Working toward reunification as a case goal: does family structure matter?

Despite an increase in single father-headed households, few studies have examined how single fathers fare in child welfare. This study examined the relationship between family structure and reunification as a case goal, and the moderating role of child race/ethnicity. Data came from the 2019 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, a national database of all children in foster care in the United States during any point in the fiscal year. The analytic sample included 234,075 children who entered foster care in FY 2019. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine whether family structure was associated with an initial case goal of reunification, while adjusting for other factors such as child age, sex, race/ethnicity, and removal causes. In the final model, an interaction term between race/ethnicity and family structure was added. Children whose parents were married (AOR = 1.18, 95 % CI = 1.13-1.23), partnered (AOR = 1.17, 95 % CI = 1.12-1.22) or who entered foster care from a single mother household (AOR = 1.16, 95 % CI = 1.12-1.21) had higher odds of reunification as an initial case goal than their peers who entered care from a single father household. Child race/ethnicity significantly moderated this relationship. Our findings highlighted an intersection of family structure and race/ethnicity that impacts reunification as an initial case goal for children entering foster care. This highlights an urgent need for culturally responsive services that target fathers broadly to engage in child welfare.