Entering the Child Welfare System. |
| Personal Author: | Klain, Eva J.,Laver, Mimi.,DeCerchio, Ken.,Shah, Ashay.,Garcia, Suzanne. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This federally funded brief is designed to assist professionals working with families in or at risk of entering the child welfare system ensure reasonable and active efforts are made to prevent a removal of a child from his or her family or to reunify the family if a child has been placed in out-of-home care.. It begins by explaining reasonable and active efforts findings allow juvenile or family courts to determine whether a child welfare agency has satisfied its statutory requirement to prevent removal of a child or reunify the family; encourage State agencies to achieve timely permanency for the child;...more |
| Available Online | |
| 52 | |
| Document Title: | Upfront Family Finding Evaluation Phase 2: Long-Term Outcomes [Power Point]. |
| Personal Author: | Welti, Kate.,Malm, Karin.,Wilkins, Alexandria. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This slide presentation shares the findings of a study that evaluated the long-term outcomes of the Upfront Family Finding (UFF) pilot program. It begins by explaining findings from the Phase 1 of the evaluation that indicate the UFF pilot was implemented as intended and office culture shifted toward even greater appreciation for relatives as resources for children removed from their homes, Permanency Partners Program (P3) workers were successful in identifying and engaging relatives, and there was an increased likelihood of relative placement for all newly detained children in the pilot offices and for children not initially placed with relatives. Findings are...more |
| Available Online | |
| 53 | |
| Document Title: | New York City Child Welfare Indicators Annual Report 2019. |
| Corporate Author: | New York City Administration for Children's Services. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This brief includes charts that present information on New York City child welfare services at different points in time. The data includes: the average caseload for child protective specialists in the different boroughs of New York City and citywide as of March 25, 2019, as of June 24, 2019, as of September 30, 2019, and as of December 30, 2019; the child protective staffing experience, screening staffing experience, and protective manager staffing experience as of March 16, 2019, as of June 22, 2019, as of September 14, 2019, and as of December 21, 2019; the number of SCR reports by type...more |
| Available Online | |
| 54 | |
| Document Title: | The Effect of CASA on Child Welfare Permanency Outcomes. |
| Personal Author: | Osborne, Cynthia.,Warner-Doe, Hilary.,LeClear, McKenna.,Sexton, Holly. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | The present study is the largest and most rigorous study to date on the effects of being appointed a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) on permanency outcomes of children in foster care. The intent-to-treat study accounts for selection bias by applying inverse probability weighting to logistic and sequential logistic regressions in a large sample of children in foster care in the state of Texas (N = 31,754). Overall, children appointed a CASA have significantly lower odds than children without a CASA of achieving permanency. They have lower odds of being reunified, greater odds of being adopted (if not reunified), and lower...more |
| 55 | |
| Document Title: | Citizens Review Board for Children Annual Report Fiscal 2020 (July 1st 2019 to June 30th 2020). |
| Corporate Author: | Maryland. Citizens' Review Board for Children. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This 2020 annual report describes the activities, findings, and accomplishments of the Maryland Citizens Review Board for Children (CRBC), an organization comprised of volunteer citizens and Department of Human Services (DHS) staff that provides child welfare expertise, guidance, and support to the State and Local Boards. CRBC is charged with examining the policies, practices, and procedures of Maryland’s child protective services and reviews cases of children and youth in out-of-home placement, monitors child welfare programs, and makes recommendations for system improvement. During Fiscal Year 2020, CRBC reviewed 871 cases of children and youth in out-of-home placements. Findings are reported for out-of-home...more |
| Available Online | |
| 56 | |
| Document Title: | Fostering The Family, Not Just The Child: Exploring The Value Of A Residential Family Preservation Programme From The Perspectives Of Service Users And Staff. |
| Personal Author: | Rapsey, C. M.,Rolston, Cassandra J. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Placement in out-of-home care is associated with a number of devastating outcomes for mothers and for their children in the short and long term. The aim of this study was to examine factors and processes of change that occurred through participation in a residential family preservation/reunification programme from the perspectives of service users and staff. We conducted in-depth interviews and a focus group with 12 service users and staff from one programme in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Three overarching themes common to the narratives of service users and staff were identified: (1) relationships, (2) programme structure, and (3) psychological resources. We describe eight...more |
| 57 | |
| Document Title: | Maine Child Welfare Services Ombudsman 18th Annual Report 2020. |
| Personal Author: | Alberi, Christine E. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | The Maine Child Welfare Services Ombudsman office investigates general complaints to ensure that the State's response to children's needs is equitable and efficient. The 2020 Ombudsman's report reports data for the period of October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020. Findings indicate in Fiscal Year 2020, 617 inquiries were made to the Ombudsman Program, an increase of 6 inquiries from the previous fiscal year. As a result of these inquiries, 90 cases were opened for review (14%), 332 cases were given information or referred for services elsewhere (54%), and 195 cases were unassigned (32%). An unassigned case is the result of...more |
| Available Online | |
| 58 | |
| Document Title: | Spotlight on National Reunification Month (Special Issue of Children's Bureau Express). |
| Corporate Author: | United States. Children's Bureau. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This month's issue features National Reunification Month. Safe and timely reunification is the most desired outcome when children are placed in out-of-home care, and supportive partnerships between parents, caregivers, agencies, and other stakeholders are an integral part of strengthening the capacity of families and bringing children home. Read a message from Jerry Milner, Associate Commissioner of the Children's Bureau, about how the child welfare system should proactively seek to strengthen, support, and celebrate families and promote safe reunification. We also feature a message from David Kelly, special assistant to the Associate Commissioner, that emphasizes the importance of recognizing the need for...more |
| Available Online | |
| 59 | |
| Document Title: | Partnering With Relatives to Promote Reunification |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Shares stories and advice from caregivers and birth parents who have experienced kinship care on the importance of maintaining boundaries, managing family dynamics, building trust, positive parenting and communication, and securing support. |
| Available Online | |
| 60 | |
| Document Title: | The Pursuit of Algorithmic Fairness: On "Correcting" Algorithmic Unfairness in a Child Welfare Reunification Success Classifier. |
| Personal Author: | Purdy, Jordan.,Glass, Brian. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | The algorithmic fairness of predictive analytic tools in the public sector has increasingly become a topic of rigorous exploration. While instruments pertaining to criminal recidivism and academic admissions, for example, have garnered much attention, the predictive instruments of Child Welfare jurisdictions have received considerably less attention. This is in part because comparatively few such instruments exist and because even fewer have been scrutinized through the lens of algorithmic fairness. In this work, we seek to address both of these gaps. To this end, a novel classification algorithm for predicting reunification success within Oregon Child Welfare is presented, including all of the...more |
| Available Online | |
| 61 | |
| Document Title: | Exploring Relational And Parental Factors For Permanency Outcomes Of Children In Care. |
| Personal Author: | Antle, Becky F.,Barbee, Anita P.,Sar, Bibhuti K.,Sullivan, Dana J.,Tarter, Kirsten. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This research examined the impact of individual and relational characteristics of foster parents on permanency outcomes for children in care. Previous research has focused on child and case characteristics. The sample consisted of 233 foster parents from the public child welfare system surveyed at the end of a training. The results of the surveys showed that couple relationship quality and altruism were predictive of reunification of foster children with biological parent. The significant predictors of placement in a residential facility were age, education, and avoidant attachment style of the foster parent. Practice and policy implications are discussed. (Author Abstract) |
| 62 | |
| Document Title: | Longitudinal Analysis of Need-Service Matching for Substance-Involved Parents in the Child Welfare System. |
| Personal Author: | Lin, Yu-An.,Hedeker, Donald.,Ryan, Joseph P.,Marsh, Jeanne C. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Objective: The study documents the impact of the need-service gap (client did not receive the service they need) on family reunification status among substance-involved parents in the child welfare system. Methods: With a sample of 271 substance-involved parents involved with the Illinois foster care system, we used a longitudinal Poisson model to identify the group by time effect on the expected need-service gap between reunified and not-reunified parents. Results: Two major findings emerge: (1) when working with recovery coaches, the trend of substance-involved parents’ need-service gap declined over time, and (2) the expected rate of the need-service gap was not significantly...more |
| 63 | |
| Document Title: | Reconsidering Success for an Integrated Family Dependency Treatment Court. |
| Personal Author: | Moore, Kathleen.,Sharp, Amanda.,Alitz, Paige.,Yampolskaya, Svetlana.,Kleinman, Mary.,Carlson, Melissa.,Argerious, Alexa. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Parental alcohol and substance use is a significant contributing factor for child removal. Family Dependency Treatment Courts (FDTCs) offer an interagency approach to treating parental substance abuse after child removal and addressing the comprehensive needs of children and their parents, with the ultimate goal of family reunification. There is a dearth of FDTC evaluation studies that examine permanent placement outcomes s as compared to other traditional family courts. The current study used a matched sample of 72 FDTC and dependency court participants to assess whether participation in the FDTC program is associated with an increased chance to achieve permanency and a...more |
| 64 | |
| Document Title: | The Road to Reunification: Family- and State System-Factors Associated with Successful Reunification for Children Ages Zero-to-Five. |
| Personal Author: | LaBrenz, Catherine A.,Fong, Rowena.,Cubbin, Catherine. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Background: Research suggests that up to one-third of children who reunify re-enter care because of continued maltreatment. For young children, this is particularly detrimental due to rapid brain development during the first years of life.Objective: This study examined family- and state child welfare system predictors of successful reunification, or reunification with no reentries into foster care.Methods: A sample of N=53,789 from the 2012 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System of children ages zero-to-five who reunified was utilized. Children were tracked over the following three years and a multilevel model was run to compare family- and state system-factors among those...more |
| 65 | |
| Document Title: | Spotlight on National Foster Care Month (Special Issue of Children's Bureau Express). |
| Corporate Author: | United States. Children's Bureau. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This month's issue of CBX features National Foster Care Month, which again emphasizes the importance of foster care as a support to families and not a substitute for parents. Read a message from Jerry Milner, Associate Commissioner of the Children's Bureau, and David Kelly, special assistant to the Associate Commissioner, about how parents with children in care need supportive relationships and connections to help them mitigate the challenges often associated with removal and expedite reunification. We also highlight a recently released Information Memorandum featuring guidance from the Children's Bureau on how to make foster care a support to families. Also included...more |
| Available Online | |
| 66 | |
| Document Title: | Foster Care as a Support to Families, not a Substitute for Parents. |
| Corporate Author: | North Carolina. Division of Social Services. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Family and Children’s Resource Program. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | The theme of this issue of Fostering Perspectives is “foster care as a support for families, not a substitute for parents.” Foster care isintended to be a short-term intervention that strengthens parents’ protective capacities so they can safely care for their children. Thegoal is almost always for children and youth to return to their families.One of the best tools we have for making this vision of foster care a reality is shared parenting, a practice in which resource parents cultivate positive, supportive relationships with birth parents. True, shared parenting isn’t always easy. Parents naturally feel hurt and angry when their children...more |
| Available Online | |
| 67 | |
| Document Title: | Family Critical Time Intervention With Housing Unstable, Child Welfare-Involved Families: Service Providers’ and Families’ Experiences With the Phases. |
| Personal Author: | Bai, Rong.,Collins, Cyleste.,Fischer, Robert.,Crampton, David. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | It is well documented that children from housing unstable families tend to stay longer in the foster care system and are less likely to reunify with their caregivers as compared to stably housed families. Various housing interventions have been implemented to promote reunification. Previous studies have primarily focused on examining the effectiveness of these housing interventions, however, no qualitative study has explored the mechanisms by which housing interventions are being delivered. This study aims to fill this critical literature gap by exploring how Family Critical Time Intervention (FCTI) is being carried out in the context of serving housing-unstable families with children...more |
| 68 | |
| Document Title: | Family Visit Coaching: Improvement in Parenting Skills Through Coached Visitation. |
| Personal Author: | Fischer, Sierra.,Harris, Elizabeth.,Smith, Hailey S.,Polivka, Rachel J. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | The Family Visit Coaching (FVC) model is an alternative to traditional child welfare visitation. It differs from traditional supervised visits in that parents interact with a coach before, during, and after visits to build pragmatic parenting skills and improve emotional capacity to engage with their children. Although variations on the model are used throughout the United States, no peer-reviewed research has been done to demonstrate that the intervention improves parenting. In this study, 106 parents in San Diego, California, participated in an FVC program from 2015 to 2018. They were assessed at the beginning and end of the program using the...more |
| 69 | |
| Document Title: | Putting Ethan First: A Reunification Story. |
| Personal Author: | Goodman, Denise. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This article highlights a case in which a 3-month old was placed with foster parents in the reunification program of the Clark County, Nevada Department of Family Services. A question-and-answer interview with key participants explores how the two foster parents, the birth parent, and the caseworker worked together to ensure the reunification. |
| Available Online | |
| 70 | |
| Document Title: | House Joint Memorial 10: Executive Task Force Recommendations: HJM 10 Report. |
| Personal Author: | Luna, Annamarie. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This report presents the recommendations of a Task Force that was created to develop recommendations on how the New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department can improve policies and practices that recruit and support foster families for children in its care. House Joint Memorial 10 (HJM 10) established the Task Force that included individuals from all over New Mexico including urban, rural, frontier, and tribal communities, and a variety of professional backgrounds, including education, medicine, social work, community organizing, non-profit, government, and more. The Task Force also included a number of individuals with lived experience as foster parents, kinship care providers,...more |
| Available Online | |
| 71 | |
| Document Title: | Reasonable Efforts to Preserve or Reunify Families and Achieve Permanency for Children |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This factsheet discusses laws that require child welfare agencies to make reasonable efforts to provide services that will help families remedy the conditions that brought the child and family into the child welfare system. The issues examined include what constitutes reasonable efforts, when reasonable efforts are required to be made, and the circumstances under which reasonable efforts to reunify the family are not required. Summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories are included. |
| Available Online | |
| 72 | |
| Document Title: | Parental Drug Use and Family Reunification. |
| Personal Author: | Sanmartin, Maria X.,Ali, Mir M.,Meinhofer, Angélica. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | A study used the 2000–2017 waves of the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting Systems to identify foster care entries among children removed from their homes because of parental drug use (PDU) and calculated the number of entries for each year. The study also identified foster care discharges achieved through parental reunification among children removed from their homes each year. Findings indicate the number of foster care entries involving PDU rose dramatically, from 39,130 in 2000 to 96,846 in 2017 (147%), while total entries decreased from 287,428 to 269,775 (6%). The number of children removed from their home because of...more |
| Available Online | |
| 73 | |
