Your search for:
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| 1 | |
| Document Title: | Outcomes of Open Adoption From Care: An Australian Contribution to an International Debate. |
| Personal Author: | Ward, Harriet.,Moggach, Lynne.,Tregeagle, Susan.,Trivedi, Helen. |
| Publication Year: | 2022 |
| Abstract: | This book is based on the findings of a research study, funded by Barnardos Australia, that was designed to explore the outcomes of their program of open adoption from out-of-home care. The study focused on the 210 children and young people who were adopted through Barnardos Australia between 1987 and 2013. The researchers explored the characteristics, antecedents, and experiences of the birth parents, adoptive parents, and the children at the time they first entered their adoptive homes, and then traced the subsequent life trajectories of 93 (44%) of the adoptees until 2016, an average of 18 years after placement. Findings indicate:...more |
| Available Online | |
| 2 | |
| Document Title: | Let's Make a Brand New Start of it in Old New York: Using Mediation to Resolve Open Adoption Disputes (In: Special Issue: Parent-Child Contact Problems: Concepts. Controversies, and Conundrums). |
| Personal Author: | Irrera, Christina M. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | There is no general consensus of how to handle disputes arising from open adoption agreements. Some states have statutes mandating mediation, but New York does not. This Note proposes that New York enact a statute that mandates adoptive and birth parents use mediation for disputes arising from open adoption agreements. The proposed statute provides a comprehensive approach to mediation by setting forth when mediation is appropriate and when it is not. The statute will also provide when the child's preference can be taken into consideration, and who will pay for mediation. (Author abstract) |
| 3 | |
| Document Title: | How Foster Carers Experience Agency Support For Birth Family Contact. |
| Personal Author: | Collings, Susan.,Conley Wright, Amy.,Spencer Dr, Margaret.,Luu Dr, Betty. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Long‐term foster carers in New South Wales, Australia, are being encouraged to consider open adoption of the child in their care. This includes an agreement to facilitate direct or face‐to‐face birth family contact without agency support. There is little Australian research on the factors that influence decisions to adopt children from out‐of‐home care. A mixed methods study was conducted to address this gap. An online survey (n = 76) and four focus groups (n = 30) were conducted with foster carers across New South Wales. Descriptive and thematic analysis was undertaken. Results related to birth family contact are reported. Birth family...more |
| 4 | |
| Document Title: | The Inclusive Family Support Model: Facilitating Openness For Post‐Adoptive Families. |
| Personal Author: | Kim, JaeRan.,Tucker, Angela. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Open adoptions have increased over the past few decades, and although guidance for considering and creating open adoption agreements exist, one area of needed post‐adoption support is helping adoptive birth/first families navigate open‐adoption relationships after finalization. Adoption agencies have a responsibility to assist adoptive parents, who may have fears and concerns about openness, see the potential benefits rather than only the challenges. This article describes a practice model designed by one agency to help families navigate post‐adoption openness. The Inclusive Family Support model is conceptualized through the theoretical perspectives of family systems theory, ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief, and the transtheoretical...more |
| 5 | |
| Document Title: | Sibling Networks of Children Adopted From Out-Of-Home Care in New South Wales, Australia. |
| Personal Author: | Luu, Betty.,Conley Wright, Amy.,Cashmore, Judith. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | For children in care, sibling relationships can be one of their most important life-long relationships. This study describes the nature and complexity of the sibling networks of children adopted from out-of-home care in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. A case file analysis was undertaken of 89 case files for the adoption of 117 children from care, representing all such adoptions that were finalised by the NSW Supreme Court in 2017. In nine in ten cases, children in the adoption application had at least one sibling who lived elsewhere and who was not part of the application. De-identified information about children and...more |
| 6 | |
| Document Title: | Motivation Matters: Parents' Path To Adoption As Related To Their Perceptions Of Open Adoption. |
| Personal Author: | Sorek, Yoa.,Simon, Brachi Ben.,Nijim-Ektelat, Fida. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Structural openness in adoption has become very popular. However, it does not guarantee communicative openness. This study explores the relationship between adoptive parents' motivations for adopting children from the welfare system and their evolving reactions to their open adoption experiences. A qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews with 16 Israeli adoptive parents revealed that those who adopted for child-centered reasons, most of whom have their own birth children, feel positive about open adoption and see its benefits for the child. Adoptive parents who adopted for self-oriented reasons, most of whom had been childless for many years, see it as a barrier...more |
| 7 | |
| Document Title: | Review of Benefits and Risks for Children in Open Adoption Arrangements. |
| Personal Author: | Smith, Megan.,González‐Pasarín, Lucía.,Salas, María D.,Bernedo, Isabel M. |
| Publication Year: | 2020 |
| Abstract: | Following changes to our country's child protection legislation in 2015, adoptees in Spain have the possibility of post‐adoption contact with their birth families. This review aims to provide social workers with a resource to guide their decision‐making by evaluating both the benefits and risks associated with open adoption. Of the 26 studies reviewed, 22 reported benefits and 8 discussed risks. Overall, contact with birth families is more commonly associated with positive than with negative outcomes for the adoptee, especially when the adoptive family is capable of communicative openness. The results support current policy on open adoptions, but in line with previous...more |
