In all reunification cases, there are specific caseworker activities directed to parents, children and caregivers, as follows:
Casework activities directed toward parents to achieve reunification include:
· a thorough and timely assessment (refer to Chapter 3)
· immediate engagement of the family in service planning (refer to Chapter 2)
· expeditious implementation of services
· frequent parent-child visits (3-5 times per week) during which the parent's capacity, competency and willingness to meet the child's needs are assessed. Visits are also a vehicle for coaching parenting skills that need improvement. Workers must observe parent-child visits at least once per month or more frequently if indicated. These observations could be done as part of the assisted visitation process.
· involvement of the parents in planning for the child; for example, parent should be involved in the child's school, recreational activities, medical care, meal planning during visits, birthday parties and family celebrations, purchasing clothing and other activities which demonstrate the parent's capacity, competency and willingness to meet the child's needs;
· development of a supportive relationship built on trust in the family's strengths and its efforts to change; respect for the family's tradition and culture; and acceptance of the family's lifestyle and parent-child relationships as long as they promote the child's basic need for safety and health. To develop a trusting relationship, frequent, meaningful in-person contacts with the birth parents (at least weekly for the first 30 days and at least once per month thereafter) are needed. Any children still in the custody of the parent must also be seen. For those families with a high likelihood of early reunification, more frequent in-person contact in the parent's home is encouraged. In most cases, the more contact there is between worker and parent, the more the parent will remain motivated and engaged in the service plan.
· encouraging the family to continue to work in areas of need; e.g., maintaining a drug-free lifestyle, being free of relationships with partners who are on drugs or are violent, continuing treatment and medication for mental illness, improved child-parent relationships, etc.;
· early and continual assessment of the family's readiness for reunification.
Reunification requires intensive contact with children in placement, which includes:
· timely referrals for any necessary evaluations, assessments and services
· ensuring that the child's health and educational needs are met
· frequent, meaningful in-person visits with the child outside the presence of the caregiver to assess the child's needs, his/her adjustment to placement and separation and loss issues. These visits should be at least twice per month, with at least one visit in the caregiver's home for the first thirty days and m onthly thereafter. Where there is a high likelihood of early reunification, more frequent contacts are encouraged.
· engagement of the child in service planning, if old enough
· working with the child to begin a Lifebook and update it periodically.
An essential component of intervention activity during this period is frequent contact between the parent and child. All parties involved in the case - caseworker, parent, foster parent/relative caregiver, extended family members, and service providers - must be committed to facilitating visits. Parents need to be given frequent and varied opportunities to safely interact with their children such as birthday parties, family celebrations, recreational activities, school conferences - all those many activities that parents and children normally do together. When safety and well-being are assured, visits should be in a setting that fosters interaction and parental participation. Office visits should be kept at a minimum and should only be done when health, safety or other considerations warrant it.
Developing a relationship with the foster parent or relative caregiver is essential in moving a case toward permanency, particularly if the permanency goal is reunification. The foster parent/relative caregiver is a valuable member of the Child and Family Team who can assist the caseworker in assessing the child's needs.
Work with foster parents/relative caregivers should include:
· visit with foster parents/relative caregivers at least once per month to discuss the child's needs, behaviors, academic progress, etc.
· encouraging caregivers to participate in the Child and Family Team.
· engaging the foster parent/relative caregiver in reunification activities such as frequent parent-child visits, providing opportunities for parent-child interaction, coaching and mentoring of birth parents. An attitude of "working with" rather than "against" the birth parent will move the case forward and will give the child the message that the important adults in his/her life are working together for his/her well-being. The caseworker may need to help the caregiver sort through the conflicting feelings that are inevitable in foster care where the caregiver must be attached enough to a child to care for and nurture him/her, yet be able to "let go" when the time comes for reunification.
· planning with the foster parent/relative caregiver with regard to the child's needs, behaviors and adjustment to placement.
· follow-up with doctor's appointments, school staffings, etc.