Abstracts Social Work

Title IV-E program social work students??? perceptions of problems and needs of families in reunification

by Jasminka Rainey

Family reunification is one of the primary goals for children in out of home care, yet only about 50% of families who enter the child welfare system reunify. The rates of family reunification have declined over the past two decades, and a substantial number of children reenter foster care after reunification. This study explored how thirty-nine Title IV-E graduate students perceive issues associated with family reunification. Findings indicate that Title IV-E students perceive that substance abuse, mental health, and domestic violence are the most frequent problems for parents in reunification, and they believe parental incarceration and excessive/ineffective case planning commonly hinder family reunification. However, the participants did not believe job and housing insecurity were significant issues for families in reunification, and they did not perceive mandated timelines to be a major barrier to reunification.