| 8 | |
| Document Title: | Birth Mothers Now Birth Grandmothers: Intergenerational Relationships in Open Adoptions. |
| Personal Author: | Wyman Battalen, Adeline.,Sellers, Christina M.,McRoy, Ruth.,Grotevant, Harold D. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Despite growing trends in openness between birth and adoptive families, little is known about what happens when adopted children become parents and birth mothers become birth grandmothers. These new and unique relationships between birth mothers and their grandchildren were examined through intensive case study analyses of in-depth interviews with birth mothers who placed infants for adoption more than 25 years ago (N = 11). Findings revealed enjoyment in their role as grandmothers and emphasized the significant role the adult adoptee (parent) played in influencing communication with their grandchild and families’ incorporation of technology-mediated contact to overcome geographic barriers. Implications for practitioners,...more |
| 9 | |
| Document Title: | Help, Hope, and Healing for Birth Parents |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway National Foster Care Month: 2019 |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | One family in Richmond, Virginia, learned the importance of working with biological families after they received their first foster placement, a 2-day-old girl. The baby's birth mother, Patty, had suffered much hardship and trauma throughout her life. Even after 7 weeks, when the baby girl returned home to Patty, the foster family stayed close, helped connect Patty with resources, and moved her and her daughter into safer housing. Tragically, Patty passed away from complications related to the flu just 9 months later, but she left the foster family with a desire to partner with biological mothers in the future. The family...more |
| Available Online | |
| 10 | |
| Document Title: | The Adoption Law Handbook: Practice, Resources, and Forms for Family Law Professionals. Second edition. |
| Personal Author: | Fairfax, Jennifer. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Intended for family law professionals, this handbook reviews adoption law in the United States. Following an introductory chapter on the different parties to an adoption and the different types of adoption, Chapter 2 explains best practices for client intake, providing advice, and consultations. Information is provided on dealing with client preferences for the adoption, sample questions regarding preference, ways to avoid scams, and the confidentiality of client files. Chapter 3 addresses the home study process and requirements, and Chapter 4 delves into requirements and best practices for representing adoptive and birth parents in domestic private agency adoptions. Chapters 5 and 6...more |
| 11 | |
| Document Title: | Connections Matter: Relationships With Birth Families Are Important For Foster And Adopted Children. |
| Personal Author: | Riley, Debbie.,Singer, Ellen., |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This article explains reasons for the continued contact between children in foster care and adopted children and their birth parents, including providing children with ongoing knowledge of their origins, family history, and important information to help them chart the course of their identity formation; fostering children’s self-esteem by mitigating feelings of loss, rejection, self-blame, and abandonment; reassuring children of the well-being of their birth parents; and fostering sibling relationships. Key considerations when making decisions regarding continued contact are reviewed, and strategies are discussed for making the relationships work. |
| 12 | |
| Document Title: | The Future of Adoption: Concluding Thoughts About Research, Practice, and Policy. |
| Personal Author: | Grotevant, Harold D.,Dolan, Jen.,Deater-Deckard, Kirby.,Mutén, Jennifer. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This paper is the last in a series of reports on the future of adoption drawn from participants in the 2018 Future of Adoption conference. The paper reviews how the adoption model has changed in recent years to a transformational experience in which the child is at the center of a new adoptive kinship network, linking his or her families of origin and adoption. It notes the impact for the future of adoption can be maximized when the reciprocal links between research, practice, and policy are clearly articulated. The ways research informs practice and policy, practice informs policy, and policy influences...more |
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| 13 | |
| Document Title: | Open Adoption: Rethinking Family. |
| Personal Author: | Grotevant, Harold D. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This paper explains open adoption involves contact between a child’s birth and adoptive family members over time, creating an adoptive kinship network that connects his or her families of birth and adoption. It notes open adoptions are becoming increasingly common in adoptions from the child welfare system, describes different types of contact in open adoptions, and discusses key concerns that were cited when open adoptions were first contemplated in the 1970s. Findings are then shared from the Minnesota Texas Adoption Research Project (MTARP) that has been following 190 adoptive families and 169 birth mothers in which their children were placed for...more |
| Available Online | |
| 14 | |
| Document Title: | Planning and Supporting Birth Family Contact When Children are Adopted from Care. |
| Personal Author: | Neil, Elsbeth. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This report explores the experiences of children who have been adopted in England and who have stayed in touch with their birth families, and best practices for planning and supporting birth family contact. Research is shared from three studies: an 18 year longitudinal study of all types of contact; a study of face-to-face contact and how it can be supported; and a survey of adoptive parents. Overall, the studies found that staying in touch with birth relatives can be positive for adopted children when arrangements carry minimal conflict and where the child’s place in their adoptive and birth family are both...more |
