A Resilience-Based Model of Reunification and Reentry: Implications for Out-of-Home Care Services

Abstract

This study presents a resilience-based model for the successful reunification of children in out-of-home care services. Individual, familial, and environmental risk and protective factors associated with reunification and reentry into out-of-home care were gleaned from relevant literature and inform the construction of the model. The resilience-based model demonstrates that high levels of protective factors can buffer or even weaken the hold of risk factors, thereby reducing the likelihood of reentry. The importance of resilience-informed interventions in preventing reentry and promoting the continued reunification of children is highlighted. The implications of this resilience-based model for practice and research are discussed.