Family reunification offers a potential route to permanency for looked after children, which is a key issue in contemporary social care. This book provides an authoritative, concise 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. It assesses the key factors associated with the probability of reunification, the impact of child and parent characteristics, placement reasons, contact, motivation and the nature of social work services, the effectiveness of specialist reunification services in the USA and the outcomes of reunion, including studies which have reported on re-abuse, re-entry to care and psychosocial outcomes.