The result has been the creation of more collaborative and supportive relationships with families. According to Hartman, this shift in the construct of best practice thinking, in the U.S., has been substantially influenced by the growth of the permanency planning movement of the 1980s-90s and by the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980. These two factors have, most certainly, led to the increased utilization of FGDM processes by child welfare organizations in order to achieve this compelling goal. According to Mallucio et al. These are values that are inherent in FGDM philosophy as well.
Family reunification is a fluid and dynamic process.
Opportunities to consider family reunification are abundant, especially if a more expansive definition of family is applied. A key principle of FGDM is the inclusion of a broader definition of family. Reunification efforts are most often driven at the return of a child to one, or both, of the biological parents. More importantly, it honors and sanctifies the value of a child s continued relationship with all family members and his or her culture. Best social work practice dictates the regular review of a family s case status and reflection upon changing case dynamics.