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Family Clarification Definition

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Definitions of Family Clarification and Reunification

For the purposes of this guide, family clarification and family reunification are two very different steps in a much longer process to family safety. Family clarification refers to the process designed for family members to talk about the harm caused and the impact on everyone within the family system (Schladale, n.d.). The process is conducted under the supervision of professionals who can facilitate the acknowledgement and or apology, discuss the needs of the child who was harmed, the needs and capacity of the family, and consider the options for any safe contact. The clarification process will change dramatically depending upon the age of the child who has been harmed; the age of …show more content…

Additionally, family reunification involves the process of determining under what prescribed circumstances this contact should occur within the parameters of a clear safety plan. The ability of family members to supervise the process and of professionals to monitor each step is essential to success and the safety of everyone involved. When the person sexually abused someone outside of the home, the family reunification process may not include the child who was abused but may need to address other potentially at risk children who may or may not live within that home. Even when reunification is with the child or child’s family, additional conditions may be applied (Gilligan & Bumby, …show more content…

Values

Every professional working in this field brings a set of values to their work. When facing a particularly difficult situation or a controversial conversation about a topic like family reunification, it is essential to articulate the underlying values of this work. Below are a set a values used to guide this publication:
• Every member of the community deserves to be safe: This is true for the child who was harmed, the child’s family members, the adult or youth who abused, his or her family members, and the people surrounding them all.
• Acknowledge the harm caused to everyone : Act of sexual abuse damagesdamage the closest relationships of the person who abused and the person who was abused. If the abuse has been perpetrated within the family, the loss of trust, intimacy, support, acceptance, and love is felt by each individual member of the family.
• Use a trauma-informed approach : Professionals and organizations working with the family should modify the way they conduct business based upon a full understanding of how the child who is abused might understand what has happened to

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