This exploratory analysis examines one child welfare agency's efforts to engage both parents and how those efforts impact overall case outcomes. Data collected using the federal Onsite Review Instrument (OSRI) assess state child welfare agency efforts to engage both mothers and fathers in 206 cases involving children from in-home and out-of-home placements. The specific parent engagement domains included parental visitation with their children, assessment of parental needs, provision of services to parents, and parental involvement in case planning. The study finds that efforts to engage both parents are statistically associated with overall higher likelihood that the child welfare agency substantially achieved case outcomes related to safety, permanency, and well-being. These results suggest a need for continued emphasis on engaging absent or noninvolved parents to achieve best outcomes in work with children and families. Implications for child welfare practice include a need to examine the multiple supports for organizational change necessary to ensure that efforts to engage both parents are consistently integrated into case-level practice.
