Sociology Of Adoption

Adoption did not emerge as the preferred system of child care in the early nineteenth century because elite families with whom the children were placed often treated them as servants rather than family members. Most significantly, Porter finds that rather than the happy, successful adoption outcomes often portrayed by those favoring adoption, 20 percent of adopted children had negative family experiences. (Carp 3-4)

The adoption process strives to serve the best interests of children should be the main focus in deciding all issues of adoption policies and practices. The adoption policy should always focus on finding the best parents for children who are in need of homes. This process helps someone join another’s family and should not be a defining characteristic or lifelong process. People who are adopted as infants grow up as healthy and productive as people who are raised in their own biological families. In November of each year, the President of the United States issues a proclamation to announce National Adoption Month. This is a time that is dedicated to raising awareness for the need of adoptive families and to encourage citizens to become involved in the lives of children and youth that are in the foster care system.

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.

The purpose of this research paper is to examine laws regarding adoption in the state of Tennessee, which follows the Tennessee Code Annotated § 36. This law regulates who may be adopted, who may adopt, and the procedures that must be followed in order to complete the adoption process. In order to do this, we must first define adoption according to the legal standpoint which is “In family law, the legal process that establishes a parent/child relationship between individuals who are not related by blood” (Webster’s New World Law Dictionary). There are numerous forms of adoption that can take place depending on the situation of the child that is up for adoption as well as the prospective adoptive parent or parents situation. It can be a time

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.

About twenty years ago my Uncle Hosea had a son named Javion. He was the first boy out of all the girls my uncle had conceived, which made him very proud. However, due to some underlying circumstances, he was taken away from his mom and put into the system. He was somehow adopted and never seen again, nor has any information been given out to our family to help locate him. He had entered closed adoption, which is an irreversible system where parents give up their rights to know any information and right to ever take part in their children 's lives. The child is given a new home and grows up thinking the family raising them is their biological relatives. They never know anything about their true family or where they come from. They are mislead by this system of closed adoption, restricted from truth their own beginning, and lose touch with the family who brought them into this world. Children suffer tremendously from closed adoption, and because closed adoption has tougher policies, takes away many of children’s rights, puts a strain on biological families, distributes limited background family information, and strips identity, it should be abolished.

Two facets comprise this issue: the social and the legal. Proposed social impacts of open records are the increase or decrease of abortions and adoptions, birth parents right to privacy, the forcing of unwanted relationships with adoptee children, and the undermining of the integrity of the adoptive family. Proposed legal impacts of open records are the violation of privacy to the family, right of reproductive privacy, and a birth a mother’s equal rights with a father’s (because of more birth mother’s names being provided in comparison to father’s names).

Thesis: Transracial adoptees family situation affects many aspects of the adopted child’s life. Do these children have identity formation difficulties during adolescence and are there any significant differences between adoptees and birth children?

It has been commonly believed that the process of adoption offers perfect solutions for both the birth family and the adoptive family, as well as for the adopted child. This was believed under the presumption that everyone’s needs are met, and family life can proceed with ease, to good to be true. There are many differences that exist between biological families and those in the adoption circle, causing a disruption in the child’s development due to polar opposite changes. Its also a common belief that almost all adoptions are overseas however a greater

The source provides information from a variety of professors in the fields of history, women’s studies, statistic, social theory, social problems, and research all working together to analyze the past to come up with solutions about the topics involving controversies with adoption laws over the last several decades. All of these contributors are very highly educated, many of them have PHDs and many others are professors in the above mentioned areas. This book discusses the history of adoption dating back hundreds of years. It provides information about the changes that have happened in adoption reform throughout the United States during specific time periods and compares it with different countries during the same time periods. Many studies are referenced which involve the psychological wellness of the adoptees (Carp, 2004). This source will help to show the benefits of an open adoption on all parties involved. It will also shed light on the psychological problems caused to children of closed adoption, when the adoption records have been sealed.

This has caused me to want to further research the issue. What are the social and emotional effects that adoption has on children?

In the last four decades, the concept of the American family has undergone a radical transformation, reflecting society¡¯s growing openness. Among all segments of society, there is a greater acceptance of a variety of family structures ¨C from single parenting to blended families to same sex parenting of children. The introduction of openness into the process of adoption offers new opportunities for children in need of a parent or parents and prospective parents wishing to create or expand their families. Meeting the requirements to become eligible to adopt no longer means being constrained by the conventions of an earlier generation.

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

Imagine being an older child and experiencing the challenges of being adopted. How would that make you feel? I’m almost certain it is not a great feeling to have. “Older child adoption has been identified by researchers, practitioners, and community stakeholders as challenging” (). It is challenging because older children are more likely to have issues with their behavior and emotions versus younger children.

     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