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©
2009 Jordan Institute
for Families
Vol.
15, No. 1
December 2009
What the CFSRs Tell Us about Visits
Results of the 2001 and 2002 federal CFSRs released by the US Department of Health and Human Services in 2004 demonstrated a significant relationship between caseworker visits and improved outcomes for children. When caseworkers were able to visit frequently with children in the child welfare system and their families, children were reunified with their families or placed into other permanent living arrangements in a more timely manner. Caseworker visits also were linked with:
- Providing services to protect children in the home, thus preventing removal;
- Managing the risk of harm to children;
- Establishing permanency goals for children;
- Achieving reunification, guardianship, and permanent placement with relatives;
- Preserving sibling connections while in foster care;
- Maintaining children’s relationships with their parents;
- Successfully assessing needs and providing services to children and families;
- Involving children and parents in case planning; and
- Meeting children’s educational, physical, and mental health needs.
Source: CWLA, 2005