Family Preservation and Reunification : Do our Nations Laws Support this Concept?

This exploratory study was undertaken to expand the knowledge of service providers working with children and families involved in child protection that are currently or have the possibility of developing a permanency plan for children in placement. The study intends to discover the effectiveness of concurrent planning as it pertains to family preservation. Six child protection social workers were interviewed using a structured interview schedule. The qualitative data was then examined to identify any prevailing similarities or themes that were identified between social workers employed in a county social service child protection setting. The interview focused on several aspects including the perceptions of county social workers pertaining to the impact of the concurrent permanency planning model and the promotion and implementation of federal family preservation and reunification laws. The study also examines the effectiveness of the model in fostering family preservation. The research discovered that county social workers were in support of permanency planning laws and guidelines. Workers felt the law was a necessary response to the child welfare dilemma in regards to the high number of children who are in out of home placements. It was discovered that workers felt the law was able to work congruently with preservation aid reunification and concurrent planning approaches. The study also discovered some important implications in relation to social work practice techniques. Implications include policy dilemmas, cultural competency issues and increased workloads