Perceptions of Social Workers on Factors Associated with Foster Care Outcomes

The purpose of this exploratory study is to elicit the perceptions of social workers on factors which may be associated with a stable reunification following discharge from foster family care. Twenty-four social workers from the Waterloo Region of The Iowa Department of Human Services completed a survey in which they identified their perception of reunification factors pertaining to the birth parents, foster parents, child, social worker, and agency. The findings suggest that the maintenance of the connection between the child and birth family, the child\u27s development of healthy attachment experiences, an ecologically-based assessment, and the social worker\u27s rapport with and attitudes about the birth family are positively associated with a stable reunification