Webinar Description
Each year, during the month of June, we observe National Reunification Month to:
- Celebrate the accomplishments and hard work of families who have overcome difficulties to reunify with their children.
- Recognize the vital role that other family members, social workers, caregivers, service providers, attorneys, courts, etc., play in helping to reunify, strengthen, and support families.
- Inspire other parents that it is possible to address and resolve the issues that led to their separation and to reunify with their children.
Foster care is intended to be temporary, and the primary goal for children in foster care is to be reunified with their family. Reunification is the most common permanency outcome and the route by which most children exit foster care. The path to reunification takes work, commitment, and investment of time and resources not only by the parents but also by family members, social workers, foster parents, service providers, courts, and the community. Reunification should be the shared goal of the team walking alongside a family separated by foster care. Please join us as we explore four key areas that support successful and lasting reunification:
- Family Team Meetings (Building a Team): A family team meeting (FTM) is a tool for engagement used to assist a family in achieving safety, permanency and well-being outcomes and sustainable family changes. This meeting includes family members and their informal support system, service providers, community representatives, the case worker/manager, and others to offer collaborative planning that is effective and meaningful. Participants will learn how this process supports successful reunification for families.
- Conditions for Return: Conditions for Return are written statements of the specific conditions, circumstances, or behaviors that must exist within a child’s home before a child can safely return and remain in the home with an in-home safety plan while the parents continue to work towards reaching case plan outcomes. Conditions for return maintain a specific focus on safety, and participants will learn that it is ethical and practical for children to safely return home while parents continue to work on long-term, sustainable change.
- Discharge Planning/Post-Reunification Supports: Discharge planning begins the moment a child enters foster care. Discharge planning helps to identify the family’s needs and to ensure those needs are met and they are supported when the children return home.
- Case Worker/Family Relationships: A key component of successful reunifications is the relationship between the case worker and family. Presenters will discuss ways to strengthen and support this relationship to improve reunification outcomes.