1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The purpose of this study is to expand the literature on family reunification by providing the first Canadian province-wide longitudinal study of when and for whom family reunification is most likely to occur.» (p. 280)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«The cohort used for this study consists of 29,040 children placed for the first time within a child protection jurisdiction between April 1, 2002 and March 31, 2011.» (p. 280)

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«Consistent with all previously reviewed research on family reunification, the current study shows that the majority of children reunify with their families within the first year of out-of home care (Barber & Delfabbro, 2004; Courtney, 1994; Courtney & Wong, 1996; Goerge, 1990; Sinclair et al., 2006;Wulczyn, 2004). Children 14 to 17 years old at initial placement are themost likely and do so the quickest, followed by 10 to 13 year olds, 6 to 9 year olds and 0 to 1 year olds. Children aged 2 to 5 years old at initial placement have the lowest likelihood of returning to live with their families. [T]his study found that younger children reunify the least and spend a longer time in out-of-home care prior to reunification compared to older children. Because the Québec child protection legislation does not permit extensions of temporary placement past the maximum durations, it is essential that child protection workers quickly mobilize services and resources that aid parents and families of younger children in the resolution of their family difficulties. One suggestionmight be for child protection authorities to more frequently review service plans involving younger children, in order to quickly access community support services and mobilize these services to support families.» (p. 285)