Risk and Protective Factors of Foster Care Reentry: An Examination of the Literature

ABSTRACT

Reunification with family is a primary goal in child welfare. However, some children re-enter foster care after reunification, which disrupts the continuity of their care and can impact their cognitive and social development. Using an ecological framework, this systematic review of the literature highlights the risk and protective factors of reentry. Key risk factors included child emotional and behavioral challenges, parental substance abuse, and short lengths of stay in foster care. Protective factors included placement with kin, social support, effective implementation of risk and safety assessments, and targeted pre- and post-reunification services. Understanding who is at greater risk and identifying points of intervention can help child welfare agencies develop, target, and evaluate their services more effectively. As new interventions develop, there is a great need for more research to evaluate their effectiveness and to scale-up evidence-informed practices that can help to prevent reentry to foster care.

KEYWORDS:

• Foster care re-entry

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge P.J. Mitchell, MPH, and Paul Lennander, MA, who each contributed to the content of this article. Hennepin County Health and Human Services provided partial funding for a preliminary examination of then reentry literature, which was subsequently used to inform the content for this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Annette Semanchin Jones

Annette Semanchin Jones, Ph.D., MSW, is an Assistant Professor at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, School of Social Work.

Traci LaLiberte

Traci LaLiberte, Ph.D., MSW, is the Executive Director at the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work.