Thesis advisor: Thomas M. Crea / About 5.4 million children worldwide live in residential care institutions (also known as “orphanages”), including an estimated 60,000 in Kenya alone (Desmond et al., 2020). Estimates suggest 80% of children in orphanages globally have at least one living parent (Berens & Nelson, 2015; Csáky, 2009; Petrowski et al., 2017), and human rights principles (United Nations General Assembly, 2010) have motivated the Kenyan government to carry out “care reform,” reducing reliance on residential care and prioritizing family-based care for vulnerable children. In this context, many children have reunified with their families after living in residential care. The aim of this dissertation is to examine the experiences and well-being of such children. The first study uses qualitative methods to explore how Kenyan children and young adults who previously lived in residential care describe their lives in residential care and after leaving it. The second study describes the development of a quantitative measure of subject well-being tailored to the priorities of young people who have lived in residential care, and includes an exploratory factor analysis to determine the factor structure of the measure. The third paper uses multivariate analyses to examine how Kenyan reunified children’s subjective well-being may statistically relate to child characteristics, including disability status, when controlling for child gender, age, and time since family reunification. Specifically, I hypothesize that having a disability will be associated with worse subjective well-being and more negative experiences of reunification than children without disabilities. Together, these three studies are designed to address gaps in existing knowledge related to successful transitions of children from residential care into families in Kenya, suggesting promising practices for social workers overseeing children’s reunifications and future directions for research on this population. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

Abstract The purpose of this action research study was to investigate social workers' perceptions of the problems that prevent successful family reunifications after foster care. The study explored social workers' perceptions of barriers that prevent family reunifications in central Mississippi. Using Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory as the framework, the research question explored the problem from multiple levels of practice including family, individual, institutional, and community. The focus group approach aligned with the project goal by allowing participants opportunities to share experiences and perspectives regarding family reunifications. The study used a purposive sample of 10 participants who were practicing licensed social workers or certified mental health professionals in central Mississippi. Focus group responses were transcribed and coded by defining categories, assigning labels, and classifying relevant information using the comparative method. The key results of the study included that family reunification was impeded by the lack of training of child welfare social workers and limited resources to address psychosocial issues. The recommendations of the study included improving practice by engaging in mental health screening for foster children and families, promoting current knowledge and interventions by addressing psychosocial issues, and participating in program evaluation by targeting and strengthening policies. The impact of this study for positive social change includes understanding critical issues of family reunification after foster care stemming from lack of resources, unstable placements, and mental health issues.

In Europe, legal parent-child family reunifications are regulated by policies specifying the eligibility criteria that migrant parents must fulfill – two of the general conditions is having a long-term residence permit and fulfilling standardized income requirements. The emergence of transnational families – border crossing family arrangements – is often blamed on the conditions set by immigration countries. On the other hand, qualitative studies in the West African context indicate that transnational family life can be a strategic choice, arguing that West African family practices, such as fostering, are compatible with transnational family life and that parent’s preferences for the child to be brought up in the country of origin is one driver behind separation. Taking the case of Ghanaian migrant parents in the UK and Netherlands, the aim of this study is to explore what factors are associated with if and where parent-child reunification takes place – in the immigration country or the country of origin, with a focus on the interplay between family reunification policies, migrant family practices/norms and gender. The research question is: Do the policies that frame family reunification in the UK and Netherlands determine whether and where parent-child reunification takes place? And, how is the outcome affected by Ghanaian family practices/norms and gender? The analysis is made using binomial logistic regression on a selection of 167 current and return migrant parents from the MAFE-Ghana data, collected in 2009. The results indicate that having a high occupational status has a positive effect on reunification in any location, while a long-term legal status only increases the likelihood of reunification in the immigration country. Indicators for family status show mixed results; while having a partner in the UK or Netherlands has a gendered positive effect on the likelihood of reunification in Europe, it also tends to prolong parent-child separation for migrants who do not reunify in Europe. Against expectations, the availability of alternative caregivers in Ghana does not impact the outcome in any direction and no significant difference is found between the likelihood of reunification in the UK or Netherlands. The findings do not support the notion that transnational family life is a strategy for Ghanaian migrant parents; the conclusion is that policies strongly influence whether and where transnational parent-child separation ends.

This study explores the impact family separation had on both the child and the parent after reunification. Semi-Structured qualitative interviews were conducted. One participant was left behind by parents while they immigrated without proper documentation and eventually reunited with them. There was one mother who immigrated to reunite with her children. There were also four parent participants who left their children behind while immigrating into the United States. This study provides a glimpse of what an undocumented family reunification looks like

