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A staged approach to permanence decisions for children and young people

Reunification: An Evidence-Informed Framework for Return Home Practice

For some children, returning home from care is the best possible outcome. But for many others, this can result in further abuse and neglect or re-entering care. (Department for Education, 2013; Farmer, 2011; Wade, 2011).

While research studies paint a worrying picture, they also point to tangible practice solutions. We know that good practice and effective services can support children to return home safely.

To improve support for children returning home, we're working with:

  • academics
  • local authorities
  • practice experts
  • young people.

Our reunification practice framework, created in partnership with the University of Bristol, brings all these research messages into one place, providing practical guidance and tools for practitioners working with children and families.

Published: 2015

Reunification: an evidence-informed framework for return home practice
Download the framework (PDF)

Implementation package

Our implementation package for the reunification practice framework has been designed to provide key documentation and guidance to make sure you can implement the framework successfully and sustainably.

All the materials in the package are designed to be used alongside the framework.

> Find out more about the package

Citation

Please cite as: Wilkins M. and Farmer E. (2015) Reunification: an evidence-informed framework for return home practice. London: NSPCC.

The Reunification practice framework is a staged approach to assessment and decision-making in relation to permanence decisions for babies, children and young people.

It is not intended as a solution to drive down the number of children in care. It focuses on gathering robust evidence to support practitioners to make safe and viable permanence decisions for children.

It supports practitioners and managers to apply structured professional judgement to decisions about whether and how a child should return home from care. It also supports families and workers to:

  • understand what needs to change
  • set goals
  • access support and services
  • review progress.

This makes sure children who can safely return home are supported alongside their families, while also reducing the number of children experiencing further harm or needing to re-enter care.

The framework complements existing services such as Family Group Conferencing when planning and preparing for a return home. 

The framework can be used with all looked after babies, children and young people up to the age of 18 who have experienced and/or may be at risk of experiencing abuse or neglect.

It applies to babies, children and young people who:

  • are on the edge of care and in pre-proceedings
  • are voluntarily accommodated
  • are accommodated subject to an order
  • have recently become looked after
  • have been looked after for longer.

The framework fits in with the existing care planning and family support work delivered by children's services departments and scrutinised by Independent Reviewing Officers.

The tasks will primarily be undertaken by the child's social worker and their manager, assisted by family support teams. Foster carers, residential care staff and schools all have a significant role to play in supporting children and parents throughout the process.

The average annual cost of a child re-entering care after a failed return home is £105,804, compared with supporting the child and their family on their return home costing on average £7,857 (Holmes, 2024).

We have been working with 14 local authorities and the universities of Loughborough and Bristol since 2012 to develop, deliver and evaluate the practice framework.

The original version, known as Taking Care, was delivered in partnership with nine local authorities and evaluated by Loughborough University (Hyde-Dryden et al, 2015).

This edition of the framework is based on findings from our Taking Care evaluation (Gill, 2016) and a literature review on reunification conducted by the University of Bristol (Farmer, 2018).

We have worked with 50 local authorities to implement the framework.

The University of Bristol has evaluated the implementation. The findings from the evaluation alongside the views of parents, young people, local authority managers, practitioners and academics have informed this current version (Farmer and Patsios, 2016). We have also explored the aids and barriers to implementation with eight local authorities (Magilton, 2018).

"This framework is exactly what we were looking for - gives an understanding of best practice and what should happen with a step-by-step 'how to' guide."

Principal social worker
"After what I went through I am so pleased that you are doing this work to help other children and young people returning home from care."

Young person

Additional resources and support for implementation

Checklist for local authorities

For anyone leading the implementation of the framework in their local authority. The checklist is divided into three stages:

  • laying the groundwork for implementation
  • piloting cases
  • wider roll-out of the framework and maintenance.

> Download the checklist (PDF)

Please cite as: Wilkins M. (2015) How to implement the reunification practice framework: a checklist for local authorities. London: NSPCC.

Annex 3 of the checklist contains information on the costs and potential savings of providing children and families with support on return home from care.

Implementation package

Provides key documentation and guidance to make sure you can implement the framework successfully and sustainably. All the materials in the package are designed to be used alongside the framework.

> Find out more about the implementation package

Related resources

A professional speaks to a teenager
Featured

Implementation package for our reunification practice framework

Our implementation package has been designed to ensure you can apply the reunification practice framework successfully and sustainably.

Find out more
Research
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Home again: reunification practice in England

Findings from a survey of 75 local authorities about reunification practice in England with recommendations to improve support.

Read the report
Child sitting in a bus stop looking at the camera.
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Protecting children in care (looked after children)

Sets out who children in care are, why they may need additional help, and ways to provide them with the support they need.

Read more

References

Department for Education (DfE) (2013) Data pack: improving permanence for looked after children (PDF). [London]: Department for Education (DfE).

Farmer, E. et al. (2011) Achieving successful returns from care: what makes reunification work. London: British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF).

Farmer, E. and Patsios, D. (2016) Evaluation report on implementing the reunification practice framework. [Bristol]: University of Bristol.

Farmer, E. (2018) Reunification from out-of-home care: a research overview of good practice in returning children home from care (PDF). Bristol: University of Bristol.

Gill, C. (2016) Taking Care evaluation: the return home and short-term outcomes for looked after children. London: NSPCC.

Holmes, L. (2024) Supporting children and families returning home from care: counting the costs. Sussex: University of Sussex.

Hyde-Dryden, G. et al (2015) Taking Care: a practice framework for reunification: evaluation report. Loughborough: Loughborough University.

Magilton, S. (2018) Implementation evaluation of reunification practice framework scale up: learning points for sustainable practice. London: NSPCC.

Wade, J. et al. (2011) Caring for abused and neglected children: making the right decisions for reunification or long-term care. London: Jessica Kingsley.