| Document Title: | Three Wishes: A Projective Tool in Understanding the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences. |
| Personal Author: | O'Donnell, Caitlin |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Asking for “three wishes” is a projective tool commonly used by clinicians with children to assess features of their internal world. Despite its widespread use, research on the meaning of individuals’ responses to this tool is limited. Some research has looked atdifferent types of wish responses across demographics such as age and gender; however, no study to date has specifically investigated the relationship of wishes to adverse childhood experiences. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as neglect and abuse, have been specifically connected to later health problems such as obesity anddepression (Felitti et al., 1998). To fill in the gap in current...more |
| Available Online | |
| 74 | |
| Document Title: | Tiempo virtual en familia: consejos para familias (Virtual Family Time: Tips for Families) |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | El tiempo en familia, también conocido como visitas de padres e hijos, es fundamental para promover el vínculo familiar y preparar para una reunificación exitosa. Aunque se prefiere el contacto en persona, hay ocasiones extremas en las que el contacto en persona no es apropiado o seguro, como durante la pandemia de COVID-19 (también conocido como el coronavirus). El tiempo virtual en familia, durante el cual contacta a su hijo a través de llamadas por video, ofrece una alternativa segura. Esta hoja informativa brinda a los padres información sobre sesiones exitosas de tiempo virtual en familia, incluyendo cómo prepararse, consejos y...more |
| Available Online | |
| 75 | |
| Document Title: | Tips for Supporting Virtual Family Time |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Provides child welfare professionals with an overview of how they can promote successful virtual family time, including research about virtual interactions, how to prepare children and families, and tips and activities for visits. Family time, also known as parent-child visits, is a key factor in promoting family bonding and setting the stage for successful reunification after a child has been placed in out-of-home care. Although in-person contact is the preferred method for family time, there are extreme occasions when in-person contact is not appropriate or safe, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual family time, during which contact is established through...more |
| Available Online | |
| 76 | |
| Document Title: | Scaling Up Housing Services Within the Child Welfare System: Policy Insights From Simulation Modeling. |
| Personal Author: | Fowler, Patrick J.,Marcal, Katherine E.,Chung, Sara.,Brown, Derek S.,Jonson-Reid, Melissa.,Hovmand, Peter S. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Objectives: Housing insecurity and homelessness contribute to risk of maltreatment among one in five of the nearly 3.5 million children annually investigated for maltreatment in the United States. The Family Unification Program (FUP)—a federal initiative—connects inadequately housed families involved in child welfare with long-term rental subsidies to avoid foster placement. However, FUP remains understudied and underutilized with funding levels that serve only a fraction of eligible households. The present study uses system dynamics modeling to inform decision-making by testing policies for scaling FUP. Method: Simulations model delivery of FUP within child welfare from a feedback perspective. Calibrated on national data, models...more |
| 77 | |
| Document Title: | Oklahoma Department of Human Services 2020 Annual Report [Webpage] |
| Corporate Author: | Oklahoma. Department of Human Services. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This annual report describes the activities and accomplishments of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) in State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2020. Links are provided that review key achievements in the areas of adult and family services, adult protective services, aging services, child care services, child support services, child welfare services, developmental disabilities services, the Office of Client Advocacy, the Office of Inspector General, and accountability. The section on child welfare services includes the following findings: in SFY 2020, CarePortal, on online platform to help children and families gain access to resources through a community of churches, served 2,733 children and...more |
| Available Online | |
| 78 | |
| Document Title: | What Do We Know About Virtual Court Hearings? |
| Corporate Author: | Casey Family Programs. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | This brief summarizes key considerations — potential benefits and potential concerns — for courts moving to virtual hearings. The information is chiefly anecdotal, and has been gleaned from various presentations and conversations with child welfare leaders, court advocates, judges, and other stakeholders.2 While prior research on remote hearings in criminal court is included, child welfare is still lacking meaningful and sustained input and feedback from parents and children about their personal experiences with virtual court hearings to determine if, how, or when they might be used after the pandemic. More thorough research and evaluation is needed to better understand the effectiveness...more |
| Available Online | |
| 79 | |
| Document Title: | Through Their Lens: The Parental Experience Of Formerly Black Fathers. |
| Personal Author: | Welch, Niedha.,Negash, Sesen.,Nino, Alba.,Ayres, Kimberly.,Woolley, Scott. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Using the qualitative approach of Moustakas’ (1994) transcendental phenomenology, seven formerly incarcerated Black fathers responded to semistructured interviews about their parenting experiences following incarceration. Participants discussed what influenced the relationship they have and would like to have with their children. Findings showed that most Black fathers (a) felt that their parenting habits were influenced by past experiences; (b) were in contact with their children; and (c) stated that their personal growth influenced their desire to be better parents. Findings call for strength-based approaches, rather than deficit perspectives, to increase father involvement and decrease risk factors among children. (Author abstract) |
| 80 | |
| Document Title: | New York City Administration for Children's Services Report on Youth in Foster Care, 2018. |
| Corporate Author: | New York City Administration for Children's Services. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This brief includes charts that report the number of New York City youth in foster care as of December 31, 2018. Data indicates there were 8,487 youth in 24-hour foster care, including 7,057 youth with a permanency goal and 908 with an Another Planned Permanent Living Arrangement goal. Data is provided on the number of foster child at each age, the race of each foster child, the number of youth with paid independent living stipends, youth who receive vocational training, youth who may be eligible to petition for SIJS or other immigration relief, youth who have a permanent connection to a...more |
| Available Online | |
| 81 | |
| Document Title: | Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services' In Home and Community Based Family Preservation and Support Services: Practice Guidelines. Revised November 2019. |
| Corporate Author: | Utah Division of Child and Family Services. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This document contains guidelines that are to be used by the Utah Child and Family Services in providing in-home and community-based family preservation and support services. It begins by explaining the goal of in-home services is to prevent the need for future child welfare involvement or removal, help caseworkers better identify strengths and needs and address parenting skills and relationships in the family's natural environment, provide services that are family-centered, community-based, and culturally competent, and engage the family by using their input to determine what types of supports or services will be most helpful to them. Following sections then review updated...more |
| Available Online | |
| 82 | |
| Document Title: | Creating Connection: When Birth Parents And Foster Parents Work Together, Children Can More Quickly, Successfully And Safely Return Home. |
| Personal Author: | Waddell, Stan. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This article shares the advice of several foster parents with more than 100 years of combined parenting experiences on successfully working with birth families. Recommendations are made for communicating with birth parents, building relationships, and mentoring birth parents. It notes the relationship between foster parent and birth parents can play a key role in a successful reunification. |
| 83 | |
| Document Title: | Comparing Reunified And Residential Care Facility Children's Wellbeing In Ghana: The Role Of Hope. |
| Personal Author: | James, Spencer L.,Roby, Jini L. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | A study examined the role of hope in child well-being differences between children in residential care facilities (RCFs) and reunified children in Ghana. Findings indicate hope was associated with greater well-being for both groups; the influence of hope, however, was stronger among reunified children. Reasons are discussed for why psychological well-being, particularly hope, may function as a moderate or help provide children with an important means of negotiating their environments. 3 figures, 5 tables, and 66 references. (Author abstract modified) |
| 84 | |
| Document Title: | Report in Brief: Southwest Key Programs Did Not Always Comply With Health and Safety Requirements For The Unaccompanied Alien Children Program. |
| Corporate Author: | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This fact sheet shares the findings of a review of Southwest Key Programs (Southwest Key), an Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) Program grantee and one of the largest providers of services to UAC in the United States. An audit was conducted in conjunction with the review of Southwest Key’s financial management of federal funds received to operate the UAC Program. The review examined whether Southwest Key met applicable safety standards for the care and release of children in its custody. For the study, policies, procedures, and the organizational structure were reviewed, Southwest Key shelter care facilities in Arizona, California, and Texas were...more |
| Available Online | |
| 85 | |
| Document Title: | Conditions of Children in or at Risk of Foster Care in Illinois: FY2019 Monitoring Report of the B.H. Consent Decree. |
| Personal Author: | Fuller, Tamara.,Nieto, Martin.,Wang, Shufen.,Adams, Kyle A.,Wakita, Satomi.,Tran, Steve.,Chiu, Yu-Ling.,Braun, Michael.,Cross, Theodore P.,Lee, Laura.,Burnett, Aaron.,Meyer, Heidi. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This 2019 Monitoring Report of the B.H. Consent Decree uses child welfare administrative data through September 30, 2018 to describe the conditions of children in or at risk of foster care in Illinois. Following an introductory chapter, results of the analyses are presented in five chapters that examine critical child welfare outcomes. The first chapter focuses on child safety and examines if children are kept safe from additional maltreatment after they have been involved in a child protective services (CPS) investigation. Rates of maltreatment are examined among all children with substantiated reports during the fiscal year, children served in intact family...more |
| Available Online | |
| 86 | |
| Document Title: | Identifying Effective Interventions For Promoting Parent Engagement And Family Reunification For Children In Out-Of-Home Care: A Series Of Meta-Analyses. |
| Personal Author: | Maltais, Christine.,Cyr, Chantal.,Parent, Genevieve.,Pascuzzo, Katherine. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Background An important obstacle for family reunification following child placement in residential care and other temporary out-of-home care services is the lack of engagement among parents. Objective The aim of this meta-analysis is to identify the most effective interventions to promote parental engagement and family reunification. Method and participants Eight studies, for a total of 2996 families, were used to conduct two series of meta-analyses. Each study examined the effectiveness of a goal-oriented parental engagement intervention, relative to a control group made up of parents who received standard services. Six moderators were analyzed: type of clinical modality, number of clinical strategies,...more |
| 87 | |
| Document Title: | Equipping Foster Parents to Actively Support Reunification. |
| Corporate Author: | AdoptUSKids (Program) |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This article explains reunification with birth parents has consistently remained the primary permanency plan for children in foster care and presents key questions to explore when assessing a child welfare system’s approach to preparing and supporting foster parents to help equip them to support reunification. The benefits of preparing and supporting foster parents are discussed, as well as concurrent planning and tips to enable foster families to actively support reunification. |
| Available Online | |
| 88 | |
| Document Title: | The Crossover Of Negative Emotions Between Former Prisoners And Their Family Members During Reunion: A Test Of General Strain Theory. |
| Personal Author: | Liu, Lin.,Visher, Christy A. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Prior reentry research illustrates the challenges former prisoners face during reentry. However, the challenges their family members experience are understudied. This study investigates the strain the family members of released prisoners experience. In addition, it examines the crossover of negative emotions between released prisoners and their family members. We use a dyadic data set that captures the experiences of both former prisoners and their family members during reentry. Our results reveal a reciprocal transmission of negative emotion between the two parties. The negative emotions released prisoners and their family members experience are significantly associated with their respective drinking behavior. (Author abstract)...more |
| 89 | |
| Document Title: | Montana Department of Justice Office of the Child and Family Ombudsman Annual Report 2018. |
| Corporate Author: | Montana. Office of the Child and Family Ombudsman. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This annual report of the Montana Department of Justice Office of the Child and Family Ombudsman (OCFO) summarizes activities for December 16, 2017 through December 15, 2018. It reports the number of contacts to the OCFO increased and 50% of contacts within OCFO jurisdictions became formal requests for assistance, outreach efforts are working, reports of drug use as a factor impacting the welfare of children in cases referred to OCFO decreased by 11%, and notifications involving crimes against children, high risk families, and critical incidents continue to increase. Information is provided on the mission of the OCFO and efforts in the...more |
| Available Online | |
| 90 | |
| Document Title: | Reunification Family Therapy: A Treatment Manual, by Jan Faust, Hogrefe Publishing (2017). |
| Personal Author: | Sullivan, Matthew J. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Jan Faust's (2017) book entitled Reunification Family Therapy: A Treatment Manual, is a well‐organized, evidence‐based resource for clinicians who intervene in one of the most challenging and complex problems in high conflict shared custody‐parent‐child contact problems. She provides a comprehensive conceptual framework for this work, which is grounded in Family Systems, and details more specific interventions that address individual, relationship and larger system issues. The addenda contain useful tools and resources to structure treatment, including a 14‐session Fundamental Treatment Plan. (Author abstract) |
| 91 | |
| Document Title: | Minnesota’s Out-of-Home Care and Permanency Report 2018: Children and Family Services. |
| Corporate Author: | Minnesota. Child Safety and Permanency Division. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | The annual report provides information on children placed in out-of-home care in Minnesota in 2018, and highlights the work that happens across the State to ensure and promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of children who experience out-of-home care. Information is provided on placement in out-of-home care, supervision and case management, leaving out-of-home care, adoptions, and post placement services and outcomes. Findings indicate: there were 16,488 children in 17,137 out-of-home care episodes who experienced one or more days in out-of-home care in 2018; there was a 10% reduction in the number of children who entered out-of-home care in 2018, from 7,482...more |
| Available Online | |
| 92 | |
| Document Title: | Oklahoma Department of Human Services 2019 Annual Report. |
| Corporate Author: | Oklahoma Department of Human Services. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This annual report describes the activities and accomplishments of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) in State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2019. It reviews key achievements in the areas of adult and family services, adult protective services, aging services, child care services, child support services, child welfare services, developmental disabilities services, the Office of Client Advocacy, the Office of Inspector General, and accountability. The section on child welfare services includes the following findings: in SFY 2019, DHS received 81,249 reports of alleged child maltreatment and 15,809 children were substantiated as victims; 4,673 children exited from State custody; the answer rate at...more |
| Available Online | |
| 93 | |
| Document Title: | Drug Testing In Child Welfare: A Systematic Review. |
| Personal Author: | Lloyd, Margaret H.,Brook, Jody. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Although its true prevalence is unknown, drug testing is a common practice with child welfare-involved parents. In fact, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (2010) suggests that “some child welfare agencies have decided to conduct drug tests on all parents under court jurisdiction” (p. 6). Unfortunately, researchers have largely overlooked this practice. This paper presents findings from a systematic review of the studies that measured drug testing and utilized a child welfare-involved sample. Eighteen studies met inclusion criteria and were analyzed according to seven research questions, including drug test operationalization, testing frequency, and implications of testing. Reviewed studies reported using drug...more |
| 94 | |
| Document Title: | A Historic Opportunity to Reform the Child Welfare System: Youth & Alumni Priorities on Preventing Unnecessary Removal of Children From Their Families. |
