Families

Path Toward Reunification

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Tom Ruff, a child protective services social worker, generally has 15 days after a first court hearing to figure out more facts, identify more family placement options for the child who was taken out of the home and help make a plan for the next steps.

Ruff looks at root causes of the abuse or neglect and tries to work with families to develop a plan that will eventually lead to a safe home where the child can be reunited with his parent or parents. A drug-addicted mother’s services might include a residential rehabilitation program; an abusive father, domestic violence classes. 

Or, maybe the problem is simply the residence. A mother and her children may be living with a grandfather who physically abuses the kids, prompting the County to place them in foster care for their safety. If the mother moves out and agrees not to live with the abuser again, the child may be returned home more quickly.

Under state law, reunification with parents in a safe home is the ultimate goal, and the County, the Courts and a variety of services and programs are designed to help meet  that goal. Reunification might happen after six or 12 months, if the Juvenile Court judge hears evidence that the child can safely return home.

Or, parents may never be able to provide that safety. Maybe they get sent to jail; maybe they can’t stop using drugs; maybe they keep going back to an abusive ex.

In that case, the County’s goal becomes to find stability and permanence for the child, perhaps through long term placement with a family member, a stable foster care environment or adoption.

In San Diego County, 41 percent of all children removed from the home are reunified with their families after one year. After 30 months, the rate is about 65 percent.

Clearly, it’s in Ruff’s interest to be able to work with parents to further the goal of steering them towards the services they need and encouraging them to work towards the reunification process as well. But he’s also got to stay sharp, hold parents accountable and make every decision with a child’s well-being in mind.

Ultimately, parents themselves play the biggest role in whether they regain their parental rights. Ruff says he sees the early stages of a case, when it’s not always clear how the story will end.

Next: “Stranger Things Have Happened”