title: Judges', caseworkers', and substance abuse counselors' indicators of family reunification with substance-affected parents.
abstract: The decision to reunify children with their substance-affected parent is highly complex and requires a tremendous amount of work and change on the part of the affected parent. This exploratory study identified indicators for safe reunification of children placed in foster care due to parental substance abuse. Judges who hear juvenile cases, private agency child welfare caseworkers, and substance abuse counselors from a large midwestern state were surveyed using an instrument composed of a preliminary list of indicators identified through focus groups with these professional groups. Responses from 196 professionals who rated the importance of each item and subsequent factor analysis resulted in identification of 97 indicators. These indicators were grouped into the categories of motivation, recovery, competency, and reliability; social support; parenting skills; and legal issues. Implications of the findings for practice are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, School of Social Work, 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Brad R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Karoll
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Poertner
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse; D002655:Child Custody / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015146:Midwestern United States; D009035:Mothers; D009042:Motivation; D016487:Parenting; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012944:Social Support; D012947:Social Work / Q000379:methods*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*