2000•Oxford University Press eBooksRequires access
Foster Care, Reunification, and Adoption
Jill Duerr Berrick, Barbara Needell, Richard P. Barth, Melissa Jonson‐Reid
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Abstract
This chapter examines foster care, family reunification, and adoption. Foster care is an extreme intervention for maltreated children who cannot remain safely at home. During placement, a child welfare professional coordinates services with the goal of reunifying the family. If this goal cannot be achieved in a specified period (eighteen months in most states, but twelve months in California), the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 mandates the implementation of an alternative permanent plan — specifically adoption, guardianship, or long-term foster care. Foster care performance indicators are discussed. A summary of key findings and recommendations regarding foster care, reunification, and adoption is presented at the end of the chapter.