reunification
reunification. The return of a child who has been removed from his or her parents because of abuse or neglect by one or both of them. • When a child has been removed from the home because of abuse or neglect, the state’s primary goal is family reunification as long as this is in the best interests of the child. The state is required, in most instances, to provide the parent or parents with services that will enable them to provide adequately for their child upon his or her return. After the enactment of the Adoption and Safe Families Act in 1997, states became more concerned with limiting the time that children are in foster care and less concerned with lengthy reunification plans. — Also termed family reunification. See ADOPTION AND SAFE FAMILIES ACT ; PERMANENCY PLAN; ADOPTION ASSISTANCE AND CHILD WELFARE ACT . — reunify, vb.