| Corporate Author: | National Foster Care Youth & Alumni Policy Council. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This statement from the National Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council discusses policy priorities developed by the Council for consideration as child welfare leaders and stakeholders craft a vision for and build a 21st Century child welfare system. It also outlines opportunities for engagement for individuals looking to implement or further these recommendations. The priorities include: treating substance misuse and mental health crises with the urgency and resources that they require; connecting families to services, even after foster children and youth have been reunified with their families; refraining from using child removal as a way to punish parents; exploring the...more |
| Available Online | |
| 95 | |
| Document Title: | Supportive Housing Can Help Reach: Families Falling Through The Cracks. |
| Personal Author: | Cunningham, Mary.,Pergamit, Michael. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This article shares the outcomes of the federally funded Partnerships to Demonstrate the Effectiveness of Supportive Housing for Families in the Child Welfare System, a supportive housing demonstration program that targeted homeless and unstably housed families with the most needs in the child welfare system. The demonstration provided $5 million in five-year grants for intensive wraparound services to be linked with permanent, affordable housing marshaled by five demonstration communities. The program resulted in in 86% of the 376 participating families living in their own apartment with a lease one year after referral, reduced removals and increased reunifications among children in out-of-home...more |
| 96 | |
| Document Title: | Designing An Evidence-Based Intervention For Parents Involved With Child Welfare. |
| Personal Author: | Orlando, Laura.,Barkan, Susan.,Brennan, Kathryn. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | With over 400,000 children in foster care in the United States and parenting services being the most frequently ordered service to try to remediate parental deficiencies and to support reunification efforts, it is imperative that this service not only has a high relevance to the parents it is trying to reach, but has evidence to support effectiveness (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018). However, most of the evidence-based parenting programs being offered to parents have neither high relevance to this population nor have they been rigorously studied. Additionally, they are costly to implement and attrition rates are of great...more |
| 97 | |
| Document Title: | Coming Home: Fatherhood Following Release From Prison. |
| Personal Author: | Finzi-Dottan, Ricky.,Shraybom, Helya. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | The present study aimed to assess the uniqueness of released prisoners’ paternal practice – their involvement in child rearing, as well as their affection toward and acceptance of their children – and its predictors by comparing them to control fathers who have never been arrested or imprisoned. Fifty-five married released prisoner fathers, and 55 control fathers completed the study questionnaires between September 2017 and April 2018. The predictors examined were: fathers’ narcissistic traits; perceived paternal competence; and spousal support. A comparison between the two groups revealed that released prisoners reported greater spousal support and lower acceptance of their children than control...more |
| 98 | |
| Document Title: | An Overview of the Courts Catalyzing Change Preliminary Protective Hearing Benchcard Study. |
| Corporate Author: | Florida State University. Florida Institute for Child Welfare. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This brief presents findings from a study that assessed the Preliminary Protective Hearing Benchcard, which was developed by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Model Court Program. The goal of the Benchcard was to ameliorate disparities and negative outcomes in juvenile dependency cases by applying a racial equity lens for judicial decision making during the initial dependency hearings. The Benchcard asks judges to reflect on the decision-making process to identify and attempt to minimize institutional bias and to consider some key inquiries, analyses, and decisions relating to removal, placement, and services. The Benchcard is built around two types...more |
| Available Online | |
| 99 | |
| Document Title: | The Impacts Of Family Treatment Drug Court On Child Welfare Core Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis. |
| Personal Author: | Zhang, Saijun.,Huang, Hui.,Wu, Qi.,Li, Yong.,Liu, Meirong., |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Background Substance abuse has been prevalent among caregivers involved in child welfare and is a major barrier to their achieving favorable outcomes. Family Treatment Drug Courts (FTDCs) have been viewed as one of the most promising interventions but research has reported mixed effects on child welfare outcomes. No meta-analysis was conducted to synthesize the findings to reach a more generalizable conclusion. Objective The meta-analysis synthesized findings from existing evaluations to examine whether and to what extent FTDC participants achieved better reunification and safety outcomes than non-participants. Participants and Setting Among 17 identified studies dated from 2004 to 2018, the pooled sample...more |
| 100 | |
| Document Title: | Lessons Learned When Building the Evidence for a Child Welfare Practice Model. |
| Personal Author: | Rushovich, Berenice.,Malm, Karin. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This brief explains the passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) offers the potential for funding to implement evidence-based programs for children at risk of maltreatment, including children who are reunified with their parents, and highlights the evidence-building lessons learned from the evaluation of Success Coach, a post-reunification program developed by Catawba County, North Carolina. This evidence building began in 2013 with an evaluation of the Success Coach program’s process and preliminary outcomes. The brief explains Success Coach is a voluntary service, offered to families at the point of reunification or adoption/guardianship. When a family agrees to work with...more |
| Available Online | |
| 101 | |
| Document Title: | Stories of Children, Youth, and Families’ Adaptation to Community Living in the First Year after Involvement with Children’s Residential Mental Health Programs. |
| Personal Author: | Frensch, Karen M.,Cameron, Gary. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This final research report from the Partnerships for Children and Families Project focuses on understanding the everyday complexities facing Canadian youth in the first year after they leave residential mental health programs. It examines the obstacles and the opportunities that influence community living for these youth. The core research design was a multiple-site case study design that included 22 individual case studies of the community adaptation contexts and processes for youth leaving residential mental health programs. Research results are organized in two separate discussions based on whether, following exit from residential programs, youth either returned to live with family (n=12) or...more |
| 102 | |
| Document Title: | Maryland Citizens' Review Board for Children Annual Report Fiscal 2019 (July 1st 2018 to June 30th 2019). |
| Corporate Author: | Maryland. Citizens' Review Board for Children. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This 2019 annual report describes the activities, findings, and accomplishments of the Maryland Citizens Review Board for Children (CRBC), an organization comprised of volunteer citizens and Department of Human Services (DHS) staff that provides child welfare expertise, guidance, and support to the State and Local Boards. CRBC is charged with examining the policies, practices, and procedures of Maryland’s child protective services and reviews cases of children and youth in out-of-home placement, monitors child welfare programs, and makes recommendations for system improvement. During Fiscal Year 2019, CRBC reviewed 1,339 cases of children and youth in out-of-home placements. Findings are reported for out-of-home...more |
| Available Online | |
| 103 | |
| Document Title: | Maryland Citizens' Review Board for Children Annual Report Fiscal 2018 (July 1st 2017 to June 30th 2018). |
| Corporate Author: | Maryland. Citizens' Review Board for Children. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This 2018 annual report describes the activities, findings, and accomplishments of the Maryland Citizens Review Board for Children (CRBC), an organization comprised of volunteer citizens and Department of Human Services (DHS) staff that provides child welfare expertise, guidance, and support to the State and Local Boards. CRBC is charged with examining the policies, practices, and procedures of Maryland’s child protective services and reviews cases of children and youth in out-of-home placement, monitors child welfare programs, and makes recommendations for system improvement. During Fiscal Year 2018, CRBC reviewed 1,241 cases of children and youth in out-of-home placements. Findings are reported for out-of-home...more |
| Available Online | |
| 104 | |
| Document Title: | Unaccompanied Children: Agency Efforts to Identify and Reunify Children Separated From Parents at the Border: Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives: Statement of Kathryn A. Larin, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security and Rebecca Gambler, Director, Homeland Security and Justice. |
| Personal Author: | Larin, Kathryn A.,Gambler, Rebecca. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | On April 6, 2018, the Attorney General issued a memorandum on criminal prosecutions of immigration offenses. According to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials, this resulted in a considerable increase in the number of minor children whom the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) separated from their parents after attempting to cross the U.S. border illegally. On June 20, 2018, the President issued an executive order directing that alien families generally be detained together, and on June 26, 2018, a federal judge ordered the government to reunify separated families. This testimony by Kathryn A. Larin, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income...more |
| Available Online | |
| 105 | |
| Document Title: | Unaccompanied Children: Agency Efforts to Identify and Reunify Children Separated From Parents at the Border: Highlights of GAO-19-368T, a Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives. |
| Personal Author: | Larin, Kathryn A.,Gambler, Rebecca. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | On April 6, 2018, the Attorney General issued a memorandum on criminal prosecutions of immigration offenses. According to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials, this resulted in a considerable increase in the number of minor children whom the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) separated from their parents after attempting to cross the U.S. border illegally. On June 20, 2018, the President issued an executive order directing that alien families generally be detained together, and on June 26, 2018, a federal judge ordered the government to reunify separated families. This fact sheet summarizes testimony by Kathryn A. Larin, Director, Education,...more |
| Available Online | |
| 106 | |
| Document Title: | Evaluating The Impact Of Camp-Based Reunification On The Resilience Of Siblings Separated By Foster Care. |
| Personal Author: | Waid, Jeffrey.,Wojciak, Armeda S. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Positive youth development is an approach to intervention that is designed to build upon youths' strengths, provide opportunities to develop skills, foster healthy relationships, and promote a sense of belonging and contribution. Such approaches may have an outsized potential for youth in foster care, who in addition to maltreatment victimization also face foster care specific risks including familial separation, relational discontinuity, and impermanence. To explore the viability of positive youth development for youth in care, this observational study investigated whether participation in a camp-based reunification program for siblings separated by foster care called Camp To Belong influenced youth resilience, a critical...more |
| 107 | |
| Document Title: | How Do Parent Partner Programs Instill Hope and Support Prevention and Reunification? |
| Corporate Author: | Casey Family Programs. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This brief highlights the use of parent partner programs to bridge the gap between birth parents who have come to the attention of child protective services or have recently lost custody of their children, and the child welfare system. The benefits associated with participating in parent partner programs are described, as well as research findings that indicate parent partner programs in child welfare result in higher rates of reunification for those parents who have participated, lower rates of reentry for children involved in the program, and increased participation in services and court hearings. Information is then provided on how parent partner...more |
| Available Online | |
| 108 | |
| Document Title: | Wisconsin Out-of-Home Care Report: Annual Report for Calendar Year 2018. |
| Corporate Author: | Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This report provides information on Wisconsin children in out-of-home (OHC) placements during the calendar year 2018 and point in time, December 31, 2018. Data in this report are from the Child Welfare Data Warehouse. This report includes demographic information, as well as information on overall trends, entry into OHC, exiting OHC, and re-entry into OHC. Statistics indicate as of December 31, 2018: a total of 7,832 children were in an OHC placement, an increase of 33 children from December 31, 2017; children under the custody of the Division of Milwaukee Child Protective Services (DMCPS) represented 27% of the total OHC population;...more |
| Available Online | |
| 109 | |
| Document Title: | Legal Professional Perspectives On Barriers And Supports For School-Aged Students And Families During Reunification From Foster Care. |
| Personal Author: | Huscroft-D'Angelo, Jacqueline.,Trout, Alexandra L.,Henningsen, Christine.,Synhorst, Lori.,Lambert, Matthew.,Patwardhan, Irina.,Tyler, Patrick. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Backgroud Supports following reunification play an important role in successful transitions from out-of-home care to home and school settings for children and their families. There are several stakeholders who play critical roles supporting families during this transition. One key role is tied to legal professionals, who often work closely with the child or family while in care and then continue to monitor family progress during the transition from foster care to the home setting. Although work has been conducted to understand what supports other stakeholders feel children and families need during this transition, little is known about the perspectives of legal...more |
| 110 | |
| Document Title: | Disney Days: Reuniting Separated Siblings at the Happiest Place On Earth. |
| Personal Author: | Tiano, Sarah. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This article highlights the effort of Together We Rise, a nonprofit organization focused on changing the way foster youth experience the child welfare system, to bring sibling groups together who have been separated by the foster care system for an all-expenses-paid day of fun at Disneyland. |
| 111 | |
| Document Title: | Southwest Key Programs Did Not Always Comply With Health and Safety Requirements For The Unaccompanied Alien Children Program. |
| Corporate Author: | U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This report shares the findings of a review of Southwest Key Programs (Southwest Key), an Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) Program grantee and one of the largest providers of services to UAC in the United States. An audit was conducted in conjunction with the review of Southwest Key’s financial management of federal funds received to operate the UAC Program. The review examined whether Southwest Key met applicable safety standards for the care and release of children in its custody. For the study, policies, procedures, and the organizational structure were reviewed, Southwest Key shelter care facilities in Arizona, California, and Texas were inspected...more |
| Available Online | |
| 112 | |
| Document Title: | Children In Care: Where Do Children Entering Care At Different Ages End Up?: An Analysis Of Local Authority Administrative Data. |
| Personal Author: | Beil, Elsbeth.,Gitsels, Lisanne.,Thoburn, June. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Local authorities in England are required to routinely collect administrative data on children in care and cross-sectional analyses of national data are published by central government. This paper explores the usefulness of undertaking a longitudinal analysis of these data at local authority level to determine the care pathways for children entering care, differentiating by age at entry. The sample consisted of 2208 children who entered care in one English local authority over a six-year period, and who were followed up for at least 2 years. A logistic regression model was fitted to explore factors associated with children staying long term in...more |
| 113 | |
| Document Title: | Children Returning From Care: The Challenging Circumstances Of Parents In Poverty. |
| Personal Author: | Fernandez, Elizabeth. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Children who enter care are frequently from families who are disadvantaged economically, socially and emotionally. Such disadvantage often co-exists with other risk factors including a history of abuse as well as socio-cultural differences such as being from minority of an Indigenous background where there can be additional issues such as social marginalisation or prejudice. Care systems can often compound these problems by exposing children to further loss and disruption or unstable placements, and often struggle in returning children home to parents experiencing a high burden of disadvantage and significant poverty. In this paper, we report the findings of an Australian study...more |
| 114 | |
| Document Title: | Interventions to Mitigate Bias in Social Work Decision-Making: A Systematic Review. |
| Personal Author: | Featherston, Rebecca Jean.,Shlonsky, Aron.,Lewis, Courtney.,Luong, My-Linh.,Downie, Laura E.,Vogel, Adam P.,Granger, Catherine.,Hamilton, Bridget.,Galvin, Karyn. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Purpose: This systematic review synthesized evidence supporting interventions aimed at mitigating cognitive bias associated with the decision-making of social work professionals. Methods: A systematic search was conducted within 10 social services and health-care databases. Review authors independently screened studies in duplicate against prespecified inclusion criteria, and two review authors undertook data extraction and quality assessment. Results: Four relevant studies were identified. Because these studies were too heterogeneous to conduct meta-analyses, results are reported narratively. Three studies focused on diagnostic decisions within mental health and one considered family reunification decisions. Two strategies were reportedly effective in mitigating error: a nomogram tool and...more |
