Family reunification offers a potential route to permanency for looked after children, which is a key issue in contemporary social care. Reuniting Looked After Children with their Families offers policy-makers and practitioners a critical review of the research findings available in the UK and the USA, as well as a helpful guide to the problems and pitfalls in interpreting the research evidence. This book assesses: the evidence on the key factors associated with the probability of reunification the research on the impact of child and parent characteristics, placement reasons, contact, motivation and the nature of social work services the evidence on the effectiveness of specialist reunification services in the USA the research on the outcomes of reunion, including studies which have reported on re-abuse, re-entry to care and psychosocial outcomes.