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. [Blacks Law 8th]