For Judges and Attorneys Handling Child Welfare Cases
June 14, 2022
June is National Reunification Month
Supporting and maintaining family connections is essential to health and well-being for children. Everyone working within the child welfare system has a part in safely reunifying families and obtaining permanency as soon as possible. June is National Reunification Month, a time to highlight resources available to child welfare professionals to inspire commitment, creativity, and focus to achieve reunification.
The June 2022 issue of The Children’s Bureau Express (CBX) features articles focused on reunification and the importance of supporting families as they work toward reunification goals.
The Child Welfare Information Gateway’s reunification resource page contains materials to help professionals engage parents, assess readiness, and support reunification when dealing with specific barriers such as substance abuse, incarceration, and domestic violence. Fact sheets for relative caregivers or foster parents are also available.
The American Bar Association’s National Reunification Month webpage highlights stories of reunification from parents and youth, offers practical advice for judges, provides tips for breaking down barriers between parents and foster parents, and showcases “reunification heroes” working to keep families together.
The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) maintains Parent Collaboration Groups that support parents on the path to reunification and function as a link between parents and the agency to provide a unique perspective on how to improve services to families and children. A list of local Parent Collaboration Groups can be found on the DFPS website and reunified parents who wish to volunteer with a group can contact their regional CPS liaison for more information.
For a complete list of Resource Letters, please visit the Children's Commission webpage. Information provided by the Children’s Commission should not be read as a commentary by the Supreme Court of Texas or any other court. The Children’s Commission website is not equipped to facilitate dialogue or conversation about matters related to the information in this communique. For more information about the Children’s Commission, please visit our website.
