ADOPTION STAFF PERCEPTIONS OF THE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN POSTADOPTION SERVICES
Emily S. Kaiser
B.A. California State University Sacramento, 2009
PROJECT
Submitted in partial satisfaction of
The requirement for the degree of
MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK
at
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO
SPRING
2011
ADOPTION STAFF PERCEPTIONS OF THE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN POSTADOPTION SERVICES
A Project
by
Emily S. Kaiser
Approved by:
________________________________________, Committee Chair
Susan Taylor, Ph.D., MSW
_____________________________
Date
ii
Student: Emily Kaiser
I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University
format manual, and that this project is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to
be awarded for the Project.
____________________________, Graduate Coordinator
Teiahsha Bankhead, Ph.D., LCSW
Division of Social Work
iii
________________
Date
Abstract
of
ADOPTION STAFF PERCEPTIONS OF THE IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN POSTADOPTION SERVICES
by
Emily S. Kaiser
The purpose of this research was to gather information on post-adoption services so that a
post-adoption service program could be implemented. The current literature on the topic
supports the idea that adoptive families need post-adoption services to be available. The
researcher interviewed six adoption staff at three different adoption agencies. One
supervisor and one social worker were interviewed from each adoption agency. The
participants were asked 10 open-ended questions on post-adoption services. The data
from this study supported the need for post-adoption services to be available for adoptive
families. Participants indicated that education and therapy are the most-important
services for families that adopt children from the foster care system.
________________________________________, Committee Chair
Susan Taylor, Ph.D., MSW
____________________
Date
iv
DEDICATION
To my husband, thank you for your leadership in our journey together.
To Cody, “Mija,” your desire for systemic change in the world inspires me.
To my parents, thank you for valuing my education with both word and deed.
To my grandmother, thank you for teaching me what it means to give cheerfully.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Dedication ……...…….…………………………………………………………………...v
Chapter
1. PROBLEM STATEMENT …………………………………………………….....1
Introduction …………………………………………………………………...1
Background of the Problem …………………………………………………..2
Purpose of the Study ………………………………………………………….4
Theoretical Framework ……………………………………………………….4
Definition of Terms …...………………………………………………………5
Justification …………………………………………………………………...6
Limitations ……………………………………………………………………6
2. LITERATURE REVIEW…..……………………………………………………..8
Introduction ……………………………………………………………….…..8
Types of Adoption ……………………………………………………............8
The Importance of Adoption for Foster Children …………………………...10
The Importance of Post-Adoption Services …………………………………13
Types of Post-Adoption Services ……………………………..………..........16
When Post-Adoption Services Are Most-Needed …………….……….........18
Which Post-Adoption Services Are Most-Needed ………………………….19
Adoption Legislation …………………………………………………..........21
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Effective Post-Adoption Service Programs …………………………………24
Transracial Adoption ………………………………………………………..26
3. METHODOLOGY ……………………………………………………………...31
Introduction ……………………………………………………………….....31
Purpose and Design Procedures ……………………………………………..31
Identification and Recruitment ……………………………………………...32
Data Analysis ………………………………………………………………..33
Protection of Human Subjects ………………………………………………34
4.
FINDINGS ……………………………………………………………………..35
Introduction …………………………………………………………………35
Demographics ……………………………….………………………………35
Crisis Contact ………………………………….……………………………36
Referrals ……………………………………….……………………………36
Educational Resources …………………………….………………………..38
Therapy Recommendations ………………………………………………....39
Financial Assistance ………………………………………………….…......39
Services Most-Needed for Adoptive Parents ………………….…………….41
Services Most-Needed for Adopted Children ………………………………43
Ideal Post-Adoption Service Program ……………………………………....44
Enhancing Programming ……………………………………………………45
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5. CONCLUSIONS …………………………………………...…………………..48
Summary ……………………………………………………………………48
Recommendations …………………………………………………………..50
Appendix A. Questionnaire on Post-Adoption Services …………………...…….……..54
References ……………………………………………………………………………....55
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1
Chapter 1
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Introduction
According to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Adoption and
Foster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS, 2009) there were 423, 773 children in
foster care on September 30, 2009 and 25% of those children had a case goal of adoption
at that time (pp. 1-2). Exactly four years earlier, 20% of the children in foster care had
adoption as a case goal (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services AFCARS
Report, 2005, p.1). The number of children adopted with United States public child
welfare agency involvement has increased from 51,000 in 2006 (U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services AFCARS Report, 2006, p. 7) to 57, 000 in 2009 (U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services AFCARS Report, 2009, p. 7). As the number
of children being adopted increases, the emphasis on post-adoption services must also
increase.