| 115 | |
| Document Title: | Working for Kentucky's Future ... Our Children: Kentucky Citizen Foster Care Review Board 2018 Annual Report. |
| Personal Author: | Blackford, Eboni. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This annual report describes the activities and accomplishments of the Kentucky Citizen Foster Care Review Board (CFCRB) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018. It begins by noting during FY 2018, 739 CFCRB volunteers conducted 21,562 reviews of 12,493 children in out-of-home care. Additional statistics are reported that indicate: the average length of stay for children in care was 17.9 months, a slight decrease from 18.6 months reported in FY 2017; of the children reviewed by the CFCRB, 37% were released through reunification to parents or primary caregivers in FY 2018 and another 30% were...more |
| Available Online | |
| 116 | |
| Document Title: | Effects Of An Interdisciplinary Approach To Parental Representation In Child Welfare. |
| Personal Author: | Gerber, Lucas A.,Pang, Yuk C.,Ross, Timothy.,Guggenheim, Martin.,Pecora, Peter J.,Miller, Joel. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This study utilizes a quasi-experimental propensity score matching design to assess the causal impact on child welfare outcomes when parents facing an abuse or neglect case in the New York City Family Court were provided interdisciplinary law office representation as opposed to a standard panel attorney. The interdisciplinary law office approach includes social work staff and parent advocates for the parent, and salaried attorneys working in nonprofit organizations. Using administrative child welfare data, the study assesses the foster care and safety outcomes of 9582 families and their 18,288 children. The propensity score matched results do not indicate a preventive effect toward...more |
| 117 | |
| Document Title: | Mothers Talk Back: Exploring the Experiences of Formerly Incarcerated Mothers. |
| Personal Author: | Cooper-Sadlo, Shannon.,Mancini, Michael A.,Meyer, Dixie D.,Chou, Jessica L. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | The experiences of formerly incarcerated mothers are rarely examined despite the sharp rise in female incarceration over the past 2 decades. This project used a transcendental phenomenological approach and in-depth interviews with 12 formerly incarcerated mothers as they reflected on their motherhood experiences before, during and after their incarceration. Mothers described how they struggled to negotiate their own stress, trauma, addiction, and shame, and offer insights for how service systems and professionals can help mothers reunify with their families and re-enter society. Clinical implications for systems of care, policy and practice are explored. (Author abstract) |
| 118 | |
| Document Title: | NFPA: Our Daughter Needs Us. |
| Personal Author: | Clements, Irene. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This article explains the strategies used by one foster family to support the reunification of a foster child with her mother. The close relationship between the two families and the mentoring that was provided is noted, and the need for foster families and those who support them to recognize the intrinsic value of the reunification process is emphasized. |
| 119 | |
| Document Title: | Office of the Family and Children's Ombuds: 2019 Annual Report. Washington State Office of the Family and Children's Ombuds. |
| Corporate Author: | Washington State Office of the Family and Children's Ombudsman. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This report provides an account of the Washington State Office of the Family and Children's Ombuds' (OFCO) activities from September 1, 2018 to August 31, 2019 and provides recommendations to improve the quality of State services for children and families. During this reporting period, OFCO received 932 complaints and completed 928 investigations regarding 1,398 children. As in past years, the separation and reunification of families is the most frequently identified issue in complaints. Complaints regarding child safety have decreased over the past several years, while there has been an increase in complaints about agency conduct and services. Following a review of...more |
| Available Online | |
| 120 | |
| Document Title: | Becoming a Team: Working Together Toward Reunification |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway National Foster Care Month: 2019 |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Details one mother's experience working with her son's resource family to achieve reunification. The mother was in an abusive relationship, and due to pressure to bring money into the home, she began stealing. She was caught and arrested, and because of this, her son, King, was placed in a foster home. The mother was upset, but she soon realized King's foster parents, Darius and Linda, just wanted what was best for him. She began to see Darius and Linda as her partners. They attended birthdays and holidays together, and Darius and Linda helped her earn a high school equivalency, a dental...more |
| Available Online | |
| 121 | |
| Document Title: | Policy #1: Support Relationships Between Birth and Foster Families. |
| Corporate Author: | Fostering Champs. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This brief explains supporting birth and foster family relationships has the potential to minimize the trauma that children experience when they are removed from home; nurture the child’s relationship with birth parents, siblings and extended family; provide birth parents with support to improve their parenting skills and facilitate reunification; benefit foster parents by reducing conflicts with birth parents; and ensure that relationships are preserved after reunification. Research findings are shared that indicate frequent contact between children in foster care and their birth families improve a child’s behavior and adjustment to being in care. Recommended policy approaches are then discussed, including: shared...more |
| Available Online | |
| 122 | |
| Document Title: | Outcomes Of The Iowa Parent Partner Program Evaluation: Stability Of Reunification And Re-Entry Into Foster Care. |
| Personal Author: | Chambers, Jeff M.,Lint, Sandy.,Thompson, Maggie G.,Carlson, Matthew W.,Graef, Michelle I. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | In an effort to facilitate family engagement with services, improve reunification outcomes, and empower the families they serve, child welfare agencies across the country have developed and implemented programs designed to provide peer mentoring. These programs work to identify parents who have successfully navigated the child welfare system in the past and train them to mentor parents who are currently in the system. The current study used a quasi-experimental design and propensity score matching to examine the outcomes for children of families served by the Iowa Department of Human Services Parent Partner program, one of the earliest and most established programs...more |
| 123 | |
| Document Title: | Pursuing Collaboration To Improve Services For Child Welfare-Involved Housing Unstable Families. |
| Personal Author: | Bai, Rong.,Collins, Cyleste.,Fischer, Robert.,Crampton, David. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Families involved in the child welfare system in the United States often face housing instability and other complex issues, such as challenges regarding mental health, substance abuse, poverty, and domestic violence. Housing instability, in particular, can hinder parents' progress on completing their case plans and regaining custody of their children. Thus, interagency collaboration between the child welfare system and community agencies is necessary to achieve optimal child welfare outcomes. This study explores facilitators of and barriers to effective collaboration between workers at partner organizations working on a program focused on the reunification of housing-unstable families with their children in out-of-home placement....more |
| 124 | |
| Document Title: | Foster Care As A Support: During National Foster Care Month, The Children's Bureau Highlights The Use Of Foster Care As A Support, Not A Substitute For The Families It Serves. |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This article describes how foster parents and kinship caregivers can be an essential part of the supportive community that helps to hold a family together. Key strategies that caregivers can use are discussed and include: partnering with the family and social workers to being healing and happiness back into the child’s life, supporting birth parents with concrete services, helping birth parents heal so that they can facilitate healing for their children, mentoring foster children, encouraging foster youth, and listening to birth families. |
| 125 | |
| Document Title: | Does Supportive Housing Keep Families Together? |
| Personal Author: | Pergamit, Michael.,Cunningham, Mary.,Hanson, Devlin. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This report shares the findings of an evaluation of a five-year federally funded $25 million demonstration grant program that provided supportive housing to families in the child welfare system in five sites: Housing, Empowerment, Achievement, Recovery, and Triumph Alliance for Sustainable Families in Broward County, Florida; Partners United for Supportive Housing in Cedar Rapids in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Intensive Supportive Housing for Families in Connecticut; Memphis Strong Families Initiative in Memphis, Tennessee; and Families Moving Forward in San Francisco, California. The study conducted a cross-site evaluation, a mixed-methods randomized controlled trial that included 807 families, who were randomized to either a...more |
| Available Online | |
| 126 | |
| Document Title: | Civil Legal Aid Helps Children in Foster Care and Their Parents. |
| Personal Author: | Lash, Karen. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This fact sheet explains how legal aid can help families handle unresolved legal problems and increase the chances of preventing their children from entering the child welfare system. It shares findings from a study of a parent representation pilot program in Travis County, Texas, that found that when parents were represented, children were significantly more likely to experience permanent outcomes and that a lack of legal representation is placing parents at a disadvantage with regard to having their children returned to them. In addition, a study in Washington State found that among children who entered court-supervised care for the first time,...more |
| Available Online | |
| 127 | |
| Document Title: | Reentry to Foster Care: Identifying Candidates Under The Family First Act. |
| Personal Author: | Wulczyn, Fred.,Schmits, Florie.,Huhr, Scott. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This report discusses the findings of a study that examined the risk of returning to foster care after reunification or after placement with guardians. Three sets of risk factors were examined regarding the risk of returning to care: demographic characteristics of children, placement history, and elapsed time since the exit from care (reunification or guardianship). In addition, the study explored how contextual factors measured at the county-level influence the risk of reentry and considered period effects related to the Great Recession. Data for the study were from the Multistate Foster Care Data Archive and included all children who, before age 18,...more |
| Available Online | |
| 128 | |
| Document Title: | Clinical Report: Health and Mental Health Needs of Children in US Military Families. |
| Personal Author: | Siegel, Benjamin S.,Davis, Beth Ellen. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have been challenging for US uniformed service families and their children. Almost 60% of US service members have family responsibilities. Approximately 2.3 million active duty, National Guard, and Reserve service members have been deployed since the beginning of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (2001 and 2003, respectively), and almost half have deployed more than once, some for up to 18 months’ duration. Up to 2 million US children have been exposed to a wartime deployment of a loved one in the past 10 years. Many service members have returned from combat deployments with symptoms...more |
| 129 | |
| Document Title: | New York City Child Welfare Indicators Annual Report 2018. |
| Corporate Author: | New York City Administration for Children's Services. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This brief includes charts that present information on New York City child welfare services at different points in time. The data includes: the average caseload for child protective specialists in the different boroughs of New York City and citywide as of April 26, 2018, as of June 25, 2018, as of September 24, 2018, and as of December 31, 2018; the child protective staffing experience, screening staffing experience, and protective manager staffing experience as of March 17, 2018, as of June 9, 2018, as of September 15, 2018, and as of December 20, 2018; the number of SCR reports by type...more |
| Available Online | |
| 130 | |
| Document Title: | The Family First Prevention Services Act: Historic Reforms to the Child Welfare System Will Improve Outcomes for Vulnerable Children. |
| Corporate Author: | Children's Defense Fund. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This brief explains that on February 9, 2018, President Trump signed into law the landmark bipartisan Family First Prevention Services Act, as part of Division E in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (H.R. 1892). The Family First law includes historic reforms to help keep children safely with their families and avoid the traumatic experience of entering foster care, emphasizes the importance of children growing up in families, and helps ensure children are placed in the least restrictive, most family-like setting appropriate to their special needs when foster care is needed. Provisions of the legislation are described that address: investing prevention...more |
| Available Online | |
| 131 | |
| Document Title: | A Call For A Mental Health First-Aid Response For Babies. |
| Personal Author: | Hause, Noelle. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This article discusses the forced parent-child separation of infants and young children from their illegal immigrant parents when no documented abuse or neglect findings exist. It describes the trauma of forced parents-child separation, the role of mental health providers in providing services to young children that experienced stressful separations, and the need to apply federal permanency planning timelines to the current immigration practice of separating babies and toddlers for their parents. |
| 132 | |
| Document Title: | Co-Parenting or Shared Parenting. |
| Corporate Author: | Stevens, Phyllis J. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This article discusses shared parenting, a practice in which foster parents cultivate positive, supportive relationships with birth parents. The advantages of shared parenting are described, as well as potential challenges introduced by shared parenting. Tips for avoiding the challenges are provided and include keeping journals on the activities of children and sharing them with the birth family, facilitating phone calls between the child and the birth family, providing transportation for visits, and allowing family interactions to take place in the resource family home. |
| 133 | |
| Document Title: | The Benefits And Challenges Of Visitation Practices In Correctional Settings: Will Video Visitation Assist Incarcerated Fathers And Their Children? |
| Personal Author: | McLeod, Branden A.,Bonsu, Janaé. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Increased incarceration over the last thirty years has dismantled family structures, leaving many low-income African-American fathers physically separated from their children. Jails, in particular, serve as the gateway to imprisonment, holding one-third of the adult incarcerated population, and have grown nearly as rapidly as the state prison population. As the gateway to imprisonment, jails can serve a crucial role in facilitating or impeding communication among fathers and their children if facilities' visitation policies and practices are family-focused. In this article, we find that early and frequent visitation benefits incarcerated fathers (e.g. fathers' role identity, reduced misconduct, and positive reentry outcomes) and...more |
| 134 | |
| Document Title: | African American/White Disparities in the Tennessee Foster Care System. |
| Corporate Author: | Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. Center for State Child Welfare Data. Tennessee Accountability Center. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This report presents findings from a study that examined whether African American children are more likely to enter Tennessee’s foster care system and less likely to leave placement. The study investigated whether entry rate disparity varies from one part of the State to another and exit rate disparities. Following the introduction, the main body of the report is divided into three sections: data and methods, findings, and implications. Each of the three sections is divided into two subsections: the first subsection addresses entry rate disparities, and the second subsection addresses exit rate disparities. In the data and methods section, a detailed...more |
| Available Online | |
| 135 | |
| Document Title: | Child Well-Being When Fathers Return From Prison. |
| Personal Author: | Yaros, Anna.,Ramirez, Derek.,Tueller, Stephen.,McKay, Tasseli. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | A majority of men incarcerated are fathers, but little research has been conducted on the children’s well-being after their father’s release from incarceration. We measured changes in internalizing and externalizing problems (based on father’s and female partner’s report) across a 34-month period among children ages 6–17 (n = 431). Results suggested increased internalizing and externalizing problems in older children, increased internalizing problems when fathers had problem alcohol use, and a moderating role of father–child coresidence and father–child relationship. Programs to promote paternal well-being and father–child relationships before and after reentry may benefit children of incarcerated fathers. (Author abstract) |
| 136 | |
| Document Title: | “I Did Not Know There Was Another Life”: Meanings Of Life In The Out‐Of‐Home Mothers Unit Reunification Programme. |
| Personal Author: | Tener, Dafna.,Sorek, Yoa.,Schwartz, Ella. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | The Mothers Unit is a reunification and treatment programme in a welfare emergency centre in Israel. The unit is the only one in Israel offering joint residence for mothers at risk of abusing or neglecting their children. The unit provides an alternative to out‐of‐home care for young children suffering from maltreatment in order to enable them and their mothers to return to the community together at the end of the treatment. The current qualitative study examines the lived experiences of the women and their children from the subjective perspective of the women currently or previously involved in the programme and of...more |