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| 15 | |
| Document Title: | Honestly Adoption: Answers to 101 Questions About Adoption & Foster Care. |
| Personal Author: | Berry, Mike.,Berry, Kristin. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Written by parents of 8 adopted children and 23 other children, this book answers questions about adoption and foster care for prospective parents. Part 1 on adoption conversations discusses the decision to adopt or foster, preparation to be a foster parent, ways to help besides adopting or fostering, adoption disclosure, and responding to people’s praise about adoption. Part 2 focuses on adoption relationships and discusses the parent child relationship, loving children equally, keeping children from feeling neglected, preparing forever children before fostering, explaining fostering to forever children, how fostering will change forever children, open adoption, meeting the birth parents, maintaining connections...more |
| 16 | |
| Document Title: | Minding the (Information) Gap: What Do Emerging Adult Adoptees Want to Know About Their Birth Parents? |
| Personal Author: | Miller Wrobel, Gretchen.,Grotevant, Harold D. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | The formation of an adoption information gap was examined for a group of 169 emerging adults (M = 25.0 years) who were adopted as infants. Participants completed interviews and questionnaires at adolescence and emerging adulthood (late teens to 20s). The Adoption Curiosity Pathway model guided research questions about formation of an adoption information gap, which exists when there is a difference between what an adopted person knows and what he or she desires to know regarding his or her adoption. In addition, specific issues were identified about which emerging adults were curious. Differences in these specific issues were examined across gender...more |
| 17 | |
| Document Title: | Adopting Through Foster Care, Building A Family: Inside The F Word Series. |
| Personal Author: | Michael, Jennifer. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This article highlights “The F Word: A Foster-to-Adopt Series”, a docuseries produced through PBS and current running on the digital platform SoulPancake. The series follows an Oakland, California couple as they navigate the emotional journey from becoming foster parents during the series’ first season, to successfully adopting their son during the second season. The series includes voices of various parties involved in the fostering and adoption process to show the flaws in the system and features the experiences of other adoptive parents, their adoptees, children formerly in foster care who were never adopted, and parents who lost custody of their children....more |
| 18 | |
| Document Title: | Known And Unknown Identities: Openness And Identity As Experienced By Adult Adoptees. |
| Personal Author: | Henze-Pedersen, Sofie. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This qualitative study investigates the relationship between openness and identity among 15 adoptees. Several studies have argued that a high degree of openness is important for the identity of adoptees. However, few have explored this relationship. Two types of openness (biographical knowledge and communicative openness) are used to categorize the empirical material, making it possible to shed light on how different types of openness influence identity. The findings suggest that there is no direct link between a high degree of openness and positive identity formation. Rather, the relationship appears to be situational and changeable as adoptees come of age. (Author abstract)...more |
| 19 | |
| Document Title: | Open Adoption and Diverse Families: Complex Relationships in the Digital Age. |
| Personal Author: | Goldberg, Abbie E. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This book traces the experiences of diverse adoptive families—including lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parent families, and families who adopted through foster care and private adoption—as they manage birth family relationships across their children’s childhood. It explores the diversity among families in how open adoption is envisioned, enacted, and experienced over time. The author uses interview data from four time points spanning preadoption to 8 years postadoption to address a variety of questions, including: How do adoptive parents feel about openness when they first learn about it, and why do their feelings change over time? How do adoptive parents’ initial feelings about...more |
| 20 | |
| Document Title: | Helping Children and Youth Maintain Relationships With Birth Families |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Provides professionals with information to help children, youth, and adoptive families develop and maintain appropriate and evolving connections with their birth families. Children and youth who are adopted need to maintain relationships with their birth families, previous caregivers, or other important connections, and it is vital that their parents support them in doing so. Nurturing these relationships is in the best interests of the child, as ongoing contact with birth family members may minimize or resolve his or her feelings of grief and loss due to separation. |
| Available Online | |
| 21 | |
| Document Title: | Helping Your Adopted Children Maintain Important Relationships With Family |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Helps adoptive parents support children, youth, and birth families in strengthening their relationships. Children and youth who have been adopted and maintain relationships with their birth families, caregivers, and other important people in their lives benefit in significant ways. Adoptive parents can play an instrumental role in helping their children maintain contact with their birth families or other important caregivers. |
| Available Online | |
| 22 | |
| Document Title: | Open Adoption Records (Chapter 16 in The Adoption Law Handbook: Practice, Resources, and Forms for Family Law Professionals. Second edition). |