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of San Bernardino County’s Family Visitation Centers (FVC) and their effect on improving rates of reunification in families that use the visit centers, as opposed to those families who do not use the visit centers. The FVC were developed out of the Department Human Services Redesign to enhance the visitation experience for families, staff and others involved in the process. The FVC centers are a place to provide safe visits, in a non-sterile environment, for children to maintain the bonds with their parents that they have been removed from by child welfare while in a reunification process. The County of San Bernardino has invested approximately 1.9 million dollars annually into the FVC’s, and to date, there has not been a clear evaluation as to the effectiveness in reunifying families faster with usage of the FVC. The researchers used a descriptive statistical approach to examine the effect FVC’s has on the reunification process. The research methods used were quantitative in design and included comparative research, looking both at the results of clients use and non-use of the FVC’s. Data was collected February 2017. The size of our sample was ninety cases that used the FVC, and ninety families that did not use the center in the same regions, but were participating in visits and in reunification services, 180 families in total. To ensure that a random sample was used, a third-party person collected statistical information from Case Management System/Child Welfare System (CMS/CWS). The list was composed from preselected data included in the San Bernardino County Visitation Center Instrument. The variables used included families that were in the reunification process and having visits either at a CFS office or at the FVC, primary and secondary reason for removal, age of youngest child, age of parent, race/ethnicity, if a visit occurred and number of months in placement. Data was collected using every fifth family was selected, the researchers received a list, with only the above pertinent information for each of the families. The researchers did not need any Protected Identifying Information (PII) and no human subjects were used. All items related to the research was maintained in electronic form on password protected computers and was only calculated and read in a protected area. The hope of this research project was to find out if the money being invested in the FVC was working toward returning children in shorter time frames, than the traditional way of handling visits within the county at the CFS offices. Results from this study could change things dramatically within CFS. Positive outcomes could allow for more outside contracted agencies to be used to promote faster reunification, while lightening the duties of the social worker. Negative results could result in the FVC losing funding, the department would go back to supervising the visits within the offices, many social worker hours would be used supervising visits, the visit could be affected by the presence of the social worker. The outcomes could change business on a daily basis for the department or FVC in that, adjustments may need to be made, and provide a different standard of ideology of what visitation should be for families that are trying to work through their case plans to reunify with their children. This study found families who used visitation centers had longer placement episodes lengths than non-visitation center users. This outcome is contrary to our assumption, use of visitation centers help families reunify in less time

M.A. / Child migration in society today appears to be escalating at a very high rate. The influx of child migrants has put an enormous strain to social workers in terms of rendering family preservation and reunification services. In most cases families are not available to enable social workers to render family preservation and reunification services. International Social Services (ISS) assist in tracing families of across the border child migrants but the service does not extend beyond reunifying the child with family. There are no monitoring and tracking systems to prevent the child from migrating again. The aim of this study is to identify and describe the challenges faced by social workers in rendering family preservation and reunification services to child migrants. The objectives of the study are as follows: to conduct a literature study on family preservation and reunification services and the child migrant; to determine social workers’ strategies used in family preservation and reunification services to child migrants, and the challenges they are experiencing; to obtain social workers’ views on effective strategies that can be implemented in rendering family preservation and reunification services to child migrants and to make recommendations that will assist social workers in rendering family preservation and reunification services. A qualitative study of two focus groups consisting of 15 social workers each from Department of Social Development Johannesburg Region was conducted. The research findings revealed the need of coming up with strategies for family preservation and reunification services to child migrants. Presently social workers have no strategies but processes only.

This thesis deals with the topic of family reunification of third countries immigrants. Whole work is focused mainly on families with all family members coming from non-EU country. Rights and obligations of this group are highly influenced by the EU directive on family reunification 2003/86/ES, implemented into Czech law in 2005. Second group, which is discussed in the work, are families with one member being Czech or EU national and the other family members from non-EU countries. This work examines current legislative, which influences family reunification and examines its consequences on immigrants experience through the whole reunification process and their life - based on semi structured interviews. The main aim of this work is to explain current family reunification legislative and its development, using policy documents, stenographic protocols from debates of members of the legislature or election programs

The strict family reunification policies in Norway and Denmark have affected many individual’s family life. Individuals currently struggle to be reunited with their non-EU family members because of strict requirements. For some, moving to Sweden can be a solution due to their more liberal reunification policies. This paper analyses how family reunification policy in Norway and Denmark has affected the lives of those who relocate to Sweden. The method that was used for the analysis was the interviewing method. In the theoretical framework transnationalism was applied, and it focuses on the connection transnational migrants have with three countries at the same time. The transnational perspective illustrates the different obstacles transnational migrants face. The analysis showed that the reasons individuals relocated from Denmark and Norway was because of age and income requirements, deportation and suspect of arranged marriage by the migration agencies. The analysis also showed that distance relationship, distant parenthood, social belonging and identity helped shape the individual’s life.

No / This paper explores findings from an exploratory study on sibling relationships following adoption reunion in adulthood. The qualitative data was gathered through in‐depth interviews with 33 adopted adults who were reunited with their birth sibling(s) through an adoption agency in the Republic of Ireland. The findings throw light upon the development of the emotional, often complex, relationships which may emerge when siblings meet for the first time in adult life. Factors influential in facilitating or hindering these post‐reunion relationships are discussed. The important insights are then considered in the context of the wider international literature on adoption, search and reunion.

Latino immigrants have a strong presence in Southern, California. Although the Latino population can be attributed with possessing significant strengths and resiliency, their unique barriers as to legal status, language, and culture, have led to the researchers’ developing an interest on how undocumented immigrant status affects family reunification and service delivery within the child welfare system. The following research study focuses on evaluating how undocumented immigration status affects family reunification and service delivery in child welfare. It seeks to answer how current case work practice addresses the needs of undocumented Latino immigrant families that become involved within the child welfare system and how their undocumented immigration legal status impacts the reunification process and the receipt of services within the community. For the purpose of this study, an urban Southern California child welfare agency servicing a large population of immigrant Latinos was utilized. Using the constructivist paradigm, researchers interviewed ten children’s social service workers that possessed a mixture of knowledge, experience, and insight as to this population. The study found that undocumented Latino immigrants faced barriers related to their poor acculturation, that affected their family reunification. For instance, not understanding the English language, not understanding child abuse laws, limited access to culturally appropriate services, and social workers’ limited knowledge of working with undocumented Latino immigrant clients were barriers faced by this population. The findings in this study can be utilized by the child welfare agency to improve cultural awareness trainings for child welfare workers, work towards increasing culturally sensitive service availability, and advance policy.