Family Reunification

Removing a child from his or her family is a wrenching experience for everyone involved. When it does happen, the top priority is to achieve reunification as safely as possible.

Federal law requires that the state make a concerted and timely effort to help families resolve problems and do what it takes to get their child back home. But because two systems - the courts and DSHS - are involved in decisions about whether and when to reunify children with their families, it is a complicated issue.

Using data to inform policy and practice

POC is analyzing 10 years of state data to determine the current rate of child-family reunification and to identify the factors that influence successful reunifications. In addition, POC is "digging deep" into data from key DSHS-identified sites within Children's Administration regions, as well as researching lessons learned from other efforts aimed at improving the reunification process and rates.

Sharing information and working together

POC's goal is to share this information with communities throughout the state - the courts, our partners at DSHS/CA, the Court Improvement Training Academy, and local leaders - and then together work to identify opportunities for effective policy, program, and/or practice reforms that improve court processes and increase family reunification rates in Washington State.