| 137 | |
| Document Title: | Life After "The Life": Putting Families Back Together After Children are Trafficked. |
| Personal Author: | Tiano, Sara. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This brief explains human trafficking is a $32 billion global industry and that more than 100,000 American children are involved. It profiles a parent support group for parents and caregivers of sex-trafficked children and adolescents on the campus of the University of California-Davis. The six-session Parenting Skills Group is designed for parents and caregivers who are embarking upon or already in the process of reunifying with children who have been commercially sexually exploited (CSEC) and seeks to equip these caregivers with the knowledge and tools to help them understand the psychological implications of surviving sexual exploitation, reintegrate the exploited child into...more |
| Available Online | |
| 138 | |
| Document Title: | Short-Term Family Foster Care In Flanders: An Exploratory Study Into The Factors Associated With Family Reunification Decisions. |
| Personal Author: | Holen, FrankVan.,Belenger, Laurence. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Since the entry into force of the foster care decree in Flanders (01/01/2014), a distinction is made between short-term and long-term family foster care. In short-term foster care, a foster child is placed in a foster family for at most one year with the aim of reunification, or, if this is not possible, clarifying the child's future (long-term family foster care or residential care). The present study is the first to examine reunification rates and characteristics associated with reunification decisions in Flemish short-term foster care. Case files of 125 short-term foster care placements that started after 01/01/2014 and ended before 31/12/2015...more |
| 139 | |
| Document Title: | One Family: Birth Parents and Foster Parents [Webpage]. |
| Personal Author: | Nelson, Lloyd. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This article highlights the efforts of the Birth Parent National Network to improve relationships between birth and foster parents through the Birth and Foster Parent Partnership. It explains the Birth and Foster Parent Partnership aims to identify strategies to help birth and foster parent work together to facilitate reunification and prevent re-entry into the system. The partnership also looks to increase recruitment of foster parents willing to work with birth parents. Examples of partnership programs are provided. |
| Available Online | |
| 140 | |
| Document Title: | Children Going Home: The Re-Unification of Families (Routledge Revivals). |
| Personal Author: | Bullock, Roger.,Gooch, Daniel., |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This text shares the findings of a child care study that examined the return experiences of children looked after by local authorities. For the study, the care careers of 875 children looked after in the 1980s were re-analyzed and hypotheses drawn from the emerging data. These hypotheses were then tested prospectively on a sample of 463 children separated from parents in 1993 in order to identify the factors that best predict the likelihood of a child’s reunion and its success. Findings are reported that chart patterns of separation and return, consider the experiences of those involved, and highlight factors associated with...more |
| 141 | |
| Document Title: | Foster Care Numbers Up For Fifth Straight Year, Federal Data Shows. |
| Personal Author: | Boo, Mary.,Libertin, Anna. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This article reports that as of September 30, 2017, there were 442,995 children in foster care, a 1.5% increase from 2016 and a 9.6% increase from 2013. The primary reason for entering care was neglect, followed by parents’ drug use. Additional statistics indicate the percentage of children in congregate care rose from 12% in 2016 to 13% in 2017; 56% of foster children had a case plan of family reunification, and another 3% had a kinship care plan; children remained in care for 20 months on average, although 15% had been in care for three or more years; and foster care...more |
| 142 | |
| Document Title: | Cognitive-Behavioral Methods in High-Conflict Divorce: Systematic Desensitization Adapted to Parent–Child Reunification Interventions. |
| Personal Author: | Garber, Benjamin D. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This article explains children who are triangulated into their parents' conflicts during divorce can become polarized, aligning with one parent and rejecting the other. In response, courts often order families to engage mental health professionals to provide reunification interventions. This article adapts empirically established systematic desensitization and flooding procedures most commonly used to treat phobic children as possible components of a larger family systems invention designed to help the polarized child develop a healthy relationship with both parents. Strengths and weaknesses of these procedures are discussed and illustrated with case material. (Author abstract modified) |
| Available Online | |
| 143 | |
| Document Title: | DHS 2018 Annual Report. |
| Personal Author: | Martin, Debra.,Powell, Sheree.,Wagner, Jeff.,White, Casey. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This annual report describes the accomplishments and activities of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) in State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2018. It reviews key achievements in the areas of adult protective services, aging services, child welfare services, developmental disabilities services, continuous quality improvement, and accountability. The section on child welfare services includes the following findings: in SFY 2018, DHS received 80,598 reports of alleged child maltreatment and 15,951 children were substantiated as victims; 4,955 children left State care through reunification with their families (2,328), adoption (2,144), or guardianship placements; 728 new foster families were recruited in SFY 2018; 92% of...more |
| Available Online | |
| 144 | |
| Document Title: | We Are That Agency: 2017 DHS Annual Report. |
| Corporate Author: | Oklahoma. Department of Human Services. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This annual report marks the 80th anniversary of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) and describes activities in State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2017. It reviews key achievements in the areas of adult and family services, adult protective services, aging services, child care services, child support services, child welfare services, developmental disabilities services, the Office of Client Advocacy, the Office of Inspector General, continuous quality improvement, and accountability. The section on child welfare services includes the following findings: in SFY 2017, DHS received 79,310 reports of alleged child maltreatment and 15,289 children were substantiated as victims; 5,700 children were successful reunited...more |
| Available Online | |
| 145 | |
| Document Title: | Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Youth: Navigating Relational Borderlands (Chapter 12 in Children and Borders). |
| Personal Author: | Aitken, Stuart C.,Swanson, Kate.,Kennedy, Elizabeth G. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Liliana is a six-year-old girl from Tamaulipas, Mexico. In 2012, her parents hired smugglers to bring her across the Mexico-U.S. border. They feared for Liliana’s safety because of the cartel violence that plagues Tamaulipas. Yet, Liliana’s smuggler failed to get her across the border unnoticed. While he fled, she was apprehended by a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent, taken to an adult detention facility near the border for processing, and then transferred to a U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) shelter for unaccompanied minors. There, she was clothed and counseled while awaiting reunification with her parents. The center also provided...more |
| 146 | |
| Document Title: | Reunification: Keeping The Baby In Mind. |
| Personal Author: | Hause, Noelle. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This article explains reunification with primary caregivers can be highly stressful and traumatic for infants and young children and emphasizes the need for collaboration between parents/caregivers, systems, and providers with specialized expertise to ensure the success of reunification and positive developmental outcomes. It notes the reunification plan and follow-through should be responsive to the infant/child’s temperament and interpretation of the changes and relationships. |
| 147 | |
| Document Title: | Separation And Reunification: Mental Health Of Chinese Children Affected By Parental Migration. |
| Personal Author: | Zhao, Chenyue.,Egger, Helen L.,Sterin, Cheryl R.,McGregor, Kyle A. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This article discusses parent and child separation and reunification in migrant families, the impact of parental migration on child well-being, and the implications for intervention programs and clinical practice. It concludes the migratory separation from parents and the subsequent changes in family structure have long-term negative impacts on child development and mental health and emphasizes the need for mental health services and service integration across the health and social services sectors. 34 references. |
| 148 | |
| Document Title: | Poverty And Family Reunification For Women With Substance Use Disorders In Child Welfare. |
| Personal Author: | Lloyd, Margaret H. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Although prior research has established that maternal substance use disorders (SUDs) are associated with poor foster care outcomes, few earlier studies have sought to differentiate between families with maternal SUDs who reunify and those who do not reunify. This study applied the intersectional social determinants of a health framework to examine the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) risks on the likelihood of reunification for 325 mothers with SUDs and their children in foster care. Multivariate Cox regression models assessed four SES risk factors separately and cumulatively: single parent; income less than $15 000; unemployment; and severe housing issues. The study results...more |
| 149 | |
| Document Title: | How Short-Term Placements Affect Placement Trajectories: A Propensity-Weighted Analysis Of Re-Entry Into Care. |
| Personal Author: | Hébert, Sophie T. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Short-term placements outside the family home are one of the strategies that child protection services use to ensure the safety of vulnerable children. While several studies that have specifically examined short-term placements report that the majority of children placed will experience at least one short-term placement prior to family reunification, the effect of these placements on the stability of the reunification is less clear. In the present study, we examined the effects of two types of initial short-term placements: emergency placements (lasting 1 to 5 days) and provisional placements (lasting 6 to 60 days) on the risks of re-entry into care...more |
| 150 | |
| Document Title: | Recommendations: Improving Virginia's Foster Care System. |
| Corporate Author: | Virginia General Assembly. Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This brief presents 34 recommendations for improving the foster care system in Virginia. It begins with a recommendation to direct the Virginia Department of Social Services to thoroughly review all the information collected through the agency case reviews conducted in 2017 and 2018 by regional staff, re-communicate all serious case-specific or systemic safety-related concerns identified in past reviews to the relevant departments of social services, communicate such concerns to the relevant local boards of social services, and work with local department staff to resolve all identified safety problems. Additional recommendations address the underutilization of the CANS assessment in case planning and...more |
| Available Online | |
| 151 | |
| Document Title: | Parenting Intervention Effects On Reunification: A Randomized Trial Of PMTO In Foster Care. |
| Personal Author: | Akin, Becci A.,McDonald, Thomas P. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Evidence-supported parenting interventions (ESPIs) have expanded into child welfare because a growing research base has demonstrated positive results among children with serious emotional and behavioral problems. Despite a clear federal policy emphasis on reunification, few randomized trials have tested ESPIs with biological families of children in foster care; even fewer studies have investigated the distal outcomes of ESPIs. The aim of the current study was to examine the effects of Parent Management Training, Oregon (PMTO) model on reunification. Children in foster care with emotional and behavioral problems were randomized to in-home PMTO (n = 461) or services as usual (SAU) (n...more |
| 152 | |
| Document Title: | Caseworkers' Insights And Experiences With Successful Reunification. |
| Personal Author: | Jedwab, Merav.,Chatterjee, Anusha.,Shaw, Terry V. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | The decision to reunify children with their birth parents is one of the most significant decisions that caseworkers have to make in the child welfare arena. These decisions can dramatically affect the lives of children and families. Therefore, it is essential to understand reunification from the caseworkers' perspectives. The current study presents findings from a survey of child welfare caseworkers' experiences with reunifications and focuses on practices and key factors at the casework practice and at the system-environment level to assist in achieving successful reunification. The survey includes a series of statements related to successful reunification and open-ended questions. A sample...more |
| 153 | |
| Document Title: | A Systematic Review Of The Effectiveness Of Interagency And Cross-System Collaborations In The United States To Improve Child Welfare Outcomes. |
| Personal Author: | Nwabuzor Ogbonnaya, Ijeoma.,Keeney, Annie J |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | The purpose of this systematic review is to summarize the effects of interagency and cross-system collaboration aimed to improve child welfare-involved children and family outcomes related to safety, permanency, and well-being. We conducted a comprehensive search to identify studies that evaluated interagency/cross-system child welfare collaborations, resulting in 11 studies selected for inclusion. The analysis included narrative and meta-analysis approaches. All selected studies focused on substance use; our search criteria did not identify any interagency collaborations related to other co-occurring conditions, such as domestic violence and mental health. Results from both narrative and meta-analyses revealed family drug treatment court (FDTC) collaboration intervention...more |
| 154 | |
| Document Title: | Reunifying Children with Their Families (Chapter 12 in Child Welfare: An Integrative Perspective). |
| Personal Author: | Lewandowski, Cathleen A. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This chapter examines family reunification, including prevalence and trends, factors associated with reunification, re-entry into foster care or recidivism, and services designed to ensure that children are reunified with their parents or caregivers safely and in a timely manner. Barriers to reunification are addressed, including parental or caregiver substance abuse, exposure to domestic violence, parental mental illness, parental incarceration, and homelessness. Key programs and laws relevant to reunification are also described. Discussion questions are included. Numerous references. (Author abstract modified) |
| 155 | |
| Document Title: | Perspectives On The Implementation Of An Evidence-Based Neglect Program Within Child Welfare. |
| Personal Author: | Weegar, Kelly.,Moorman, Jessie,Stenason, Lauren. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | In child welfare in Ontario (Canada), neglect is a major concern due to high incidence rates compared with other maltreatment types. This qualitative study examines child welfare service directors' and providers' experiences with implementing the SafeCare® program, an evidence-based intervention that is aimed toward the prevention of child neglect. Service directors (n = 9) and providers (n = 15) were recruited from six Ontario child welfare agencies that had been delivering SafeCare for 1.5 years. Data were gathered using semi-structured focus groups which asked about reasons for adopting SafeCare, positive experiences and challenges with implementation, and SafeCare's sustainability within agencies. Overall,...more |
| 156 | |
| Document Title: | Separating And Reconnecting: Family Relationships Across Military Deployment And Reintegration. |
| Personal Author: | Walsh, Tova B.,Rosenblum, Katherine L. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Military deployments can necessitate prolonged family separations. The strain of separation is particularly acute for very young children and their parents. Reunions bring joy as well as challenges. The authors draw from their work with military families with young children to explore experiences of separating and reconnecting and the supports that can help families as they reestablish relationships, roles, and routines. The accounts of military families offer a unique lens for examining the impact of family separations. They demonstrate that, even with careful planning and strong supports, the implications of separation are great and the process of reuniting is complex. (Author...more |
| 157 | |
| Document Title: | Office of the Family and Children's Ombuds: 2018 Annual Report. Washington State Office of the Family and Children's Ombuds. |
| Corporate Author: | Washington State Office of the Family and Children's Ombudsman. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This report provides an account of the Washington State Office of the Family and Children's Ombuds (OFCO) activities from September 1, 2017 to August 31, 2018 and provides recommendations for systemic improvements. The first part of the report reviews the role of the ombudsman to provide families and citizens across the Washington State with an independent and impartial review of the decisions made by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and other State agencies. The following part discusses the inquiries and complaints received during the targeted time period, and reports the ombudsman received 901 complaints, and completed 923 complaint...more |
| Available Online | |
| 158 | |
| Document Title: | The Multisite Family Study On Incarceration, Partnering, And Parenting: Design And Sample. |
