IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v33y2011i9p1658-1666.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Reunification outcomes among Mexican immigrant families in the child welfare system

Author

Listed:
  • Osterling, Kathy Lemon
  • Han, Meekyung

Abstract

This study examined reunification outcomes among Mexican immigrant families involved in the child welfare system, and compared characteristics of Mexican-origin and non-immigrant children involved in the child welfare system. An exploratory retrospective longitudinal design using administrative data from two counties in Northern California was utilized. The quantitative sample (NÂ =Â 2152) included children entering the foster care system for 8 or more days between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2007 in the two participating counties. Child welfare administrative data (CWS/CMS) were merged with eligibility data (CalWIN) in order to obtain parent and child place of birth and citizenship status. Quantitative measures drawn from the merged CWS/CMS and CalWIN dataset included the following: demographic characteristics, immigrant characteristics, case characteristics and reunification outcomes. Results indicated that a significantly higher proportion of Mexican immigrant families (70.7%) were reunified than non-immigrant families (43.1%). Significant correlates of reunification among Mexican immigrant families included the following: mothers with authorized citizenship status (vs. unauthorized citizenship status), mothers whose primary language was Spanish (vs. English), and children with two or fewer placements (vs. three or more placements). Differences between Mexican-origin and non-immigrant children were that Mexican-origin children were older on average than non-immigrant children, and they were more likely to experience physical abuse, sexual abuse or emotional abuse; they were also more likely to be placed in foster care or a group home (vs. relative care). Implications for social work practice and policy are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Osterling, Kathy Lemon & Han, Meekyung, 2011. "Reunification outcomes among Mexican immigrant families in the child welfare system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(9), pages 1658-1666, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:33:y:2011:i:9:p:1658-1666
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740911001423
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dettlaff, Alan J. & Johnson, Michelle A., 2011. "Child maltreatment dynamics among immigrant and U.S. born Latino children: Findings from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW)," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 936-944, June.
    2. Jones, Loring, 1998. "The social and family correlates of successful reunification of children in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 305-323, May.
    3. Dettlaff, Alan J. & Earner, Ilze & Phillips, Susan D., 2009. "Latino children of immigrants in the child welfare system: Prevalence, characteristics, and risk," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 775-783, July.
    4. Wells, Kathleen & Guo, Shenyang, 1999. "Reunification and reentry of foster children," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(4), pages 273-294, April.
    5. Ayón, Cecilia, 2009. "Shorter time-lines, yet higher hurdles: Mexican families' access to child welfare mandated services," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 609-616, June.
    6. Kortenkamp, Katherine & Geen, Rob & Stagner, Matthew, 2004. "The role of welfare and work in predicting foster care reunification rates for children of welfare recipients," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 577-590, June.
    7. Courtney, Mark E. & Yin-Ling Irene Wong, 1996. "Comparing the timing of exits from substitute care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(4-5), pages 307-334.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Diana N. Teixeira & Isabel Narciso & Margarida R. Henriques, 2022. "Driving for Success in Family Reunification—Professionals’ Views on Intervention," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-20, December.
    2. M. Angeles Balsells & Crescencia Pastor & Pere Amorós & Ainoa Mateos & Carmen Ponce & Alicia Navajas, 2014. "Child Welfare and Successful Reunification through the Socio-Educative Process: Training Needs among Biological Families in Spain," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 3(4), pages 1-18, October.
    3. Lin, Ching-Hsuan & Chiang, Pamela P. & Lux, Emily A. & Lin, Hsiu-Fen, 2018. "Immigrant social worker practice: An ecological perspective on strengths and challenges," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 103-113.
    4. Balsells, Maria Àngels & Pastor, Crescencia & Mateos, Ainoa & Vaquero, Eduard & Urrea, Aida, 2015. "Exploring the needs of parents for achieving reunification: The views of foster children, birth family and social workers in Spain," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 159-166.
