Children Going Home The Re-unification of Families

First published in 1998, this Darlington child care study looks at the return experiences of children looked after by local authorities. It shows that although the great majority of children go back to their families and home communities, little is known about the process. How can professionals and carers make the transition as easy as possible? The book takes forward ideas first reported in the Dartmouth publication, going home: The return of children separated from their families and tested in subsequent research. It charts patterns of separation and return, considers the experiences of those involved and highlights factors associated with the likelihood of return and its success. Because the factors described in the earlier research have since been confirmed in a blind prospective study they are among the most robust indicators available.

1. Introduction. 2. Return to child-care policy and law. 3. The Return Experience identified in child-care research. 4. Return in Other Contexts. 5. Designing the Study. 6. The Intensive Study. 7. General Themes form the Intensive Study. 8. Separation From Home. 9. Return Becomes and Issue. 10. The child back at home. 11. Long-Term Outcomes. 12. Children’s Return to Contexts Outside the Family. 13. General Patterns of Return. 14. Children for Whom Return Issues are Relatively Straightforward. 15. Children for whom issues of return are more complex. 16. Predicting Return Outcomes. 17. The Revised Checklists. 18. Conclusions.