| Personal Author: | Lindquist, Christine.,Steffey, Danielle.,McKay, Tasseli.,Comfort, Megan.,Bir, Anupa. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | The Multisite Family Study on Incarceration, Partnering and Parenting documented the implementation and effectiveness of family-strengthening programming for incarcerated and reentering men and their intimate or coparenting partners. The findings presented in this issue use data collected for the impact study and qualitative substudy, which provide detailed information on the experiences of couples before, during, and after the male partner’s incarceration. This article describes the methodology and sample characteristics for the impact study, which included longitudinal interviews with nearly 2,000 couples in five states, and the qualitative substudy, which included in-depth interviews with 170 impact sample members in three states. (Author...more |
| 159 | |
| Document Title: | Family Life Before And During Incarceration. |
| Personal Author: | McKay, Tasseli.,Lindquist, Christine.,Steffey, Danielle.,Bir, Anupa. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | It is widely recognized that a father’s incarceration strains a family, but too little is known about preincarceration family life, how families divided by incarceration navigate the imprisonment, and what they expect for postrelease family life. We analyze data from 1,482 incarcerated men and their partners to examine the assets and challenges that families brought with them into the incarceration experience; their considerable efforts to maintain family life during an incarceration in the face of physical separation and other obstacles; and the areas of convergence and divergence in their expectations for family life after the male partner’s release. (Author abstract) |
| 160 | |
| Document Title: | Parenting Programs for Incarcerated Fathers. |
| Personal Author: | Dallaire, Danielle.,Kaufman, Rebecca. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This federally funded brief examines parenting programs for incarcerated fathers. It begins by discussing the effects of the incarceration of fathers on communities, families, and children. It then briefly reviews research that has examined the experiences of fathers before, during, and after their incarceration. Findings indicate community-level rates of prison admission and release deeply impact non-incarcerated community residents; parental incarceration is a multifaceted risk factor for children; incarcerated fathers encounter substantial challenges and stress related to the separation from their children; incarcerated fathers who maintain contact with children and family members during incarceration report improved adjustment following release; and formerly incarcerated...more |
| Available Online | |
| 161 | |
| Document Title: | Father Reentry and Child Outcomes. |
| Personal Author: | Craigie, Terry-Ann.,Pratt, Eleanor.,McDaniel, Marla. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This brief uses the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) to explore children’s behaviors when a father in incarcerated and when he has been released, and compares those outcomes with those of children whose fathers have never been incarcerated. It also examines these differences by gender and race and ethnicity. The FFCWS samples both married and unmarried couples, but it chiefly focuses on unwed parents living in large, urban US cities. In the first year of the study, nearly 5,000 couples were sampled and interviewed shortly after the birth of their child. Follow-up interviews were conducted when the focal child...more |
| Available Online | |
| 162 | |
| Document Title: | Reunification In Foster Care: Influences On Decision-Making. |
| Personal Author: | Carvalho, Joao M.,Delgado, Paulo.,Pinto, Vania S.,Benbenishty, Rami., |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | An important goal of out of home care is to prepare the family and child for reunification. Practitioners are often required to make the decision whether to reunify a foster child with their biological family. This study examines this complex reunification decision in Portugal. Using the Judgments and Decisions Processes in Context model, the authors presented to Portuguese child protection workers and higher education students (n = 400) a case vignette of a child in foster care in which reunification is considered. The vignette consider two scenarios related to the child’s wish to go back or not to her biological family,...more |
| 163 | |
| Document Title: | Oklahoma Department of Human Services 2018 Annual Report. |
| Corporate Author: | Oklahoma Department of Human Services. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This annual report describes the activities and accomplishments of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) in State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2018. It reviews key achievements in the areas of adult and family services, adult protective services, aging services, child care services, child support services, child welfare services, developmental disabilities services, the Office of Client Advocacy, the Office of Inspector General, continuous quality improvement, and accountability. The section on child welfare services includes the following findings: in SFY 2018, DHS received 80,598 reports of alleged child maltreatment and 15,951 children were substantiated as victims; 4,955 children exited from State custody; the...more |
| Available Online | |
| 164 | |
| Document Title: | Systematic Review of Kinship Care Effects on Safety, Permanency, and Well-Being Outcomes. |
| Personal Author: | Winokur, Marc A.,Holtan, Amy.,Batchelder, Keri E. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Objective:Children in out-of-home placements typically display more educational, behavioral, and psychological problems than do their peers. This systematic review evaluated the effect of kinship care placement compared to foster care placement on the safety, permanency, and well-being of children removed from the home for maltreatment.Methods:Review authors independently read titles and abstracts identified in the searches, selected appropriate studies, assessed the eligibility of each study, evaluated the methodological quality, and extracted outcome data for meta-analysis.Results:Outcome data from the 102 included quasi-experimental studies suggest that, as compared to children in foster care, children in kinship care experience fewer behavioral problems and mental health...more |
| 165 | |
| Document Title: | Very Young Child Well-being in Military Families: A Snapshot. |
| Personal Author: | DeVoe, Ellen R.,Kritikos, Tessa M.,Emmert-Aronson, Ben.,Kantor, Glenda Kaufman.,Paris, Ruth. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Since the September 11th attacks on the U.S., more than 2 million children have experienced parental deployment during their early years, with potentially lasting impact. When a parent is deployed, a number of factors may affect the well-being of the service member and his/her family. One parental factor—posttraumatic stress disorder or distress—might be particularly powerful in its effect on young children and the family system. We analyzed baseline data from an intervention development project which focused on supporting military families with very young children during post-deployment. The purpose of this research is to understand the relationships between parental mental health status,...more |
| 166 | |
| Document Title: | Trauma-Informed Approaches for Programs Serving Fathers in Re-Entry: A Review of the Literature and Environmental Scan. Appendix A, Methodology for Literature Review and Environmental Scan Study of Trauma-Informed Approaches. |
| Personal Author: | Dion, Robin.,LaFlair, Lareina.,Azur, Melissa.,Morzuch, Michaella.,D'Angelo, Angela. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This report examines what is known about trauma among fathers reentering from incarceration, how fatherhood programs can foster healing and avoid exacerbating or re-traumatizing participants, and resources that may be available to help fatherhood programs become trauma-informed. The report is based on a review of the literature on trauma among incarcerated men, an environmental scan to identify programs that address trauma among fathers, and discussions with a subset of programs and key experts in the field of trauma-informed care. Findings indicate: fatherhood program participants are often low-income men of color who are re-entering or who have re- entered the community after...more |
| Available Online | |
| 167 | |
| Document Title: | How Can Birth and Foster Parent Partnerships Help Families Reunify? |
| Corporate Author: | Casey Family Programs. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This brief explains a Birth and Foster Parent Partnership model that brings together veteran birth parents and foster parents to support birth parents newly involved with the child welfare system. Key elements of the approach are described and include: birth parent partner and foster parent advocate as a united front, birth parent partner and foster parent share details of the case and work in partnership, foster parent models appropriate behavior and parenting techniques, clear communication between birth parent partner and foster parent, and a positive support network. |
| Available Online | |
| 168 | |
| Document Title: | Addressing Birth Parent Trauma: Pathway to Reunification (Chapter 11 in Trauma Responsive Child Welfare Systems). |
| Personal Author: | Thompson, Elizabeth A. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This chapter highlights the Addressing Birth Parent Trauma intervention. It discussed the impact of trauma on birth parents in the areas of individual coping, parenting capacity, and interactions with the child welfare system, describes how the intervention allows workers’ interactions to be more trauma-informed and facilitates birth parent recovery from their own trauma histories that may interfere with their ability to parent and interact with services providers, and explores challenges to implementation, evidence of success, and application strategies for the approach. 2 tables and 49 references. |
| Available Online | |
| 169 | |
| Document Title: | Always Together?: Predictors and Outcomes of Sibling Co-Placement in Foster Care. |
| Personal Author: | Seale, Carolyn E.,Damiani-Taraba, Gissele. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | The philosophy that siblings entering foster care should be placed together (co-placed) rather than separated has endured throughout both the policies and practices of child welfare. The underlying belief seems to be that co-placement can alleviate trauma and the presence of a sibling may ease the difficulties of transition to care. The authors conducted a literature review to identify the empirical evidence that would support what may appear to be a practiceinformed rationale. While certain predictors of co-placement such as matched gender, age, and age differences among siblings recur throughout the literature, outcomes of co-placement have been identified less consistently. With...more |
| 170 | |
| Document Title: | We are that Agency / Oklahoma Department of Human Services. 2017 Annual Report. |
| Corporate Author: | Oklahoma Department of Human Services. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This annual report describes the activities and accomplishments of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) in State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2017. It reviews key achievements in the areas of adult and family services, adult protective services, aging services, child care services, child support services, child welfare services, developmental disabilities services, the Office of Client Advocacy, the Office of Inspector general, continuous quality improvement, and accountability. The section on child welfare services includes the following findings for SFY 107: DHS received 79,310 reports of alleged child maltreatment, in which 133,055 children were alleged victims, and 15,289 children were substantiated as victims;...more |
| Available Online | |
| 171 | |
| Document Title: | Children in Out-of-Home Care Placements: An Italian Research Study on Outcomes and Processes = Minori Fuori Famiglia: Una Ricerca Italiana sugli Esiti e i Processi. |
| Personal Author: | Corradini, Francesca. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | The study examined data about 8438 children placed in out-of-home care by Child Protection Services in a region in the Northern Italy, during the time span of 2008–2012, to understand whether out-of-home placements led to an effective improvement in their conditions. Starting from literature analysis and available data, a range of outcome and process typologies was developed in order to analyse data. In particular, five outcome types (in family, stable; out of family, stable; adopted; on-going placement; unknown) and six process types (evolving; regressive; oscillating; static out-of-home; uncertain at home; undetectable) were detected. Each type was divided into sub-types. Then each...more |
| 172 | |
| Document Title: | When Your Baby Comes Back. |
| Personal Author: | Cole, Heather. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | The second of two articles, this article discusses the experiences of a foster mother who fostered a 10-month old for a year before he was reunited with his birth family, and then returned four years later to her home with a younger brother. In the intervening time, she had adopted two young boys. The difficulties she faced with her foster children are described, as well as their reunification with their birth mother in a rehabilitation facility. |
| 173 | |
| Document Title: | The Opposite of Addiction is Connection. |
| Personal Author: | Renick, Christie. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This article discusses the social conditions connected with drug addiction, the benefits of group treatment, the link between foster care and parental substance abuse, the relationship between substance abusing birth parents and foster parents, and how to support families in recovery. |
| 174 | |
| Document Title: | Minnesota’s Out-of-Home Care and Permanency Report, 2017: Children and Family Services. |
| Corporate Author: | Minnesota. Child Safety and Permanency Division. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | The annual report provides information on children placed in out-of-home care in Minnesota in 2017, and highlights the work that happens across the State to ensure and promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of children who experience out-of-home care. Information is provided on placement in out-of-home care, supervision and case management, leaving out-of-home care, adoptions, and post placement services and outcomes. Findings indicate: there were 16,593 children in 17,241 out-of-home care episodes who experienced one or more days in out-of-home care in 2017, a 10.6% increase from 2016; there were 7,482 children who entered out-of-home care; there were 9,413 children who...more |
| Available Online | |
| 175 | |
| Document Title: | Promoting Stability For Youth Returning From Residential Care: Attorney Perspectives. |
| Personal Author: | Tyler, Patrick M.,Trout, Alexandra L.,Huscroft‐D'Angelo, Jacqueline.,Synhorst, Lori L. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Aftercare services have been suggested to improve reintegration for youth departing residential care programs. The purpose of this study was to collect views from legal professionals about the challenges youth and families face during reintegration and solutions to improve stability. Views were collected from 14 legal professionals (e.g., guardian ad litem, legal counsel) through a survey and 90‐minute nominal group technique focus group. Results indicated parent expectations about re‐entry and lack of services, supports and resources were challenges. Solutions suggested by participants included family, mental health and educational supports, and transition planning. Study limitations and future implications are discussed. (Author abstract)...more |
| 176 | |
| Document Title: | Role Of Resource Parents in Supporting Family Recovery And Reunification In Family Treatment Drug Courts. |
| Personal Author: | Breitenbucher, Philip. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This article discusses how Family Treatment Drug Courts (FTDC) provide a collaborative solution of enhanced treatment and accountability to better meet the needs of families impacted by parental drug use. Strategies foster parents can use to support family recovery and reunification in FTDC are explained and include participating in the FTDC team, learning more about addiction and brain disease, embracing shared parenting, and supporting and facilitating frequent and quality family time. |
| 177 | |
| Document Title: | Montana Department of Justice Office of the Child and Family Ombudsman Annual Report 2017. |
| Corporate Author: | Montana. Office of the Child and Family Ombudsman. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This annual report of the Montana Department of Justice Office of the Child and Family Ombudsman (OCFO) summarizes activities for December 16, 2016 through December 15, 2017. It reports the number of contacts to the OCFO rose by almost 50%, referral source data indicates outreach efforts are working, reports of drug use as a factor in cases continues to rise, and notifications on critical incidents continue to increase. Information is provided on the mission of the OCFO and efforts in the areas of: responding to citizen’s requests, resolving or recommending outcomes, procedure reviews, outreach and education efforts, and challenges identified in...more |
| Available Online | |
| 178 | |
| Document Title: | "Always Having Hope": Father-Child Relationships After Reentry From Prison. |
| Personal Author: | Bir, Anupa.,Kennedy, Erin K.,Lindquist, Christine H.,McKay Tasseli.,Feinberg, Rose. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Despite a substantial base of literature on father–child relationships, little is known about how incarceration affects these relationships, or how fathers connect with and support their children during the reentry period. In the Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting and Partnering (MFS-IP) sample, deterioration from preincarceration to reentry was evident in various aspects of father–child relationships, including reduced coresidence, financial support, and frequency of father–child activities. Multivariate modeling and qualitative analysis identified factors that shaped these aspects of father–child relationships at reentry, including father–child contact during incarceration, child age, and fathers’ relationships with their partners or coparents. (Author abstract) |
| 179 | |
| Document Title: | Good Professional Practices For Promoting Positive Parenting And Child Participation In Reunification Processes. |
| Personal Author: | Inchaurrondo, Ainoa Mateos.,Fuentes-Pelaez, Nuria.,Vicente, Crescencia Pastor.,Bolos, Anna Mundet. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Professional support of families that are under temporary protection, with the goal of reunification, is necessary for helping families re‐establish their family dynamics. Without this support, the conditions that contributed to child abuse and neglect will likely persist. In this context, the attitude of professionals towards positive parenting and child participation is a decisive factor. The quantitative study presented here contributes knowledge regarding these 2 variables. The study was conducted with 106 professionals who work in the child protection system. The results show a high degree of consensus among professionals regarding the following practices: (a) incorporating positive parenting into family reunification...more |