    5. Balsells Bailón, M. Àngels & Urrea-Monclús, Aida & Vaquero Tió, Eduard & Fernández-Rodrigo, Laura, 2022. "The voices of children, mothers, and fathers: Can parenting programs improve reunification processes in the Spanish child protection system?," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    6. Witte, Susanne, 2020. "Case file analyses in child protection research: Review of methodological challenges and development of a framework," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    7. Cardoso, Jodi Berger & Dettlaff, Alan J. & Finno-Velasquez, Megan & Scott, Jennifer & Faulkner, Monica, 2014. "Nativity and immigration status among Latino families involved in the child welfare system: Characteristics, risk, and maltreatment," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 189-200.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Foster, E. Michael & Hillemeier, Marianne M. & Bai, Yu, 2011. "Explaining the disparity in placement instability among African-American and white children in child welfare: A Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 118-125, January.
    2. Goemans, Anouk & Vanderfaeillie, Johan & Damen, Harm & Pijnenburg, Huub & Van Holen, Frank, 2016. "Reunification of foster children: Factors associated with reunification outcomes in Flanders and the Netherlands," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 284-292.
    3. Davidson, Ryan D. & Tomlinson, Claire S. & Beck, Connie J. & Bowen, Anne M., 2019. "The revolving door of families in the child welfare system: Risk and protective factors associated with families returning," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 468-479.
    4. Shipe, Stacey L. & Shaw, Terry V. & Betsinger, Sara & Farrell, Jill L., 2017. "Expanding the conceptualization of re-entry: The inter-play between child welfare and juvenile services," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 256-262.
    5. Johnson-Motoyama, Michelle & Dettlaff, Alan J. & Finno, Megan, 2012. "Parental nativity and the decision to substantiate: Findings from a study of Latino children in the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW II)," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(11), pages 2229-2239.
    6. Meezan, William & McBeath, Bowen, 2008. "Market-based disparities in foster care outcomes," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 388-406, April.
    7. Fernandez, Elizabeth & Delfabbro, Paul & Ramia, Ioana & Kovacs, Szilvia, 2019. "Children returning from care: The challenging circumstances of parents in poverty," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 100-111.
    8. Whitaker, Tia, 2011. "Administrative case reviews: Improving outcomes for children in out-of-home care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(9), pages 1683-1708, September.
    9. van Santen, Eric, 2010. "Predictors of exit type and length of stay in non-kinship family foster care -- The German experience," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(10), pages 1211-1222, October.
    10. Elizabeth Fernandez, 2014. "Child Protection and Vulnerable Families: Trends and Issues in the Australian Context," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 3(4), pages 1-24, October.
    11. Keegan Eamon, Mary & Kopels, Sandra, 2004. "`For reasons of poverty': court challenges to child welfare practices and mandated programs," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(9), pages 821-836, September.
    12. Finno-Velasquez, Megan, 2013. "The relationship between parent immigration status and concrete support service use among Latinos in child welfare: Findings using the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAWII)," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 2118-2127.
    13. Choi, Sam & Ryan, Joseph P., 2007. "Co-occurring problems for substance abusing mothers in child welfare: Matching services to improve family reunification," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(11), pages 1395-1410, November.
    14. Ubbesen, Mads Bonde & Petersen, Liselotte & Mortensen, Preben Bo & Kristensen, Ole Steen, 2012. "Out of care and into care again: A Danish register‐based study of children placed in out-of‐home care before their third birthday," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(11), pages 2147-2155.
    15. Akin, Becci A., 2011. "Predictors of foster care exits to permanency: A competing risks analysis of reunification, guardianship, and adoption," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 999-1011, June.
    16. Debra A. Strong & Russell Cole & Angela V. D'Angelo & Juliette Henke, "undated". "2012 and 2014 Regional Partnership Grants to Increase the Well-Being of and to Improve the Permanency Outcomes for Children Affected by Substance Abuse: Third Annual Report to Congress," Mathematica Policy Research Reports 25fb6c26bc6a435fbfa9abfd8, Mathematica Policy Research.
    17. Zinn, Andrew, 2012. "Kinship foster family type and placement discharge outcomes," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 602-614.
    18. Miller, Keith A. & Fisher, Philip A. & Fetrow, Becky & Jordan, Kathy, 2006. "Trouble on the journey home: Reunification failures in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 260-274, March.
    19. Cardoso, Jodi Berger & Dettlaff, Alan J. & Finno-Velasquez, Megan & Scott, Jennifer & Faulkner, Monica, 2014. "Nativity and immigration status among Latino families involved in the child welfare system: Characteristics, risk, and maltreatment," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 189-200.
    20. Dettlaff, Alan J. & Johnson, Michelle A., 2011. "Child maltreatment dynamics among immigrant and U.S. born Latino children: Findings from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW)," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 936-944, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:33:y:2011:i:9:p:1658-1666. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.