| Personal Author: | Fairfax, Jennifer. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Intended for family law professionals, this chapter explores the movement toward open adoption records. It discusses adoption searches and reunions, strategies for preparing the adoptee or birth parent to open records, non-identifying and identifying information, mutual voluntary or mutual consent registries, other methods of obtaining consent, restrictions on the release of non-identifying information, and access to the original birth certificate. 26 references. |
| 23 | |
| Document Title: | Foundation for Love: General Principles for Post-Adoption Communication Agreements. |
| Personal Author: | Allisan, Marla Ruth. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This report explains post-adoption communication agreements between adoptive families and birth families allow children who are adopted to know their birth families as well as their adoptive families, offer the opportunity for birthparents to feel reassured that their child is faring well, provide adoptive parents with the benefit of being able to express appreciation to the birthparents and to enjoy their company during visits, and provide the birth families with an opportunity to give adoptive parents ongoing birth-family health information that may to helpful to the child and also to their parenting. Key principles that should be kept in mind when...more |
| Available Online | |
| 24 | |
| Document Title: | Postadoption Contact Agreements Between Birth and Adoptive Families |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Presents State statutes on postadoption contact agreements, which are arrangements that allow contact between a child's adoptive family and members of the child's birth family. Topics covered include the contents of agreements; parties to agreements; the court's role; and enforcing, modifying, and terminating agreements. |
| Available Online | |
| 25 | |
| Document Title: | Health, Happiness, and Healing |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway National Foster Care Month: 2019 |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Gives the perspective of two foster parents who discovered helping children in their care means working to mend and promote healthy relationships with biological family members. The couple says collaborating with the biological family of a child in foster care made a huge difference in interactions with social workers and birth family members. Nurturing the collaboration took a lot of work, phone calls, and conversations, but all the dedication paid off. Building trust between the foster family, the child, and the birth family made the goal of health and happiness more attainable. This Real-Life Story was developed as part of National...more |
| Available Online | |
| 26 | |
| Document Title: | Planting Seeds for a Family to Water |
| Corporate Author: | Child Welfare Information Gateway National Foster Care Month: 2019 |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | Tells the story of a mom and the son she fostered who was reunited with his birth family after 2 years was reunited with his birth family. |
| Available Online | |
| 27 | |
| Document Title: | Sample Post-Adoption Agreements (Appendix I in The Adoption Law Handbook: Practice, Resources, and Forms for Family Law Professionals. Second edition). |
| Personal Author: | Fairfax, Jennifer. |
| Publication Year: | 2019 |
| Abstract: | This appendix to a handbook for family law professionals includes sample post-adoption contract agreements, a sample open adoption agreement, and sample agreements for post-adoption contact. |
| 28 | |
| Document Title: | Pre-Adoption Adversities And Adoptees' Outcomes: The Protective Role Of Post-Adoption Variables In An Italian Experience Of Domestic Open Adoption. |
| Personal Author: | Balenzano, Caterina.,Coppola, Gabrielle.,Cassibba, Rosalinda.,Moro, Giuseppe. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Academics agree that pre-adoption adversities are determining factors in post-adoption adjustment. However, few studies have yet to explore the role of factors intervening in the adoption process and the interplay between the child and adoptive family variables. Specifically, little is known about how the impact of early adversities is moderated by post-adoption factors to produce specific outcomes.The present study concerning domestic adoption explored the adjustment of 37 adolescents and 22 emerging adults (with age ranging between 11 and 18 and 18 and 24?years, respectively), adopted through an Italian form of open adoption, and analyzed the quality of adoptive family relationships and...more |
| 29 | |
| Document Title: | Adoption in the Digital Age. |
| Personal Author: | Samuels, Julie. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This text explores what it means to be adopted in the digital age, how the Internet is impacting adoption and adopted children, reasons why individuals that have been adopted seek reunification despite the risk of rejection, and the need to consider proposals for more openness within adoption to manage contact between children who have been adopted and their biological families. Following an introductory chapter, Chapter 2 discusses the use of the Internet in adoption fraud and the rehoming of children whose adoptions have broken down, and raises questions about the use of unregulated websites and the commodification of children that seek...more |
| 30 | |
| Document Title: | The Role of the Social Worker in Adoption – Ethics and Human Rights: An Enquiry. |
| Personal Author: | Featherstone, Brid.,Gupta, Anna.,Mills, Sue. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | In 2016, the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) commissioned an enquiry into the role of the social worker in adoption with a focus on ethics and human rights. The enquiry considered adoptions undertaken by local authorities across the four UK nations, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A total of 105 social workers, 56 birth family members, 44 adoptive parents, 32 adopted people, 15 legal personnel, 24 academics, 24 related professionals, and 13 organizations participated in the enquiry. Following an introduction, Section 1 focuses on the current use of adoption, drawing together responses from participants across the stakeholder groups. Section...more |
| Available Online | |
| 31 | |
