"Reunification" and "Re-Entry" Rates

“Reunification” and “Re-Entry” Rates

As a researcher, locating descriptive statistics is an important and objective way to answer important questions about foster care.  Two statistics are pertinent to our discussion of the success or failure of the foster care system:  reunification and re-entry rates.  

Reunification, of course, refers to a foster child’s return to the family from which he was removed, usually the biological parents; while re-entry describes children who are removed from their families after reunification and placed back into the foster care system because the parents, once again, abused or neglected them. 

The national reunification rate for foster children has remained fairly stable over the years -- in the 51-53% range, meaning that slightly more than half of children entering foster care are reunified with their families.  Of course, the math tells us that leaves approximately 48% ( +1%) of foster children who are not reunified – a grim statistic that deserves serious attention.  (A subject for a later report.)

But, as I write and prepare presentations about attachment problems in foster children, I often wonder how many of “successful" reunifications eventually fail, i.e., how many children were removed from their homes after reunification?  That statistic is difficult to find and, unlike reunification rates, no national statistic exists (at least that I can find...)

I did, however, find several studies and statistical reports addressing the issue of re-entry rates and this is what I learned: 

• States are held accountable, and must report, re-entry rates to the federal government.
• The federal standard for re-entering foster care within 12 months of reunification is 9.9%.
• Re-entry rates (within 12 months) range from 21% to 38% from state to state.
• High re-entry rates could result in federal funding sanctions, increased caseloads, and   damage to children who experience repeated abuse/neglect and the resulting need to enter a new, unfamiliar placement.
• The top two reasons for re-entry are because the children were reunified too soon (parents not ready) or “Family Reunification” was an inappropriate case plan from the beginning.
• Related to the above, the factor most associated with re-entry into foster care is short foster care stays, 3-6 months.
• Other correlates with re-entry rates include multiple placements, prior reports, and unmet needs of the biological families.
• Two programs that reduce rates of re-entry are:  Home Builders (institutefamily.org) and Multi-dimensional Treatment Foster Care for Preschoolers (now known as Treatment Foster Care Oregon – tfcoregon.com).

As we (CASAs and FCRBers) oversee foster care cases, it is difficult at times to cull through the data to know what works and what doesn’t.  Looking to reliable research studies addressing important topics, such as reunification and re-entry rates, helps us to identify what factors are more likely to make reunification a success which we can keep in mind as we advise the court as to the progress of the foster care cases we oversee.