Working collaboratively with parents embodies family-centered practice and can facilitate the child’s return home more quickly than if parents are not involved. Engaging parents in the planning process can help ensure they receive the services and supports required for the child's safe return. The following resources provide examples of approaches administrators, supervisors, and frontline workers can use to enhance parent engagement in the case-planning process, including State and local examples.
| Series Title | Bulletins for Professionals |
| Author(s) | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
| Availability | View Download (PDF - 426KB) Order (Free) |
| Year Published | 2016 |
Family Group Decision-Making: Parent Advocates in New York City [Podcast]
Child Welfare Information Gateway (2017)
Discusses how parent advocates with prior experience with the child welfare system can partner with families in group decision-making.
National Foster Care Month: Implementing Parent Partner Programs and Supporting Reunification [Webinar]
Capacity Building Center for States (2016)
Provides child welfare professionals with an overview of parent partner programs and explores how these programs benefit parents and children and ultimately support reunification.
National Reunification Month: Innovative Practices to Promote Unification [Video]
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (2017)
Highlights State-specific strategies to support reunification and engage caregivers in partnerships.
One Step at a Time
Rise Magazine (2015)
Offers parents information about the process of reunifying with their children. The information includes personal essays from parents who have been through the process. See other publications from Rise Magazine such as, Someone to Turn To (PDF - 3500 KB), Fathers' Rights and Roles (PDF - 411 KB), Addiction in the Family (PDF - 546 KB), and 'I Can and Will Do This!' (PDF - 434 KB).
Parent Partner Program Navigator (PDF - 1,437 KB)
Capacity Building Center for States (2016)
Presents tools and resources for agencies to use to improve existing Parent Partner Programs or design and implement new ones. This web-based tool includes four learning domains: assessing readiness needs and capacity, program design, program management, and engagement & partnerships.
Resource Family Tip Sheet for Supporting Reunification (PDF - 243 KB)
American Bar Association (2017)
Provides practical tips for child welfare professionals engaging families in key processes related to reunification.
State and local examples
Developing and Sustaining a Parent Partner Program [Podcast]
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau (2016)
Discusses the benefits and challenges of developing a parent partner program as experienced by the Iowa Department of Human Services.