New Adoption Services Are Vital For The Preservation Of Adoptive Families

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.

Foster care is a multifaceted service. It serves children who have experienced abuse or neglect at the hands of their birthparents and families, and their foster parents. Children in foster care may live with unrelated foster parents, with relatives, with families who plan to adopt them, or in group homes or residential treatment centers. Foster care was designed to intervene on behalf of the children during their time of crisis, with hope of reuniting the children with their families in a safe, stable and loving environment. Some children remain in foster care for extended periods of time. Many “age out” and go on to live on their own. This research looks

To get a better understanding of Americans thoughts on adoption and foster care program surveys were given to 1,600 Americans. In the results of the survey, nearly 66% who considered foster care believed that the biological parents could return to claim their children. Half of them believed that foster care adoption was

Two obvious sponsors of AB 12 were its creators, Jim Beall and Karen Bass. Beall’s interests are in helping foster care children, low-income families, and people with disabilities. Bass’ interest in child welfare issues and foster care issues is seen in the legislation that she sponsors; one of her priorities is to improve America’s foster care and adoption system.

According to the April 2016 article, Worldwide Children Statistics, there is estimated to be 140 million children who are orphans. The article also states that children represent almost half of the people living in extreme poverty. Because of this information people struggle with the idea that adoption is hard, and anyone can easily understand why. Adoption isn’t necessarily a talked about issue on the news, magazines, or on social media, so who’s to blame if no one knows that less children and young teens are being adoptive each year, or that according to the CDC’s (Center for Disease and Control Prevention) March 2017 article, that there are 15 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15-44 per year. There are several common protocols that occur when trying to adopt. Family members and adoptive parents should be aware and knowledgeable of the warning signs of adoption, the top five

4). In the scope of adoption, it is evident that child welfare agencies use the majority of their available resources for placing children in foster families, investigating child-abuse cases, and providing other family services. “As a consequence, they do not possess adequate additional resources for efficiently placing children in adoptive homes once they are available for adoption, depriving many children of the benefits a stable, permanent home provides” (Snell, 2000, p. 2). The current government operated child welfare system is detrimental to the children involved due to its inability to ensure their safety and

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.

In the United States there are over 500,000 children living in foster homes with approximately two-thirds of the population being African-American children who remain in care longer than any others do (American, 2005). Of the 500,000 children, only two out of three reunite with their birth parents within two years (American, 2005). The most common reason is abuse but it is not always the reason for a child’s placement into foster care. Several factors play a role, such as, abandonment, death of a parent or guardian, incarceration, and physical or emotional illness (American, 2005). Over the past ten years, there has been a decrease in the number of foster parents, who are non-relative, available to care for children.

In 2014, the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System reported that there were 415,129 children in foster care. They were taken away when their families were in crisis or they couldn’t be cared for. Children are happy and carefree but the young child pictured above is disheveled. Her hair looks unkempt, as if not brushed for days. Redness under her eyes and the cuts on her lips disrupt the once perfect porcelain skin. Her eyes appear glossy and the single tear seems as if she’s trying to not show her pain. The picture as a whole resembles a mug shot. Unfortunately many children also resemble her physical condition. Social workers are usually working twice the amount of cases recommended and therefore overlook

Imagine being a child removed from your home in the middle of the night. Waken out of your sleep handed to someone you do not know and being taken to place where all the people around you are strangers. The removal process can be painful, mentally, physically and emotionally to children. The number of losses experienced by a child when they are removed from their home can be countless. Although, there are more White children in the foster care than any other race, research suggests African America children remain in foster care placements for a longer period of time and the chances of reunification with their family is greatly diminished (Knott and Giwa, 2012). The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) report notes

To the thousands of children in foster care, adoption means being part of a family. Adoption signifies a chance to be loved, wanted, and cared for properly. Every year thousands of children enter the foster care system. In the year 2010 alone, 245,375 children entered foster care, of that number over 61,000 were black. An astounding 30,812 black children were waiting for adoption in 2010 (AFCARS). With so many children needing homes, it would seem their adoption would be open to any and all loving families, yet this is not the necessarily the case. Transracial adoption, which traditionally alludes to black children placed with white families, is riddled with difficulties. While transracial adoption can be a successful solution, many

When the average American citizen today thinks about the concept of adoption, what images are typically the first that come to mind? Although different people are sure to have equally as different experiences in this field, one picture continues to remain the most commonly-accepted. This image consists of a man and a woman who cannot have children of their own, a newborn baby, and a single mother who will certainly be unable to provide for the infant due to her young age, lack of financial support, or another variety of unfortunate circumstances. Making the decision to adopt a child is without a doubt one of the best options available for couples who are unable to conceive, but by thinking of adoption as nothing more than the fallback

Further, applicants for adoption should be accepted on the basis of an individual assessment of their capacity to understand and meet the needs of a particular available child at the point of adoption and in the future (Rosario, 2006, p.8). The United States is facing a critical shortage of adoptive and foster parents. As a result, hundreds of thousands of children in this country are without permanent homes. These children deteriorate for months, even years, within state foster care systems that lack qualified foster parents and are frequently faced with other problems.

     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

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.