| Document Title: | Identity Formation In Children And Young People In Open Adoptions From Out-Of-Home Care In New South Wales, Australia. |
| Personal Author: | Luu, Betty.,de Rosnay, Marc.,Wright, Amy Conley.,Tregeagle, Susan., |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Semi-structured interviews were used to explore identity development for nine adoptees (aged 9–23 years) who were adopted by their foster carers in New South Wales, Australia. Adoptions were open, with court-ordered face-to-face contact with birth families. Findings suggest that participants had healthy adoptive identities, with coherent and meaningful narratives about their life histories. Adoption provided a sense of security and belonging. Openness provided information to build a self-narrative and encouraged discussion of adoption issues within adoptive families. Adoptive parents were critical in helping children understand their adoption and facilitating direct contact with birth families, thus laying foundations for positive identity development....more |
| 32 | |
| Document Title: | Issues Surrounding Post-Adoption Contact in Foster Adoption: The Perspective of Foster-to-Adopt Families and Child Welfare Workers. |
| Personal Author: | Chateauneuf, Doris.,Page, Genevieve.,Decaluwe, Beatrice. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | Current research on open adoption gives less consideration to issues surrounding post-adoption contact with birth parents for children adopted from care. Yet, it is widely recognized that the profile of the children and their birth parents, as well as the quality of post-adoption contacts, vary considerably depending on the context in which the adoption takes place. This article is based on interviews with 32 child welfare workers and 16 foster-to-adopt families. It focuses specifically on aspects and conditions that should be taken into consideration when determining whether or how contact between the adopted child and the birth family should be maintained....more |
| 33 | |
| Document Title: | The Children Money Can Buy. |
| Personal Author: | Moody, Anne., |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | This book examines the modern history of adoption and draws on the personal experiences as an adoptive parent and director of Adoption Connections in Bainbridge Island, Washington, to explore foster care, adoption, international adoption, and transracial adoption. The first section of the book focuses on the years the writer spent as a child welfare worker. Chapters consider why people become social workers, service plans, the characteristics of families involved in the foster care system, the cycle of dysfunction, and the termination of parental rights. The second part of the book focuses on personal experiences with a large adoption agency that handled...more |
| 34 | |
| Document Title: | Saving International Adoption: An Argument from the Perspective of Economics and Personal Experience. |
| Personal Author: | Powell, Irene.,Montgomery, Mark. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | International adoption is in a state of virtual collapse, rates having fallen by more than half since 2004 and continuing to fall. Yet around the world millions of orphaned and vulnerable children need permanent homes, and thousands of American and European families are eager to take them in. Many government officials, international bureaucrats, and social commentators claim these adoptions are not "in the best interests" of the child. They claim that adoption deprives children of their "birth culture," threatens their racial identities, and even encourages widespread child trafficking. Celebrity adopters are publicly excoriated for stealing children from their birth families. This...more |
| 35 | |
| Document Title: | Open Adoptions Of Children From Foster Care In New South Wales Australia: Adoption Process And Post-Adoption Contact. |
| Personal Author: | de Bolger, Andrea del Pozo.,Dunstan, Debra.,Kaltner, Melissa. |
| Publication Year: | 2018 |
| Abstract: | In Australia, adoptions from care are infrequent and mostly conducted in New South Wales (NSW) despite being legislated in other states. This qualitative study explored the experiences of the adoption process and post-adoption contact of eight foster parents adopting children in their care through the public welfare agency in NSW. The interviews were analyzed following a structured approach, by means of thematic networks. The study revealed that adoption processes and maintenance of birth family relationships depend on a number of factors (e.g., the behavior of the professionals, adoptive and birth parents, children's reactions, policy and practice contexts). However, the adoptive parents'...more |
| 36 | |
| Document Title: | Honoring the Legacy of the Donaldson Adoption Institute. Final Report 2017. |
| Corporate Author: | Donaldson Adoption Institute. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | This final report describes the milestones and accomplishments of the Donaldson Adoption Institute (DAI) in 2017. Initiatives and key moments in DAI history are discussed in the areas of research, education, and advocacy. Highlights include: adoption counseling research involving 30 birth mothers and 20 adoption professionals that identified key areas that would benefits from shifts in practice and policy in order to ensure ethics and comprehensive supports; presentations on research on options counseling; an interactive educational curriculum on openness in adoption; public awareness activities on needed changes in adoption and foster care; blogs to highlight elements of DAI's work; the launching...more |
| Available Online | |
| 37 | |
| Document Title: | Full Adoption in England and Wales and France: A Comparative History of Law and Practice. |
| Personal Author: | Mignot, Jean-François. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | Why do the British adopt far fewer children from abroad but more domestic children than the French? To examine this question, this article compares the history of adoption law and practice in France and England and Wales. Although these countries have had similar adoption laws since the 1920s, there have long been many more adoptions in England and Wales. This is partly due to the greater numbers of abused and neglected children being put forward for adoption in the UK. In addition, memories of the forced migration of children, coupled with heated debate over transracial adoption in the 1980s, cast doubt...more |
