Illinois Child Welfare Employee License (CWEL) Practice Test

Among the pathways to permanency, which one involves efforts to keep the family together?

1. Family preservation

2. Family separation

3. Child institutionalization

4. Child adoption

The correct answer is: Family preservation

Family preservation involves efforts to keep the family together by providing services and support to address the issues leading to the potential disruption of the family unit. This pathway aims to strengthen and stabilize the family environment to ensure the safety, well-being, and permanency of the children within their own families whenever possible. It focuses on preventing the unnecessary removal of children from their homes and promoting family reunification whenever safe and appropriate. In contrast, family separation, child institutionalization, and child adoption are not focused on keeping the family unit together. Family separation involves the removal of children from their homes due to safety concerns or risks present within the family environment. Child institutionalization refers to placing children in group or institutional settings when they cannot remain with their families, often due to lack of appropriate alternatives. Child adoption involves legally establishing a permanent parent-child relationship between a child and adoptive parents when it is not safe or feasible for the child to return to their birth family.