June 2016Vol. 17, No. 4National Reunification Month

By Mimi Laver, Director, Legal Education, American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law

The spring of 2016 is a special time for families and the professionals who support them. During the month of May, we recognized National Foster Care Month with the wonderful theme of "Honoring, Uniting, and Celebrating Families." June is National Reunification Month. While we hope that every day is one in which the child welfare system demonstrates how it values families and their strengths, shining a national spotlight on parents for these two months reminds us where our priorities should be all year long.

According to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, reunification is, by far, the permanency option achieved by the most children in the child welfare system. Research has shown that children who are raised by their families have the best long-term outcomes¹; therefore, we have a true motivation to return children home as quickly as it is safe to do so. For many families, this is not an easy process. However, when a child is returned home, it is cause for celebration.

National Reunification Month began in 2010 as a single day—June 19 (during Father's Day weekend). It started as a collaboration among a number of national organizations, including the American Bar Association's (ABA's) Center on Children and the Law, Casey Family Programs, National Association of Counsel for Children, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the National Center of State Courts, the Foster Care Coalition, Rise magazine, and Judge Connie Cohen from Iowa. These partners joined together to let States know that reunification is important and worthy of celebration. In 2012, the initiative's leaders decided to focus on June as Reunification Month.

Since 2010 the following guiding principles have remained central:

• Reunification with family is the preferred outcome for children who must be removed from their homes and placed in foster care. 
• For most children in foster care, reunification with their family is their best option for a permanent and loving home.
• Every year, thousands of children are successfully reunified with their families. 
• All children need the care, love, security, and stability of family unity—including parents, siblings, grandparents, and other extended family members—to provide a solid foundation for personal growth, development, and maturity.
• Reunification takes work, commitment, and investment of time and resources by parents, family members, social workers, foster parents, service providers, attorneys, courts, and the community.

One of the special aspects of the month was the 2012 addition of honoring Reunification Heroes from around the country. These heroes are parents, lawyers, and case workers who have gone above and beyond in the reunification process. They were nominated by peers, interviewed by ABA staff, and highlighted on the Reunification Month website (http://ambar.org/nrm) as well as on the ABA's Parent Attorney listserv. In 2015, we had a record 11 heroes honored, and the ABA hopes to top last year by honoring many more Reunification Heroes. Nominations for 2016 honorees are now closed, and we look forward to sharing the 2016 Reunification Heroes' stories via articles that will be published during June at http://www.americanbar.org/groups/child_law/what_we_do/projects/nrd/heroes.html.

Another important part of Reunification Month is the State and local events that will happen in June. At least 25 States have conducted at least one event over the last few years, and most of these States have held multiple events. The celebrations ranged from picnics honoring families, to rallies on the steps of State capitols, to substantive forums. For example, each year New Jersey picks an important topic like housing and visitation, creates a video about the topic, and holds a forum for stakeholders during June. Similarly, the Family Defense Center in Chicago has hosted a celebration for the past 5 years in which parents who were involved in the child welfare system share their stories and discuss ways to improve the experience for families. To see a description of past events and to register your celebration, see the Reunification Month website.

Reunification Month, at its core, is about ensuring a focus on keeping children with their families. While we highlight this initiative during June, children and families rely on us all to focus on reunification throughout the year.

 

¹ Doyle, J. J., Jr. (2007). Child protection and child outcomes: Measuring the effects of foster care. American Economic Review, 97(5), 1583–1610. doi: 10.1257/aer.97.5.1583