| 180 | |
| Document Title: | Professional Foster Families In The Reunification Process—Polish Experience. |
| Personal Author: | Basiaga, Jan P.,Rog, Anna.,Zieba-Kolodziej. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | We researched the extent to which professional foster families fulfil their tasks to reintegrate families, what attitudes professional foster families assume towards the idea of reintegration, and to what extent and how professional foster families support a child separated from his or her family and parents in the process of reintegration. The research examined case studies of a sample of 58 professional foster families functioning as emergency shelter families in the Province of Silesia. The most Polish professional foster families assume a negative attitude towards reintegration. Moreover, some of the parents who participated in the research thought that most biological parents...more |
| 181 | |
| Document Title: | Does Reunification Matter?: Differences In The Social Connection To Tribe And Tribal Enrollment Of American Indian Fostered And Adopted Adults. |
| Personal Author: | Landers, Ashley L.,Morgan, Amy A. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Studies of American Indian adults who were separated from their families of origin during childhood by foster care and/or adoption are emerging. This study fills a gap within the literature by exploring differences in social connection to tribe and tribal enrollment among reunified and non-reunified American Indian adults (n = 129). Grounded in identity theory, this study utilized data from the Experiences of Adopted and Fostered Individuals Project. Social connection to tribe was significantly higher for those who reunified (M = 70.0) than for those who had not (M = 42.0) (U = 689.50, p < .001). The overall ordinary least...more |
| 182 | |
| Document Title: | Rethinking Children’s Place(s) in Transnational Families: Mobile Childhoods in Filipino International Migration (Chapter 2 in Childhood And Parenting In Transnational Settings). |
| Personal Author: | Fresnoza-Flot, Asuncion. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This paper undertakes two analytical enterprises to reflect on children’s place(s) in transnational families. At the macro level, it traces the developments of how children have been socially and scientifically viewed through time, while highlighting the cross-fertilization of knowledge between migration studies and children and childhood studies. At the micro level, it underlines the importance of a mobility approach to illuminate the diverse experiences of children. Specifically, using the analytical optic of “mobile childhoods” (Fresnoza-Flot A. Migration, familial challenges and scholastic success: mobilities experiences of the 1.5-generation Filipinos in France. In Nagasaka I, Fresnoza-Flot A (eds) Mobile childhoods in Filipino transnational...more |
| 183 | |
| Document Title: | “People Just Don't Look At You The Same Way”: Public Stigma, Private Suffering And Unmet Social Support Needs Among Mothers Who Use Drugs In The Aftermath Of Child Removal. |
| Personal Author: | Kenny, Kathleen S.,Barrington, Clare. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Reduced social support among parents is a well-established risk factor for child removal by child protective services. There has been relatively little attention, however, to mothers' social networks following child removal, including how stigma and additional strain of living apart from children may influence mothers' social ties. Foregrounding the rarely heard perspectives of mothers who use drugs, a group disproportionately intervened upon by child protective services, this study examines social relationships and social support among mothers in the aftermath of child removal. We conducted in-depth interviews with 19 women who use drugs and conducted thematic analysis to examine social relationships and...more |
| 184 | |
| Document Title: | A Longitudinal Analysis Of The Impact Of Child Custody Loss On Drug Use And Crime Among A Sample Of African American Mothers. |
| Personal Author: | Harp, Kathi L.H.,Oser, Carrie B. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This study examines the influence of child custody loss on drug use and crime among a sample of African American mothers. Two types of custody loss are examined: informal custody loss (child living apart from mother but courts not involved), and official loss (child removed from mother’s care by authorities). Methods Using data from 339 African American women, longitudinal random coefficient models analyzed the effects of each type of custody loss on subsequent drug use and crime. Results indicated that both informal and official custody loss predicted increased drug use, and informal loss predicted increased criminal involvement. Findings demonstrate that child...more |
| 185 | |
| Document Title: | Family Relationships During Incarceration And When Fathers Return Home. |
| Personal Author: | Hairston, Creasie Finney. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This introduction provides an overview of a multi-State, longitudinal study that included close to 1,500 incarcerated fathers that evaluated family strengthening programs offered in prisons. The study examined the fathers’ parenting relationships prior to and during incarceration, the impact of participation in family programs during incarceration, factors that affect father-child relationships after release from prions, children’s well-being following a father’s return home, and couples’ relationships during reentry. |
| 186 | |
| Document Title: | Whose Punishment, Whose Crime? Understanding Parenting And Partnership In A Time Of Mass Incarceration. |
| Personal Author: | McKay, Tasseli.,Comfort, Megan.,Grove, Lexie.,Bir, Anupa. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Parenting and romantic partnership changes and challenges that occur in the context of incarceration are not yet fully understood, in part due to longstanding limitations in available data on the family lives of justice-involved individuals. This article reviews that prior work and introduces a set of new contributions in this volume of findings from the Multisite Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting, and Partnering (MFS-IP). The MFS-IP study brings new insight on parenting and partnership during incarceration and reentry, using longitudinal data collected from 2008–2015 with 1,482 committed romantic or coparenting couples in which the male partner was incarcerated at baseline. (Author...more |
| 187 | |
| Document Title: | Maine Child Welfare Services Ombudsman 16th Annual Report 2018. |
| Personal Author: | Alberi, Christine E. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | The Maine Child Welfare Services Ombudsman office investigates general complaints to ensure that the State's response to children's needs is equitable and efficient. The 2018 Ombudsman's report reports data for the period of October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Findings indicate in Fiscal Year 2018, 605 inquiries were made to the Ombudsman Program, an increase of 101 inquires from the previous fiscal year. As a result of these inquiries, 110 cases were opened for review (22%), 364 cases were given information or referred for services elsewhere (60%), and 131 cases were unassigned (18%). An unassigned case is the result of...more |
| Available Online | |
| 188 | |
| Document Title: | Vulnerability and Resilience within Military Families: Deployment Experiences, Reintegration, and Family Functioning. |
| Personal Author: | O’Neal, Catherine Walker.,Lucier-Greer, Mallory.,Duncan, James M.,Mallette, Jacquelyn K.,Arnold, A. Laura,Mancini, Jay A. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This study examined how family factors that diminish feelings of loss (frequent communication) and reflect system-level adaptation (effective household management) during deployment were associated with enhanced resilience and fewer vulnerabilities during reintegration and, ultimately, the promotion of family functioning following deployment. Multiple reporters from active duty (AD) military families (N = 214 families; 642 individuals) were examined, including AD members, civilian spouses, and their adolescent offspring. Most service members were men and enlisted personnel (95.3% male; 87.9% enlisted). Most AD and civilian spouses were between the ages of 31 and 40 (68.2% and 72.4%, respectively). Adolescent gender was relatively equal between...more |
| 189 | |
| Document Title: | National Reunification Month: Fostering Relationships Through Visitation |
| Corporate Author: | Capacity Building Center for States. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Identifies approaches to improve visitation between children and parents, examples of best practices in visitation programs, and strategies that support partnerships between caregivers and birth parents. |
| Available Online | |
| 190 | |
| Document Title: | It's All Relative: Supporting Kinship Connections Webinar Discussion Guide |
| Corporate Author: | Capacity Building Center for States. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Use this discussion guide with the 2018 National Foster Care Month webinar, It’s All Relative: Supporting Kinship Connections. The webinar discussion guide has activities designed to help agency teams think about how they might adapt models and strategies presented by Ohio and Colorado title IV-E waiver demonstration project staff to make kinship care a first choice when children are unable to remain safely at home. Links in the guide point individuals and teams to additional kinship care resources to use for immediate improvements and long-term, sustainable change. |
| Available Online | |
| 191 | |
| Document Title: | Vulnerable But Not Broken: Psychosocial Challenges and Resilience Pathways Among Unaccompanied Children From Central America. |
| Corporate Author: | Immigration Psychology Working Group. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This report explains that the decade from 2000 to 2010 saw a slow but steady rise in the number of unaccompanied children coming to the United States from approximately 5,000 to 8,000 children detained annually at the Southwest border. Spurred by increasing violence at home, since then their numbers have increased rapidly, from 15,949 children detained in FY 2011 to 68,541 in FY 2014. Even as efforts to restrict immigration have intensified, the number of unaccompanied children arriving has remained high, and in FY 2017, 41,435 unaccompanied children were apprehended along the U.S.-Mexico border. Pre-migration stressors and reasons for migration are...more |
| Available Online | |
| 192 | |
| Document Title: | International Missions, Marital Relationships and Parenting in Military Families: An Exploratory Study. |
| Personal Author: | Bóia, Andreia.,Marques, Telma.,Francisco, Rita.,Ribeiro, Maria Teresa.,Santos, Renato Pessoa dos. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Military families are faced with specific challenges associated with the professional military context, such as the separation of the military member from the rest of the family, because of participation in international missions. This exploratory, qualitative study investigates the association between participation in such missions—before, during and after deployment—and marital relationships and parenting in Portuguese military families. A thematic analysis of interviews with 13 military’s spouses indicates that in the pre-deployment phase children are prepared for the physical absence of the military parent, as emphasis is placed on clear communication that promotes the parent-child relationship. Some days before separation, the couple...more |
| 193 | |
| Document Title: | First Nations Parenting and Child Reunification: Identifying Strengths, Barriers, and Community Needs within the Child Welfare System. |
| Personal Author: | Toombs, Elaine.,Drawson, Alexandra S.,Bobinski, Tina.,Dixon, John.,Mushquash, Christopher J. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | A study explored barriers to family reunification in First Nations Communities and service needs within First Nations communities. Findings were analyzed using a blend of grounded theory and thematic analysis techniques. Participants indicated that placing children with extended family or within home communities facilitate best child outcomes. These reunifications could be increased by promoting parental and community capacity. Successes identified within communities included available supports, such as those that increased empowerment and community capacity. Identified barriers within communities were the lack of culturally appropriate services, hesitancy to obtain available support due to fears of child welfare intervention, and mental health difficulties...more |
| Available Online | |
| 194 | |
| Document Title: | New York City Child Welfare Indicators Annual Report 2017. Reissued. |
| Corporate Author: | New York City Administration for Children's Services. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This brief includes charts that present information on New York City child welfare services at different points in time. The data includes: the average caseload for child protective specialists in the different boroughs of New York City and citywide as of March 25, 2017, as of June 24, 2017, as of September 23, 2017, and as of December 30, 2017; the child protective staffing experience, screening staffing experience, and protective manager staffing experience as of March 18, 2017, as of July 27, 2017, as of September 16, 2017, and as of December 9, 2017; the number of SCR reports by type...more |
| Available Online | |
| 195 | |
| Document Title: | The Parent Trap. |
| Personal Author: | Fitzgerald, Michael. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This article highlights the work of New York City’s Jewish Child Care Association (JCCA), one of the few organization in the country focused solely on supporting biological parents who face the prospect of seeing their children placed in foster care. JCCA’s parent advocates provide peer-to-peer support, including independent advice to parents on their rights and responsibilities while they are under investigation by the city. The experiences of one parent with JCCA are described. |
| 196 | |
| Document Title: | When Your Baby Comes Back. |
| Personal Author: | Cole, Heather. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | The first of two articles, this article discusses the experiences of a foster mother who fostered a 10-month old for a year before he was reunited with his birth family, and then returned four years later to her home with a younger brother. In the intervening time, she had adopted two young boys. She describes her longing for the foster child to return to her and how her emotions overcame logical thinking in her decision to foster the two boys. |
| 197 | |
| Document Title: | When Foster Families Say Goodbye. |
| Personal Author: | Oswalt, Virginia. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This article discusses the feelings foster parents experience when their foster children leave their home and strategies they use for coping with those feelings. It urges people to avoid asking foster parents how they can bear to let foster children to go or reminding foster parents that they can quit fostering, and instead to offer a shoulder to cry on without judgement. |
| 198 | |
| Document Title: | Conference on Protection of Unaccompanied and Separated Children. October 22-24, 2008, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. |
| Corporate Author: | Conference on Protection of Unaccompanied and Separated Children (2008 : George Mason University) |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This CD-ROM contains conference materials for a conference on the protection of unaccompanied and separated children held in Fairfax, Virginia, on October 22, 2008. The materials include a keynote address by Erika Feller, Assistant High Commissioner-Protection, of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, that discusses enacting protection delivery for children in need, and information on: best interests determinations for unaccompanied minors and separated children in Tanzania, children in refugee camps in Thailand, comparative practices, displaced children in Africa, family tracing and reunification, foreign children in urban settings, identification and documentation, international law frameworks, long term care arrangements, mixed migration flows,...more |
| 199 | |
| Document Title: | Child Welfare: An Integrative Perspective. |
| Personal Author: | Lewandowski, Cathleen A. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This book provides an overview of child welfare’s past and present with consideration of its future. Using case examples and discussion questions, the text examines challenges and strategies used to date to suggest possible directions for promoting the well-being of all children. The “whole child” integrative approach to child welfare is used to examine strategies to address children’s physical, emotional, social, and psychological needs. Following an introductory chapter, Part 1 discusses child welfare’s early years in the United States, from the colonial era to present day. Chapters explore early forms of alternative care, child welfare and the progressive era, contemporary forms...more |
| 200 | |
| Document Title: | Together Facing The Challenge: Program Works To Support Foster Parents, Keep Youth Connected To Biological Families. |
| Personal Author: | Murray, Maureen. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This article highlights Together Facing the Challenge (TFTC), an evidence-based training and coaching model developed to train agency staff working in foster care on the core elements embedded within a trauma-informed curriculum. It is designed to support agency staff in their role as coach to their foster parents. Specific steps foster parents can take to strengthen the connection between the foster and birth families are also discussed, as well as barriers and challenges in fully integrating shared parenting into practice. |
| 201 | |
| Document Title: | Promoting Permanency for Teens: A 50 State Review of Law and Policy. |
| Personal Author: | Johnson, Anna.,Speiglman, Richard.,Mauldon, Jane.,Grimm, Bill.,Perry, Miranda. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This report explores the diversity of State policies and practices for teens in foster care in two potentially competing areas: teens’ need for a permanent connection to a family (either their birth family, or an adoptive or guardian family), and teens’ developmental and practical needs in transitioning to legal adulthood, independence, and self-sufficiency. It summarizes State policies that promote teen permanency and identifies barriers that hinder the permanent connection of teens through reunification, adoption, or guardianship. The review flags vague policies that allow for broad discretion and possible disparate outcomes in recognition of the fact that some policies and practices can...more |
