Adoption: A Rollercoaster Ride

Adoption is a process that has in the past been and still today remains quite

Foster Care and Adoption are the most multi-faceted areas of child welfare. Foster care consists of placing children outside of the custody of their parents or legal guardians. This out-of-home placement can be temporary or long-term. Adoption on the other hand, consists of the legal and permanent process that establishes a parent/child relationship between individuals not related biologically (Downs, Moore, & McFadden, 2009). These two areas of child welfare are constantly evolving and the decisions made on a child’s behalf can affect many areas of their biological, spiritual, social, and emotional wellbeing.

Adoptive Families are special; they have a desire to grow their families by reaching out to children that need homes. These families face many unique challenges, but also receive many rewards, associated with the decision to adopt. These challenges continue for many families, through the process of adoption, legal finalization, and for many years post-adoption. The challenges are different in many ways from those faced by biological parents. Adoptive parents not only face the normal challenges faced from raising a child, but also the psychological issues of the child/ren adopted. Some children placed for adoption have social, psychological, or physical problems that many adoptive families may not be able to address. Previous research has shown an association between post adoption services and successful adoptive placements. “Post adoption services often respond to the effects that separation, loss, and trauma can have on children and youth who have been adopted. They can facilitate adjustment processes; promote child, youth, and family well-being; and support family preservation” (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2012). It is because of these issues, and many others, that placement agency must consider when providing wrap around services for families.

`Have you ever wondered what it is like to be in or a part of the adoption process? Most people have different opinions on the whole system. Many think that the process is easy and they don’t actually know what most children go through. If more people understood the problems they face then child welfare wouldn’t be so difficult. Children come from broken or abusive households where treatment is horrible or to the point where they just remove the children.

Many potential adopted parents have experienced heartbreak, anguish and other problems that can be associated with adoption. There is an imbalance in the Nations foster care system and the system needs to be strengthening and the quality of services improved.

The strength that Stephanie maintained throughout the process was a wonderful motivating factor to ensure that I was working just as hard as she was. Working with a client who is fostering to adopt came with many challenges for me. I am working with the family seeking to adopt, my agency (TBF), CPS, medical providers, therapists, attorneys and so on. Ensuring that everyone involved was receiving what they needed while maintaining the rights and needs of my client (Stephanie) almost required a playbook of sorts. Ensuring the moving parts were where they needed to be and that nothing was overlooked required a focused, organized social worker. The entire process was a challenge that I met with my personal and professional strengths. I was in awe of the resilience and determination that Stephanie maintained throughout the entire

Make yourself aware: It is extremely important for adoptive parents to have proper idea about adoption. Basically, choosing something so significant like adoption without having any in depth idea about it may just create puzzles in the later stage. Hence, it is advisable to learn about it in a comprehensible manner.

Have you ever been in foster care? Foster care is very hectic. It will eventually get better once you are adopted, but if you don’t like who you are getting adopted by then it’s not ok. When I was in foster care I was staying with this one family. They were nice but they had 3 other foster kids that they were taking care of also. I was in foster care for about a half a year. It wasn’t the best feeling not being around people I love and knew. I eventually got somewhat comfortable around my foster parents but it was still not the same as being around my family.

This article will inform the reader on the psychological and emotional effects that giving their child up through open adoption has had on the biological parents. This will allow the reader to see both perspectives of the adopted child’s life that an open adoption allows for.

Relationships between biological, adoptive parents, and the adoptee have the potential to increase when allowing contact between families. “Legislators often don't understand how deeply the issue affects adoptees and how many people's lives can be enhanced by having birth parents and children they gave up for adoption make contact, said Pennsylvania Republican state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff. (Bergal, 2016, para. 8). Contact between families allows for a foundation to lifelong relationships. Building

Adoption is a big decision for birthparents (and adoptive parents). There are so many factors to consider when putting a child up for adoption and also when adopting a child. A majority of the time the birth father isn¡¯t even considered in the decision. Birthparents often begin to second guess their decision of adoption usually after the birth of their child. They get attached instantly and don¡¯t want to give the child up. There are lots of pros and cons and some people don¡¯t even consider when they make comments about adoptive parents and children and open adoption.

There are common ordeals and situations that can trouble a family emotionally, physically, and psychologically. Adoption is one situation a family must encounter when a child is born without a proper system of support to sustain life after birth. The causes for a family to make a heartfelt decision to place a child for adoption can have dramatic effects on the birth parents, adoptive parents, and child (Adoptee), even if the decision is meant for the best.

     Adoption is metamorphosing into a radical new process that is both sweeping the nation and changing it. But this process is not an easy one, there are many steps to go through. Through research it is made a lot easier. Adoption is a also a highly visible example of a social institution that has benefits from and been reshaped by both the Internet and the exponential growth of alternative lifestyles, from single to transracial to gay. It is accelerating our transformation into a more multicultural society; even as it helps redefine out understanding of “family.” The process includes three main steps including a type of adoption, the techniques for location a baby for adoption, arranging

Statistics show that the vast majority of independent adoptions in California are completed without a hitch; less that 2 percent are even contested. But when an adoption is contested, the anguish felt by both the adoptive and birth parents is unimaginable. Linda Ribordy, a family specialist who represented a birth mother in a legal case says that “if a birth mother changes her mind, it’s automatic that they get the baby back.” But the adopting parents feel furiously and emotionally different. “We have no legal status, no legal rights, none,” says Inger Bischofberger. “But he calls me Mama. The only thing that keeps me going is that I can’t turn my back on him, I can’t just walk away from him because all the grownups in his life have messed up.”

As the transition of adoption is finished, a problem of identity arises within the child. It may be months, or even years, depending on the age of the child. Since the child has come from a different background or heritage, the cultural normal is considered different for the child. This is especially the case when