| 38 | |
| Document Title: | Child Welfare Social Workers and Open Adoption Myths. |
| Personal Author: | Robinson, Sonya. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | Open adoption can have positive effects on the psychological well-being of adopted children. This study's purpose was to explore child welfare social workers' open adoption attitudes and their agreement with open adoption myths in predicting the relationship with their levels of openness toward open adoption. This study showed that open adoption attitudes, open adoption myths, and area of practice have an association with the levels of openness toward open adoption in a group of child welfare social workers. This information could be beneficial to policy makers and professionals who may be interested in increasing the facilitation of open adoption. (Author abstract)...more |
| 39 | |
| Document Title: | The Adoption Of Children From Out-Of-Home Care: The Understandings Of Key Decision Makers In Victoria, Australia. |
| Personal Author: | Butlinski, Anna.,Rowe, Heather.,Goddard, Christopher.,Freezer, Nicholas. |
| Publication Year: | 2017 |
| Abstract: | Adoption is one of a range of options that can provide children in out-of-home care with permanency when they are unable to be reunified with their birth parents. This paper reports on how the adoption of children from out-of-home care is understood by professionals involved in making decisions about the permanent placement of children in out-of-home care in Victoria, Australia, where adoption is rarely used. Data were collected through a single, face-to-face semi-structured interview with 21 professionals; eight child welfare specialists, eight adoption and permanent care specialists and five judicial officers. The adoption of children from out-of-home care was primarily understood...more |
| 40 | |
| Document Title: | Attitudes and Perceptions Among Adoption Professionals: Qualitative Research Report. |
| Corporate Author: | Donaldson Adoption Institute. |
| Publication Year: | 2016 |
| Abstract: | This report presents the findings from a series of focus groups conducted to gather information on the perceptions and experiences of social workers, lawyers, and clinicians involved in adoption. The research was conducted as part of the Donaldson Adoption Institute’s Let’s Adopt Reform initiative that aims to galvanize change within the adoption and foster care landscape. For this research, 16 professionals participated in five 2-two-hour qualitative online discussion groups and fieldwork was conducted on October 22-23, 2015. Participants included 3 foster care social workers, 4 adoption agency professionals, 3 therapists, 3 attorneys, and 3 academic researchers. Key findings indicate: open adoption...more |
| Available Online | |
| 41 | |
| Document Title: | Practice Guidelines Supporting Open Adoption in Families Headed by Lesbian and Gay Male Parents: Lessons Learned From the Modern Adoptive Families Study. |
| Personal Author: | Brodzinsky, David.,Goldberg, Abbie. |
| Publication Year: | 2016 |
| Abstract: | This report discusses the findings of the Modern Adoptive Families Study (MAF) that compared the extent of contact and pattern of contact dynamics with birth families for adoptive families headed by lesbian and gay male (LG) and heterosexual parents. Data were collected through an online survey of over 1,600 non-kinship adoptive parents. Findings indicate: families adopting from private agencies were significantly more likely to have contact with the birth family; no differences in contact were found for heterosexual and LG parents whose older child was adopted from the child welfare system or from a private domestic agency; gay men reported having...more |
| Available Online | |
| 42 | |
| Document Title: | Providing Permanence to Children and Their Parents: An Adoptive Family's Story |
| Corporate Author: | United States. Children's Bureau. |
| Publication Year: | 2016 |
| Abstract: | Tells the story of Mason, a 3-year-old boy who was adopted by his foster family after his mother's relapse into drug addiction. But the story does not end there. Mason's foster/adoptive family was determined to include his birth mother in his life, so they supported her and helped her get clean. She remains involved, speaking on the phone to him almost daily, and she is a close friend to the family. Although Mason does not know her biological relationship to him, he calls his birth mother "Mama Kayla," and his adoptive family hopes they will always remain an extended family. This...more |
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| 43 | |
| Document Title: | The ABA Consumer Guide to Adopting a Child: Everything You Need to Know for a Successful Adoption. |
| Personal Author: | Kasky, Robert A. |
| Publication Year: | 2016 |
| Abstract: | Intended for prospective adoptive parents, this guide explains the process of adoption, the risks involved, and strategies parents can use during the process. Chapters 1 and 2 review the basics of adoption and parties to the adoption. It is explained that the interests of the child come first during all adoption proceedings and reviews the risks faced by prospective adoption families in the adoption of a newborn. The motivations of birth parents are discussed, as well as their possible substance abuse and other difficulties. Chapter 3 discusses who may adopt and Chapter 4 describes the differences between open and closed adoptions....more |
| 44 | |
| Document Title: | Openness in Adoption: Challenging the Narrative of Historical Progress. |
| Personal Author: | Jones, Christine. |
| Publication Year: | 2016 |
| Abstract: | One significant change in adoption practice that has occurred over the last four decades is the shift away from an expectation of confidentiality towards an expectation of openness in adoption. Openness is typically conceived in terms of the level of contact between adoptive and birth families following adoption or the extent to which adoption is openly discussed within the adoptive family. While these shifts in practice have generated controversy, they are largely supported by research evidence and have become a feature of contemporary adoptive family life. As a result, the narrative that has emerged in relation to openness in adoption is...more |
