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The Adoption And Safe Families Act

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parent refuses to provide adequate medical treatment for the child. Severe neglect may cause emotional disabilities, as well as physiological damage to the child. After evaluating physical and sexual abuse, severe neglect, and physical and emotional disabilities amongst special needs adoptees, the adoption process is next.
What is adoption and what does the adoption process consist of? Adoption is a process in which children become part of another family legally. In 1997, the Adoption and Safe Families Act was passed. The act aimed to clarify the health and wellness of children in the foster care system, as well as move them more quickly to permanent housing. “With the passage in 1997 of the Adoption and Safe Families Act, increasing numbers of U.S. children are being adopted. In 2001 alone, 50,000 children in the child welfare system were placed in adoptive homes” (Schweiger & O’Brien, 2005). However, there is a strict adoption process to go through when considering adoption. “The adoption process, involves discrete steps or stages including: changing case plan goal from reunification to adoption, terminating parental rights, identifying a resource family, trying placement in an adoption family, and finalizing the adoption” (Billings, McDonald, Moore, & Press, 2007). There is a criminal background check for prospective parents as well as a home study.
Nearly all families must complete the home study process, regardless of what type of adoption it is, prior to

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