Hood, Rick, Abbott, Simon, Baginsky, Mary, Dimond, Claire – 2022
Nilsson, David. As part of work undertaken to support the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care in the United Kingdom, What Works for Children’s Social Care commissioned a rapid evidence review to investigate strategies for improving the chances of a successful reunification for children who return home from care. The study explored what specialist services and interventions have been found to improve the outcomes of reunification, and types of support for children, parents, families, and networks included in these services help to improve outcomes of reunification. For the study, a total of 15 empirical studies were reviewed that comprised of 13 studies from the United States, one study from the United Kingdom, and 1 Australian study. Five of the programs studied were designed to serve all children leaving care to return home and these tended to feature integrated multi-agency services and a case management approach; five were designed to serve children returning home to families with a history of parental substance misuse, so that drug and alcohol treatment was a major component alongside other services; three programs were designed to work with children and young people leaving residential care, aiming to align support in the preparation, transition and post-reunification periods; and two interventions were designed to work with specific age groups. Findings are discussed and indicate best practices include careful preparation and planning of transitions, individualized care plans, coordination of multi-agency provision, therapeutic and psychoeducational skills training, specialist drug and alcohol services, and educational and social support. Implications for practice and research are discussed. Numerous references.