| 45 | |
| Document Title: | The Maintenance of Traditional and Technological Forms of Post-Adoption Contact. |
| Personal Author: | Greenhow, Sarah.,Hackett, Simon.,Jones, Christine.,Meins, Elizabeth. |
| Publication Year: | 2016 |
| Abstract: | Openness in adoption practice now often includes post-adoption contact with the adopted child's birth family. Traditionally, indirect and direct contact has been supported and mediated by professionals following the adoption of children from the public care system in the UK. However, more recently, the widespread growth in the use of digital technologies has made it possible for both adopted children and birth relatives to search and contact one another through the use of sites such as Facebook without professional support. This practice has been called ‘virtual contact’. Using data from interviews with 11 adoptive parents and six adopted young people, who...more |
| 46 | |
| Document Title: | Parenthood and Open Adoption: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. |
| Personal Author: | MacDonald, Mandi. |
| Publication Year: | 2016 |
| Abstract: | This book explores what it is like to be involved in contemporary open adoption, characterized by varying forms of contact with the birth relatives. It presents the findings of a study that involved 31 adoptive parents, from 17 families, from all five Health and Social Trusts in Northern Ireland. All the participants had adopted unrelated children from care, most of the participants’ children had been placed in their adoptive families between 2000 and 2006, and the children had been adopted between 5 years and 11 years and ranged in age from 9 years to 14 years. Following an introduction, Chapter 2...more |
| 47 | |
| Document Title: | Contact with Birth Family in Adoptive Families Headed by Lesbian, Gay Male, and Heterosexual Parent. |
| Personal Author: | Brodzinsky, David M.,Goldberg, Abbie E. |
| Publication Year: | 2016 |
| Abstract: | In this study, we examined the extent and type of contact with birth family in adoptive families headed by sexual minority and heterosexual parents prior to or at the time of placement, following placement, and currently. Data were drawn from the Modern Adoptive Families project, a nationwide, non-random survey of adoptive parents' beliefs and experiences that was conducted from 2012 to 2013. The current sample consisted of 671 families headed by heterosexual parents, 111 families headed by lesbian parents, and 98 families headed by gay male parents whose oldest adopted child was less than 18 years old and who was placed...more |
| 48 | |
| Document Title: | Adoptees On Open Adoption: "I Have All My Pieces." |
| Corporate Author: | Adoptive Families. |
| Publication Year: | 2016 |
| Abstract: | Teens and young adults who grew up in fully open adoptions discuss their relationships with their adoptive and birth families and the many benefits openness has brought them. (Author abstract) |
| 49 | |
| Document Title: | A Discussion Paper on Indigenous Custom Adoption. Part 1: Severed Connections - Historical Overview of Indigenous Adoption in Canada. |
| Personal Author: | Di Tommaso, Lara.,De Finney, Sandrina. |
| Publication Year: | 2015 |
| Abstract: | This paper forms Part 1 of a two-part discussion paper on Indigenous custom adoption. Zeroing in on the entangled histories of adoption and colonization, it outlines a short history of adoption in Canada, examines the impact of forced, closed, and external adoptions on Indigenous adoptees, and traces the move toward more open statutory adoptions and greater cultural connection and continuity in adoptions. This historical review sets the stage for Part 2 of our discussion paper, “Honouring Our Caretaking Traditions,” where we highlight the connections between customary laws regarding caregiving and the resurgence of Indigenous authority over child welfare within a context...more |
| Available Online | |
| 50 | |
| Document Title: | Preadoption Risks, Family Functioning, and Adoption Secrecy as Predictors of the Adjustment of Filipino Adopted Children. |
| Personal Author: | Tarroja, Maria Caridad H. |
| Publication Year: | 2015 |
| Abstract: | Using a correlational multivariate research design, partial least squares (PLS) was applied to examine the direct and indirect influence of pre-adoption risks, family functioning, and adoption secrecy on the adjustment (which is defined in this study as the internalizing and externalizing behaviors) of Filipino adopted children. Thirty-two sets of Filipino adoptees and their respective adoptive mothers participated in the study. Family functioning was found to predict the adjustment of Filipino adopted children while adoption secrecy predicted family functioning. Adopted children's perception of their family functioning and adoption openness buffer the impact of the early adversity experienced by the adopted children. Implications...more |
| 51 | |
| Document Title: | Managing Shifting Expectations in Open Adoption Over Time. |
| Personal Author: | Sink, Amy Hutton. |
| Publication Year: | 2015 |
| Abstract: | This brief shares the experience of a birth mother participating in an open adoption and how and why her expectations have shifted. The need to set and keep realistic expectations is emphasized and key questions birth parents should ask are recommended. The questions address how often birth parents will be able to visit during the first year, visitation as the child gets older, and how a move on either side would affect the arrangement. The benefits of counseling are also discussed. |
| Available Online | |
| 52 | |
| Document Title: | Adoption (Chapter 8 in Critical Issues in Child Welfare, 2nd Ed.) |
| Personal Author: | Shireman, Joan Foster. |
| Publication Year: | 2015 |
| Abstract: | This chapter focuses on adoption, and reviews the history of adoption, describes the framework of adoption and the different paths to adoption, discusses different types of adoption and protecting the adoption triad, explores the ethics of opening sealed records, and shares adoption outcomes. Nontraditional adoptive homes and the need for post-adoption services are also highlighted. 2 figures and numerous references. |
| 53 | |
| Document Title: | What’s Next for Adoption Advocates? |
