Adoption and Parent

Children have a right to know who gave them life because of medical reasons. Some people might argue that genetic medical problems do not give children the right to know the donor parent because they can just use their DNA or blood sample to know medical problems they might have. However, what they do not realize is that it can be difficult for donor children to find that information. It is important for them to also realize that new medical problems could have sprung up since the

The reasons why some biological parent(s) cannot take care of a child anymore is usually because, they have a drug addiction problem where all their money goes to support their drug habits, and not providing food for the child. The parent(s) is an alcoholic, where they also use all the money for their alcohol use, and where it usually leads to abusing the child, when they have been drinking heavily or high on some kind of drug. Another can also be that a child came from a very young girl, who can’t take care of the child and decides to give them up for adoption. Then there is also a part where the child goes through a

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.

Making decisions about the future for a child in foster care can be difficult and controversial. "Options include: returning the child to his/her birth parents; termination of parental rights (a formal legal procedure) to be followed, hopefully, by adoption; or long-term care with foster parents or relatives. Most states encourage efforts to provide the birth parents with support and needed services (e.g. mental health or drug/alcohol treatment, parent skills, training

According to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting system, in 2011 there were 104, 236 children waiting to be adopted in the United States (p. 4). Adoption is the legal process an individual or family goes through to gain legal custody of a child in foster care. This child’s parents have lost custody of their child because they have been deemed unfit to raise the child, either because of neglect or abuse. After the child is removed from the horrible situation, he or she is taken by child services and placed in a foster home or with a family member. This system is in place to protect children from further abuse, neglect and trauma. Today, children in foster care are in the system for a very short period of time; there is a

A question asked by few, but the answer known by millions. The definition of the Foster System is “a temporary arrangement in which adult/s provide for the care of a child or children whose birth parents are unable to provide care for them” (Center). The adoption system is more or less the same, except adoption is a permanent placement of children with an adult/s that is not their birth parent/s (Center). Foster care can be informal or arranged through the courts or a social service agency. Usually, the overall goal is to get the children back to their birth parents, but that may change if there were another option that would be better for the child (Center). An example of the courts trying to get a child back to their parent would be with the story A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer. This story is an autobiography of Dave’s life dealing with an abusive mother for years, and it continues with a sequel that goes to show how the courts almost put Dave back into the care of his mother, but then he testified and went through living in the foster system until 18. Once the option of going back to the birth parent is out of the question, adoption is the next step. A story that shows this would be Tricia Spellmon’s story. She was put into the Foster System as soon as she was born, and was moved to different homes until the age of 2. After being at that home for two years the foster parents decided to adopt her, and at the age of 4 she became a part of a better family (Spellmon). This type of adoption is called a foster adoption, which means that a child is placed into a foster home with the expectation that the foster parents are going to adopt them (Center). The other type of adoption is when the foster parents will not adopt them, but since they are in the foster system the birth parents rights have been terminated, so children are legally free for adoption (Center). In the end, the adoption system is just a branch of the foster system, and

However, there are major problems in the Foster care/ Adoption system and many children continue too many years in foster care without a permanency plan. According to The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Adoption and Foster care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) from October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008, there were 123,000 waiting to be adopted. Currently there are 200,000 plus children in foster care nationally. Many have been in continuous foster care for as long as 2-3 1/2 years. (1.) Initially children are placed into the foster care system because of high risk safety factors which determines how the government will respond. What’s not clear at the time is that the child may have underlining problems- mental health issues, truancy, juvenile delinquency. Once placed in foster care if the issues are not detected and the case management plans do not address the underlining problems they may be aggravated and increase the severity of the child’s conditions/ behavior. (2.) Many times agencies and case managers do not have access to information and files that their counterparts have even when they are involved in the same case because of

Children roam around in schools, at work, on the playground, in the malls, and anywhere else a child would like to be. Young children are often accompanied by an adult, of which one would assume to be their parents or primary caregivers.In 2007 forty-eight million americans had considered adoption. Foster care has a goal, it is to help children in need be safe for the time being and try to reunited these children with their biological parents. Believe it or not foster care and adoption is more common than not. Many myths go around making children dread the system when in all reality the system is a support system there to help those children in need. Once the child is in a placement with a foster family, their ultimate goal is to provide the child in a safe, loving, nurturing environment until then can be reunified with their parents. These children get use to their foster family, some even grow rather fond of them and are attached, is it right to take away the only family they have ever really truly known? This can cause emotional arousal and distress on the child and the foster family.

“It’s about my entire life, it’s not just about my childhood. I want to know that I’m going to have someone to walk me down the aisle. That I’m going to have grandparents for my children.” -Mary (a girl in foster care). Adoption and foster care is used as a solution to a child not having an adequate home, but because of its many issues, the child is put into an unfavorable position and left with an uncertain future. Foster care is when a child is placed into a home and waits for a family to adopt them. Adoption is the act of taking legal responsibility of a child and to protect them . On paper, it sounds likes like an act of kindness, but adoption and foster care has many issues tied to it. Due to the many problems of adoption and foster care, such as the environment in a foster home, the behavior of their peers, mental instability, the adoption process, a child that experienced it impact their life negatively, as demonstrated in The Murderer’s Daughter by Randy Susan Meyers.

If the child becomes available for adoption, foster parents may apply to adopt. The child best interest is the primary consideration when selecting a forever family. Whereas adoption is legal and permanent parental custody of a child along with all rights, responsibilities, and filiation. The adoptive parent take on all responsibilities of raising the child. (Center, 2017)

Some people believe that it is the biological parents’ personal choice to stay hidden based on their situation. In defense of the birth mother and father, it is understandable that open adoption does not make

In a perfect world, all children would be loved and nurtured and live in a cozy home with a stable family. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. In the United States “over 400,000 American children are in foster care, taken away when their families are in crisis and can’t take care of them” (“Statistics on Foster Care”). Out of all those children in the foster care system about “114,556 of these children are available for adoption”, which means the biological parents’ rights have been legally terminated through the court system (“Adoption Statistics: National Adoption Month”). That is an immense number of children who do not get to have the same bond and love that a biological child would get from their own parents. The foster care

For many people, adoption is the only choice when it comes to having children. Once someone chooses adoption, however, there is always more than one option available. It is important when choosing adoption that each person involved is educated on the topic. There are three main types of adoption: confidential, mediated, and fully disclosed. “In up to 90% of domestic infant adoptions, adoptive parents maintain some contact with birth parents. It's considered best practice because most women want to know what happens to the child and the child wants to know family history” (Koch, 2009). Even though the adoptive parents may not create a strong bond with the child, an open adoption is better than one that is closed because children respond

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.

Since 1776, the United States of America has had a growing problem with orphans and childhood adoption. Orphanages become overpopulated while foster homes shelter up to 3 children on average. The foster care system has been viewed as positive reinforcement for American homes; yet the point of fostering children is consistently overlooked. Adoption is necessary for orphans, foster children, or children in abusive homes. The act of adopting a child comes with positive benefits and fiscal responsibility, such as government assistance and wiser spending. Children obtain a healthy childhood with a familiar sense of belonging. The drawback of this is the long governmental process of petitioning for adoption. Seeking the birthparents, if they are alive, retrieving consent, being fiscally responsible, and having a safe environment for the child to grow up in are all responsibilities to look forward to when adopting a child. The adoption rate in the United States of America needs to increase dramatically, as there are social benefits, mental health improvements, and economical advantages for families who adopt.