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Accomplishing Permanency: Reunification Pathways and Outcomes for Foster Children

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Accomplishing Permanency: Reunification Pathways and Outcomes for Foster Children

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Well-Being and Quality of Life Research ((BRIEFSWELLBEING))

Abstract

Reunification is a primary goal of foster care systems and the most common permanency planning decision. Yet reunification decision-making and the process of reintegrating children into birth families remains under researched. Internationally researchers have focused on two major areas: studies that identify patterns of reunification and measure predictors; and studies that outline patterns of re-entry to care following reunification and measure predictors of re-entry. Worker views and characteristics, as well as the perspectives of caregivers, birth parents, especially fathers, and children have tended to be neglected. Using a prospective longitudinal design and mixed method approach, this study explored the process, outcomes and potential of reunification decision making, with a view to generating evidence-based knowledge about reunification and identify policy implications of responding effectively to children in need of temporary care in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. All cases entering the program over a 4 year period—168 children and from 96 families—were tracked.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of New South Wales, C20, Morven Brown Building, Room G56, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    Elizabeth Fernandez

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  1. Elizabeth Fernandez
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Correspondence to Elizabeth Fernandez .

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Fernandez, E. (2013). Accomplishing Permanency: Reunification Pathways and Outcomes for Foster Children. In: Accomplishing Permanency: Reunification Pathways and Outcomes for Foster Children. SpringerBriefs in Well-Being and Quality of Life Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5092-0_1

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