Child Welfare: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice

16. Factors Associated with Family Reunification among Adolescents in Residential Care A Quebec Perspective

16 Factors Associated with Family Reunification among Adolescents in Residential Care A Quebec Perspective Marie-Claude Simard Marie-Andrée Poirier Placement in substitute care, generally viewed as a temporary measure, too often becomes long-term. Studies have shown that children risk being adrift in the substitute care system (Bullock, Gooch, & Little, 1998; Johnson , 1998; Millham, Bullock, Hosie, & Haak, 1986; Proch & Howard, 1986; Vachon, 1997). In the meantime, both children and families continue to evolve and change during the separation. The result may be that there is no longer a place for the child within the family. When family reunification takes place, it is not simply a question of the child re-entering the niche he or she has left empty. The family situation may no longer correspond to the image the child has retained of it, and since the child has also changed, expectations of one another have altered (Bullock, Little, & Millham, 1993). To offset this, contact should be maintained, and planning for family reunification , when appropriate, should begin as soon as the child enters the care system (Pine, Warsh, & Maluccio, 1993; Thomlison, Maluccio, & Abramczyk, 1996; Simard, 2007). This chapter presents the results of a Quebec study (Simard, 2007) that focused on the factors associated with the family reunification of adolescents placed in residential care and group homes. We identify and discuss the principal factors that emerged in the context of relevant literature. Following our discussion of results, directions for future research are suggested. 245 YOUTH TRANSITIONS Family Reunification On March 31, 2008, of the 11,914 youths in out-of-home care in the province of Quebec, 3,101 were living in residential care (Association des Centres Jeunesse du Québec, 2008). Figure 1 shows the distribution among all youths in care by different types of substitute care. Of the total, 5,090 were under youth protection custody until the age of 18 by virtue of court orders, and 2,684 of these were between 13 and 17 years old. These youths will remain away from their families of origin for a period of several months, if not years. Their destinies after leaving care are unknown at the moment, as no study on this subject has been done recently in Quebec. Research findings suggest that most of these young people will return to their families of origin at the end of the placement. Many authors maintain that family reunification is the most likely and often the favoured outcome for youths in placement (Frame, Berrick, & Brodowski, 2000; Wulczyn, 2004). However , family reunification is more difficult to achieve for older children (Greenwald , 1998; Harris & Courtney, 2003; Landsverk, Davis, Ganger, Newton, & Johnson, 1996; Thomlison, Maluccio, & Wright, 1996; Thompson, Safyer, & Pollio, 2001; Wells & Guo, 2004). Adolescence is a stage of differentiation and independence with respect to the family. The search for identity and the need for independence weaken the attachment to the family, particularly for adolescents in the youth protection system whose family ties may have been severed. Moreover, problems in the relationships between adolescents and their parents , which are frequently the reason for placement (Teare, Peterson, Authier, Schroeder, & Daly, 1998), can persist beyond the placement and hinder the SIMARD AND POIRIER 246 Figure 1 Distribution by Type of Substitute Care Residential care and group home 26% Family foster care including kinship care 73% Other 1% smooth achievement of family reunification. Consequently, family reunification is a major challenge for all concerned. One of the principal objectives of this study was to identify the factors associated with family reunification of adolescents placed in residential care. The study examines five main categories of variables. They are those that relate to the adolescent, the parents, family and environment, interventions, and the history and conditions of the placement. For the purposes of this chapter, the results of the second and third categories (parents and family) are presented together. The intent of the study is to build a portrait of those youths who have a better chance of reuniting with their families when their placement ends. Methodology In order to determine factors associated with family reunification, the study compared two equal-sized groups of care leavers: 51 who were returned to their own home (R) and 51 who left care but did not go home (NR). The survey used for collecting data contained five main sections: preliminary information ; the adolescent’s socio-demographic characteristics and his/her placement history; the adolescent’s family; the maintenance of links with...