Understanding reentry to out-of-home care for reunified infants.
Although many children placed in out-of-home care are reunified with their families of origin, a significant portion reenter care, reflecting continued family problems and weaknesses within the child welfare system. For infants, the stability of reunification is particularly crucial, given their developmental stage. This study reviewed the case records of 88 randomly selected infants who had been reunified with their families. Thirty-two percent of those infants reentered care within four to six years of their reunification. The identification of factors predictive of reentry into care has both policy and practice implications.
Center for Social Services Research, University of California, Berkeley, USA.
L
L
Frame
J D
JD
Berrick
M L
ML
Brodowski
D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology