Governor Stein Proclaims Reunification Month

Reunification Month

2026

By The Governor Of The State Of North Carolina

A Proclamation

Whereas, foster care is intended to be a short-term intervention for children who need the safety and security of an out-of-home placement; and reunification with family is the preferred outcome for children removed from their homes and placed in foster care; and 

Whereas, 1,225 children in 2025 successfully reunified with their families in North Carolina; and 

Whereas, authentic, meaningful collaboration with families involved with child welfare, courts, service providers, and community members is vital to supporting the reunification of children and families; and 

Whereas, research shows that when children can safely return to their families, they are more likely to succeed in school and social settings, experience better mental health outcomes, and maintain connections to extended family and cultural identities; and 

Whereas, the families who overcome an array of challenges of separation to reunify successfully should be supported and celebrated; and 

Whereas, numerous public organizations, private organizations, and individual people are working to increase public awareness of the need to support children, youth, and families on the path to reunifying; and 

Whereas, kinship parents encourage reunification by extending their role beyond supporting the children in their care to supporting the children’s whole family; and 

Whereas, the State of North Carolina encourages service, civic, and religious organizations, as well as child welfare agencies, courts, schools, businesses, and individuals to join in commemorating National Reunification Month with appropriate ceremonies and activities that recognize the importance of supporting our families and communities;

Now, Therefore, I, Josh Stein, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim June 2026 as “Reunification Month” in North Carolina and commend its observance to all residents.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this twenty-sixth day of May in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-sixth and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.