Advocacy Projects

DEFINING REASONABLE EFFORTS TO REUNIFY
The Oregon Child Advocacy Project
Professor Leslie J. Harris, Laura Althouse and Farron Lennon
May 2007

Summary
Oregon statutes and administrative regulations governing case planning in dependency cases establish criteria for determining whether DHS has made reasonable efforts to reunify the family following disposition. These rules require that the agency's efforts be timely, suited to solving the problems that brought the children into care, and adapted to the individual family's needs and strengths. Inherent in these requirements is the obligation of the agency to offer services that fit together as a package and accommodate a parent's other obligations, including work. The agency's obligations to make these accommodations when arranging visitation is described in detail in administrative regulations.

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