Leaving or launching? Continuing family involvement with children and adolescents in placement

Abstract

Postplacement involvement and well-being of 53 families who had placed their child into a residential facility were studied. Parents were interviewed an average of 1, 2, and 3.5 years following placement. Visitation remained moderately high, with some type of visit reported at least monthly at Time 3 by 83% of families. Expressed attachment was high and stable, and most parents reported experiencing less guilt than at the time of placement. Parents were still thinking and talking about the child frequently. They were more likely, over time, to view the placement as permanent, and for about two thirds, the ideal placement was a residential facility. Virtually all parents reported family life to be better following placement, especially in recreation, social life, and relationships with their other children.