| Personal Author: | Johnson, Chuck. |
| Publication Year: | 2015 |
| Abstract: | This brief explains that adoption is constantly evolving and that advocacy must too. It then reviews several issues that advocates should focus on, including: amending the Child Citizenship Act and close the loophole that leaves a small but still unacceptable number of intercountry adoptees vulnerable to citizenship problems and even deportation; preserving records for adoptees; helping adopted individuals understand their racial and cultural identities and preparing parents to adopt transracially; helping to mediate and provide guidance for facilitating open adoptions; ensuring that every prospective adoptive parent understands the forever commitment of adoption and educate , train, and support families with the...more |
| Available Online | |
| 54 | |
| Document Title: | Paying My Respects. |
| Personal Author: | Cole, Heather. |
| Publication Year: | 2015 |
| Abstract: | Our son came to us from foster care, in a closed adoption. So how did I find myself walking through the doors of a dark funeral home, preparing to introduce myself to his other family? (Author abstract) |
| 55 | |
| Document Title: | Open Adoption: A Reference Guide For Families. |
| Personal Author: | Mantell, Joni. |
| Publication Year: | 2015 |
| Abstract: | Openness brings great benefits to all involved, as well as some unique dilemmas. Addressing them requires flexibility, sensitivity to the birth family, and confidence in yourself as parents. Here's how to make it work for your family. (Author abstract) |
| 56 | |
| Document Title: | A Discussion Paper on Indigenous Custom Adoption. Part 2: Honouring Our Caretaking Traditions. |
| Personal Author: | Di Tommaso, Lara.,De Finney, Sandrina. |
| Publication Year: | 2015 |
| Abstract: | This paper forms Part 2 of a two-part discussion paper. Part 1 outlined a short history of adoption in Canada, examined the impact of forced, closed, and external adoptions on Indigenous adoptees and families, and traced the move toward more open statutory adoptions and greater cultural continuity in adoptions. Having zeroed in on the entangled histories of adoption and colonization in Part 1, here we explore traditional and contemporary practices of Indigenous custom adoption and caretaking. We first recount Western understandings and impositions, then feature Indigenous perspectives that centre spiritual and ceremonial protocols, values regarding child well-being and community connectedness, and...more |
| Available Online | |
| 57 | |
| Document Title: | Lessons Learned From the Yellowhead Tribal Services Agency Open Custom Adoption Program. |
| Personal Author: | Carriere, Jeannine. |
| Publication Year: | 2015 |
| Abstract: | Following a historic meeting of staff with Alberta Children's Services and the Yellowhead Tribal Services Agency (YTSA) a pilot program, the YTSA Open Custom Adoption Program was developed. The agency initially researched existing adoption models in the Northwest Territories, British Columbia and the Cheyenne Nation in the United States. An advisory committee comprised of one Elder from each member First Nation community was struck to provide guidance and direction throughout the project. From 2000 to 2010 YTSA placed over a hundred children in adoptive homes and there were no adoption breakdowns (Aski Awasis Children of the Earth, p.79). Although the agency...more |
| Available Online | |
| 58 | |
| Document Title: | The Modern Adoptive Families Study: An Introduction. |
| Personal Author: | Brodzinsky, David. |
| Publication Year: | 2015 |
| Abstract: | To better understand the emerging diversity in the modern adoptive family, especially those headed by sexual minority individuals and couples, a national survey was conducted focusing on the experiences, perceptions, and needs of different types of adoptive families. Although the Modern Adoptive Families Study (MAF) focuses primarily on questions related to adoption by sexual minority parents, it is also structured to address questions related to other adoption diversity issues. Of the 1,563 survey respondents, 133 identified as lesbian, 106 gay, 30 as bisexual, and 5 as other. Findings indicate: over 80% of the families were headed by two parents (81.7%), with...more |
| Available Online | |
| 59 | |
| Document Title: | The Modern Adoptive Families Study: Executive Summary. |
| Personal Author: | Brodzinsky, David. |
| Publication Year: | 2015 |
| Abstract: | To better understand the emerging diversity in the modern adoptive family, especially those headed by sexual minority individuals and couples, a national survey was conducted focusing on the experiences, perceptions, and needs of different types of adoptive families. Although the Modern Adoptive Families Study (MAF) focuses primarily on questions related to adoption by sexual minority parents, it is also structured to address questions related to other adoption diversity issues. Of the 1,563 survey respondents, 133 identified as lesbian, 106 gay, 30 as bisexual, and 5 as other. This executive summary notes findings that indicate: over 80% of the families were headed...more |
| Available Online | |
| 60 | |
| Document Title: | Keeping An Adoption Open Despite Challenges. |
| Personal Author: | Herel, Barbara. |
| Publication Year: | 2015 |
| Abstract: | Five moms candidly reveal how they're honoring their commitment to openness when their child's birth parent struggles with substance abuse, mental illness, or is experiencing crisis. (Author abstract) |
| 61 | |
| Document Title: | Contested Attachments: Rethinking Adoptive Kinship in the Era of Open Adoption. |
| Personal Author: | Sales, Sally. |
| Publication Year: | 2015 |
| Abstract: | Since its legal inception in 1926, adoption work has been centrally concerned with the matter of the adopted child's ‘first’ or prior life, whilst also focussed on achieving a new and secure substitute family for that child. Adoptive kinship has been formed through this dual and contradictory concern, a concern that has produced diverse policies and practices over the last 90 years. Drawing on Foucault's concept of technologies of the subject, this paper is an exploration of adoptive kinship within the new context of open adoption, a set of practices that more actively promotes the involvements of the adopted child's former...more |