Certified Case Manager Practice Test

What is a primary goal of placement services in child welfare?

1. Finding temporary housing

2. Ensuring permanent family connections

3. Reducing the number of children in care

4. Assessing child behavior

The correct answer is: Ensuring permanent family connections

The primary goal of placement services in child welfare is to ensure permanent family connections for children. This focus is essential because research demonstrates that children thrive in stable, nurturing family environments. When a child is removed from their home due to safety concerns or other issues, the aim is to either reunite them with their biological family or place them in a permanent adoptive or guardianship arrangement. This commitment to fostering lasting family relationships is grounded in the understanding that a stable home significantly contributes to a child's emotional, psychological, and social development. By prioritizing permanent connections, the child welfare system seeks to minimize the disruptions in a child's life, which can arise from multiple placements or transitional care. While finding temporary housing and reducing the number of children in care are vital functions of the child welfare system, these actions primarily serve the overarching goal of establishing a secure and permanent family environment. Similarly, assessing child behavior is an important part of the process, but its purpose is ultimately to inform decisions that lead to successful family connections, rather than being an endpoint in itself.