#11623. Parental sobriety and Parent-Child reunification in dependency court: Does the 15-month Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) rule support parent-child reunification?

August 2026publication date
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Journal’s subject area:
Law
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Abstract:
With the number of citizens suffering from addiction at an all-time high, child protective and social services agencies need a coordinated response to ensure that children spend less time in foster care. The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997 sought to improve the permanency process by specifying a timeline to parental reunification. The ASFA 15-month rule places limitations on the time frame in which a parent must achieve sobriety before parent-child reunification can occur. The present study assesses the impact of the ASFA 15-month rule on children’s permanency outcomes among children placed in out-of-home care due to parental substance use. Next, we explore whether child characteristics influence parent-child reunification based on the reason for out-of-home placement. Results show that alternate permanency solutions to parental reunification are more likely for younger children and when multiple children are removed from the home.
Keywords:
Adolescent; child dependency court; parental custody; substance abuse; substance use

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