Reentry of children to foster care after they have been discharged to
their families has been a concern of child welfare policy makers, prac
titioners, and researchers for many years. In this study, I use admini
strative data on a large cohort of children who were returned to their
families to explore the effects of selected child, family, and foster
care system factors on reentry. Child's age at discharge from care, r
ace, health problems, and family's eligibility for an Aid to Families
with Dependent Children grant were found to be associated with the haz
ard of reentry. The child's experience while in care, including placem
ent setting at time of discharge, length of time in care, and placemen
t stability, is also related to reentry. These findings are examined i
n light of research on family reunification. Difficulties in conductin
g research on foster care reentry are also discussed.