Date of Award

6-2019

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

School of Social Work

First Reader/Committee Chair

Lanesskog, Deirdre

Abstract

In the study, the researchers explored parent partners’ perceptions on reunification celebration events and the impact the event has on fostering reunified parents’ use of positive parenting skills. A qualitative design was completed using convenience sampling. The researchers studied previous research that focused on the reunification process and the general importance of celebrations in child welfare as a precursor to their study. The researchers conducted face-to-face interviews with nine parent partners from one child welfare agency in Southern California. Our findings revealed four major themes of the study. First, we learned of the importance of recognizing reunified parents’ for their successful family reunification efforts. Second, we learned of the participants’ perceptions of reunified parents being nominated and or honored. Third, we found the participants selection criteria for nominating reunified parents’ for the event and their perceptions of the reunified parents’ parental growth. Finally, we learned of the participants suggestions for future reunification celebration events. The researchers discussed limitations found in this study such as a small sample size of nine participants. Another limitation included the study’s focus on the parent partners’ perception of the event; and lacked the perspective of reunified parents’ who were honored at the reunification celebration. Lastly, the researchers provided recommendations for social work practice and research including increased social worker involvement in the reunification celebration and adoption of this event in other child welfare agencies. The researchers recommend that further research be conducted to obtain insight from the perspective of reunified parents’ who were honored at this event.

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