| Available Online | |
| 202 | |
| Document Title: | New Federal Law Could Mean Less Use Of Foster Care, But More Reliance On Foster Families. |
| Personal Author: | Kelly, John. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This article explains provisions that were included in a short-term spending bill that offers new money to States to help avoid the use of foster care when other interventions might keep a family safe and together. The Family First Prevention Services Act allows State child welfare systems to spend federal child welfare funds on services the system believes make it safe to keep a family together while a parent gets help, puts a two-week limit on federal support for group homes, removes the limit for funding of reunification services and allows federal help in the 15 months after a child comes...more |
| 203 | |
| Document Title: | Minnesota’s Out-of-Home Care and Permanency Report 2016: Children and Family Services. |
| Corporate Author: | Minnesota Children and Family Services. Minnesota Department of Human Services. Child Safety and Permanency Division. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | The annual report provides information on children placed in out-of-home care in Minnesota in 2016, and highlights the work that happens across the State to ensure and promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of children who experience out-of-home care. Findings from the report indicate: there were 15,004 children who experienced 15,654 placement episodes during 2016; from 2015 to 2016, there was a 10.2% increase in the overall number of children who experienced out-of-home care; 7,441 children in 7,843 placement episodes began a placement in 2016, and 7,811 children in placement episodes continued in care in 2016; White children remain the largest...more |
| Available Online | |
| 204 | |
| Document Title: | The Current Status Of Out Patient Approaches To Parent-Child Contact Problems (Chapter 3 in Overcoming Parent-Child Contact Problems: Family-Based Interventions for Resistance, Rejection, and Alienation). |
| Personal Author: | Polak, Shely. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | This chapter explains family courts are increasingly accepting testimony about parental alienation in separating and divorcing families and designing orders that mandate family-based interventions to save parent-child relationships. It reviews factors associated with the development of parent-child contact problems within an ecological systems framework, reviews the literature describing different outpatient interventions currently available for parent-child contact problems that are not justified by the rejected parent’s behavior, and considers the more intensive interventions that are being used for cases for which outpatient treatment has been deemed insufficient. 4 tables and numerous references. (Author abstract modified) |
| 205 | |
| Document Title: | Impact of Parental Incarceration on Family Reunification: California Welfare and Institution Code 361.5: A Policy Analysis. |
| Personal Author: | Limon, Jesus, Jr. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | The purpose of this policy analysis was to examine Article 10: Dependent Children Judgments and Orders, Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) 361.5, which describes the criteria for offering or denying visitation and reunification services to incarcerated parents or guardians with their children in out-of-home care. This analysis begins with a historical overview of the incarceration explosion in the past decades, and its relation to children in out-of-home care. The policy analysis identifies systemic challenges faced by incarcerated parents as they make efforts to reunify and preserve their child-parent relationships. The analysis is based on Gil’s (1992) original nationally recognized framework and...more |
| Available Online | |
| 206 | |
| Document Title: | Children in Family Foster Care (Chapter 11 in Exploring Child Welfare: A Practice Perspective,7th Edition. With Enhanced Pearson eText -- Access Card Package (What's New in Social Work). |
| Personal Author: | Crosson-Tower, Cynthia. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | This chapter describes the emergency, development, function, and purpose of foster care, reasons children enter foster care, the role of foster parents and how they are recruited and trained, the reactions, responsibilities, and stresses for the birth parents when their children are place in and returned from foster care, the feelings of children toward their placement and life in foster care, the role of the foster care social workers, and trends for the future of foster care. Critical thinking questions and case examples are included. 3 figures. |
| 207 | |
| Document Title: | What are Some of the Strategies Being Used to Reunite Families with Substance Use Disorders? |
| Corporate Author: | Casey Family Programs. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | This issue brief begins by noting parental substance abuse was cited as a factor in more than one-third of the cases in which a child was removed from home in 2015, the importance of family reunification, and the tension between federal requirements that children achieve permanency within 15 months of their 22 months in care and the patience needed for recovering parents to engage in services and prepare to safely care for their children. Strategies are then discussed for helping families with substance use disorders reunite, including strategies for parent engagement and early access to treatment, providing encouragement and frequent feedback,...more |
| Available Online | |
| 208 | |
| Document Title: | Minnesota’s Out-of-Home Care and Permanency Report 2015: Children and Family Services. |
| Corporate Author: | Minnesota Children and Family Services. Minnesota Department of Human Services. Child Safety and Permanency Division. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | The annual report provides information on children placed in out-of-home care in Minnesota in 2015, and highlights the work that happens across the State to ensure and promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of children who experience out-of-home care. Findings from the report indicate: there were 13,612 children who experienced 14,354 placement episodes during 2015; from 2014 to 2015, there was an 11.8% increase in the overall number of children who experienced out-of-home care; 7,330 children in 7,776 placement episodes began a placement in 2015, and 6,577 children in placement episodes continued in care in 2015; White children remain the largest...more |
| Available Online | |
| 209 | |
| Document Title: | Empowering Caregivers, Strengthening Families Video Series. Melvin's Story [YouTube Video and Descriptive Audio]. |
| Corporate Author: | Capacity Building Center for States. Child Welfare Capacity Building Collaborative. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | Addresses the importance of agency resources, such as caregiver support groups and specialized training, to equip caregivers to work successfully with children and youth who have severe therapeutic needs. This video highlights a therapeutic foster parent's belief that effective advocacy relies on agency resources and training as well as community support. (Author abstract) |
| Available Online | |
| 210 | |
| Document Title: | "West Group": Group Interventions For Rejected Parents (Chapter 9 in Overcoming Parent-Child Contact Problems: Family-Based Interventions for Resistance, Rejection, and Alienation). |
| Personal Author: | Sullivan, Matthew J. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | This chapter explains the West Group at the Overcoming Barriers (OCB) camp is made up of parents who are rejected by at least one of their children. It identifies the characteristics of these rejected parents, describes thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes that organize the rejected parents’ responses to their situation, explores how the group process challenges these limited narratives to foster opportunities for progress and change, and describes techniques used in the group that the rejected parent will practice throughout the camp experience. 1 table and 13 references. |
| 211 | |
| Document Title: | Reunification Month: Teaming Up For Families [Webpage]. |
| Personal Author: | Melmed, Matthew. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | This webpage highlights the use of Safe Babies Court Teams, teams designed to provide holistic support to families involved in the child welfare system by strategically teaming with parent along with all the agencies, individuals, and organizations that are a part of the child welfare process. The team includes judges, child welfare staff, legal representatives, foster parents, and community service providers. Key elements of the program include: viewing and supporting parents as true partners in the process; establishing family-centered casework aimed at achieving timely reunification, while concurrently creating a viable permanency plan if reunification with birth parents is not realistic; and...more |
| Available Online | |
| 212 | |
| Document Title: | Empowering Caregivers, Strengthening Families Video Series. Lucy's Story [YouTube Video and Descriptive Audio]. |
| Corporate Author: | Capacity Building Center for States. Child Welfare Capacity Building Collaborative. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | Emphasizes the need for agency assistance and openness toward creative therapeutic services such as music lessons and highlights the need for a strong caregiver support group. This video shares one caregiver’s positive experience working with older youth with special needs in therapeutic foster care. (Author abstract) |
| Available Online | |
| 213 | |
| Document Title: | Overview Of The Overcoming Barriers Approach (Chapter 6 in Overcoming Parent-Child Contact Problems: Family-Based Interventions for Resistance, Rejection, and Alienation). |
| Personal Author: | Ward, Peggie.,Deutsch, Robin M. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | This chapter highlights the Overcoming Barriers approach to help reduce parental conflicts, improve coparenting and interparental communication, and help separating and divorcing parents to move from polarized thinking to honest, analytical problem solving. Information is provided on the families Overcoming Barriers has served, core elements of the approach, and the impact it has had on families who present with chronic and intractable family systems dynamics. 53 references. |
| 214 | |
| Document Title: | Clinical Decision-Making In Parent-Child Contact Problem Cases: Tailoring The Intervention To The Family's Needs (Chapter 2 in Overcoming Parent-Child Contact Problems: Family-Based Interventions for Resistance, Rejection, and Alienation). |
| Personal Author: | Fidler, Barbara J.,Ward, Peggie. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | This chapter identifies the continuum of parent-child contact problems in divorcing families, summarizes key principles and components of managing first queries, preliminary screening, and clinical intake, discusses the tailoring of interventions to the nature and severity of the parent-child contact problem, and lists intervention options for different types and severities of parent-child contact problems. 1 figure and numerous references. |
| 215 | |
| Document Title: | Resource Families Supporting Reunification. |
| Personal Author: | Leader, Dana. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | This report shares findings from interviews with foster families who made exceptional efforts to support reunification by building strong relationships with birth families. Information is provided on the motivation of resource families, how resource families develop strong relationships with birth families, ways of partnering with birth families, how efforts to support reunification have benefitted foster children, lessons learned about reunification, how agencies can better support reunification, the importance of birth parent visitation, tips for agencies and foster parents for supporting reunification, and potential practice models. 9 references. |
| Available Online | |
| 216 | |
| Document Title: | Empowering Caregivers, Strengthening Families Video Series. Joyce's Story [YouTube Video and Descriptive Audio]. |
| Corporate Author: | Capacity Building Center for States. Child Welfare Capacity Building Collaborative. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | Demonstrates the role of agency support through the difficult decisions that caregivers need to make when moving from foster parenting to adoption, including caregiver age. This video highlights the perspective of a parent throughout her transition from temporary foster parent to adoptive parent. (Author abstract) |
| Available Online | |
| 217 | |
| Document Title: | Influence of Poverty, Parental Substance Use, Ethnicity, and Employment on Reactivation Following Family Reunification. |
| Personal Author: | Cornell, Judith Anne. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | This report discusses the findings of a quantitative, non-experimental study that investigated whether poverty, ethnicity, parental substance use, parental employment, marital status, and number of children in the home was predictive of reactivation following the reunification of Arizona children involved in child welfare services with their families. The study was grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory and Brown’s multiple risk factors model. Archival data of 627 family case files from a social service agency were analyzed using logistic regression. Results revealed Arizona has a rate of reactivation five times the national average, and that the number of children was the only significant...more |
| Available Online | |
| 218 | |
| Document Title: | Understanding the Differences in How Adolescents Leave Foster Care. |
| Personal Author: | Wulczyn, Fred.,Huhr, Scott.,Schmits, Florie.,Wilkins, Alexandria. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | This policy brief explores exits from care of adolescents admitted to care between the age of 13 and 17 years old, including: permanency exits, including adoption, reunification, or guardianship, aging out, and running away. It examines the reasons for leaving care and the impact of placement history. Data for the study was derived from the Multistate Foster Care Data Archive. The brief begins with a descriptive study that looks at the counts of children in relation to how young people leave care. A multilevel model is then used to examine how child characteristics, placement history, and county characteristics influence the likelihood...more |
| Available Online | |
| 219 | |
| Document Title: | The Perfect Storm: High-Conflict Family Dynamics, Complex Therapist Reactions, and Suggestions For Clinical Management (Chapter 5 in Overcoming Parent-Child Contact Problems: Family-Based Interventions for Resistance, Rejection, and Alienation). |
| Personal Author: | Judge, Abigail M. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | In families experiencing high conflict separation or divorce provoke notoriously strong reactions in professionals. Therapist reactions can include inappropriate advocacy on behalf of patients in the legal dispute and, at the level of professional teams, the pull on involved professionals to mirror the conflicted process of the family system through dynamics such as polarization, rigid thinking, and inappropriate alignments. From an ethical perspective, the legal context of custody litigation heightens the importance of therapists’ managing strong reactions to the perfect storm in a proactive manner. Left unexamined, therapist reactions and their enactment within teams have the potential to undermine the therapeutic...more |
| 220 | |
| Document Title: | Families Growing Together (FGT). |
| Corporate Author: | Heartland Family Service. Children's Friend and Service. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | This final report discusses the activities and accomplishments of a federally funded program to prevent infant abandonment by increasing the well-being, improving permanency, and enhancing the safety of drug-exposed infants and young children. Utilizing a community-based treatment setting, Better Together provides intensive outpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment to Nebraska families impacted by substance abuse. These families are identified and recommended for services by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and the Nebraska Families Collaborative as being at-risk for out-of-home placement of their children. The services provided include: intensive outpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, case...more |
| Available Online | |
| 221 | |
| Document Title: | States Work Together to Reunite Families. |
| Personal Author: | Logsdon, Dan. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | This brief explores how State child welfare agencies are employing strategies to reunite children and families involved in the child welfare system. It highlights the use of a new tool being used in Nevada called the Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI), an approach to strengthening foster care and enhancing a foster parent’s ability to care for foster children. QPI empowers child welfare agencies to better partner with foster parents, but also partners foster families with the child’s family to assist with the reunification process or long-term solutions for the kids. QPI achieves this by creating relationships between agencies and foster parents to...more |
| Available Online | |
| 222 | |
| Document Title: | The Crime of Family Abduction- A Child's and Parent's Perspective (Chapter 4 in Essential Guide to Child Abuse and Missing Children: Law Enforcement and Family Response, Injuries, Illness, Fatalities, STDs and Sexual Abuse, Battered Child Syndrome, Burn Injuries, AMBER Alert). |
| Corporate Author: | U.S. Government and U.S. Department of Justice. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | This chapter discusses the crime of family abduction and shares the perspectives of both children and parents. Information is provided on the what happens to a child who is abducted, the search for the abducted child, what happens to a parent whose child has been abducted and what the searching parent may be feeling, tips for working with law enforcement and the media, finding the abducted child, planning for recovery, managing the aftershocks, and minimizing potential pitfalls when a child is returned. |
| 223 | |
| Document Title: | Protecting Our Infants Act: Report to Congress. |
| Corporate Author: | Behavioral Health Coordinating Council Subcommittee on Prescription Drug Abuse. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | This report discusses the findings of a review of the Strong Starts Court Initiative (also called Strong Starts), launched by the Center for Court Innovation in the Bronx Family Court on June 2015. The program has four primary goals: to develop a specialized court approach and increase the family court’s capacity to bring positive changes to children ages three years and younger and their families involved in child abuse and neglect cases in the Bronx Family Court; to assess and understand the needs of court-involved infants and their families; to enhan |