Children from foster care have experienced abuse, neglect and/or abandonment
that will require services both during their foster care years and after an adoption has
been finalized. Foster children usually undergo several placements during their time in
foster care, inducing further trauma and lack of stability in their young lives. Many foster
children that become available for adoption are also adopted with their siblings. This
requires adoptive parents to care for more than one child in order to best meet the needs
of multiple children sibling groups. The more children in a home, the more support a
family will need.
2
Families that adopt are not always prepared for the challenges of raising a child
that has experienced abuse, neglect or abandonment. The purpose of post-adoption
services is to provide services for the adoptive family by supporting them through the
challenges specific to adoptive families. The problem is that post-adoption support is not
always available to adoptive families. For many families, however, post-adoption
services are essential to reducing the risk of dissolution or disruption. (North American
Council on Adoptable Children, 2007). Post-adoption services help families work
through the past trauma in the child’s life and current resultant emotional and behavioral
issues that may arise.
Background of the Problem
Since its beginnings, foster care was intended to be a temporary resource in which
children were placed out of home until they could be reunified with their family or, if
necessary, permanent care with relatives or adoption. Over time, however, fosters care
became the more permanent arrangement for many children (Freundlich, Avery,
Gerstenzang & Munson, 2006). As a result, children have lingered in the system without
stability, permanency or adequate training of independent living skills.
Congress passed the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 in
response to the amount of children lingering in the foster care system. The act
encouraged the use of preventative and reunification services to address the concern that
foster care was being used when these services were more appropriate. Initially the Act
helped reduce the number of children in foster care, but overtime through the 1980s and
1990s, there was a large increase of foster children (Barbell & Wright, 1999).
3
Once again, Congress passed legislation to address the concerns of the child
welfare system. In 1993, the Family Preservation and Family Support program was
created as a part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. This Act added
funding to child welfare services, including family preservation services (Barbell &
Wright, 1999). However the system continued to need further support because children’s
permanency needs were not being met due to under trained foster parents and social
workers’ caseloads being too high. Congress passed the Adoption and Safe Families Act
(ASFA) in 1997. This Act renamed the Family Preservation and Family Support program
to Promoting Safe and Stable Families. The ASFA created the first federal timelines for
filing termination of parental rights and also set a timeline of 12 months rather than 18
months for a permanency hearing. A permanency hearing is where the child’s long term
goal is determined (i.e., reunification, adoption, guardianship, etc.).
The ASFA endorsed concurrent planning as an appropriate practice (Katz, 1999).
Concurrent planning mandates social workers involved in a case to plan for the child to
be reunified with their biological family while simultaneously planning for the child to be
adopted if reunification is not a possibility. Previous to concurrent planning, a child’s
long-term permanency was not planned for until after it was clear that the child would not
be reunified with the birth family.
The ASFA also positively impacted child welfare through encouraging adoptions
by providing incentives, and by requiring states to document reasonable efforts to place a
child for adoption (Barbell & Wright, 1999). The ASFA has created drastic change in
America’s child welfare system. Agencies have come to recognize the importance of
4
long-term stability in children’s lives; met through the permanency that adoption brings.
In the 1960s and 1970s, researchers published works on foster children languishing in the
system. Shortly thereafter, attachment theorist John Bowlby described the psychological
damage caused from children moving from placement to placement (Katz, 1999).
Eventually with the ASFA in effect, agencies plan concurrently, thus encouraging
changes in foster care and adoption services.
Purpose of the Study
This study encourages the researcher to become more informed on how an
adoption agency can provide post-adoption services. The primary purpose of the study is
to interview the staff at various adoption agencies regarding post-adoption services and
determine the most important elements in post-adoption programming. The researcher
hopes these findings will be useful as agencies look to provide such services.
Theoretical Framework
There are two primary theories that provide the basis for post-adoption services;
attachment theory and ecological systems theory. Attachment theory recognizes that
when a child is adopted, regardless of age, there are emotional bonds that have been
wounded and new bonds that can be created. These bonds are in reference to the security
a child feels with their caregiver. The importance of attachment has been researched by
attachment theorists such as John Bowlby (Payne, 2005). Bowlby and others discovered
that a child’s exposure to attachment and loss will later affect that child’s personal
development and the child’s development of relationships with others (Payne, 2005).
5
Even after being adopted, children and parents may continue to need services to help with
the child’s ability to attach and develop a healthy bond with their caregiver.
Ecological systems theory provides a frame of reference in understanding postadoption services. Germain and Gitterman’s (1996) Life Model posits that people are
interdependent with each other and their environment (Payne, 2005). This perspective
recognizes that various services and supports affect a client system and the client system
affects these services and supports. Services and supports such as therapy, trainings and
financial assistance literally and figuratively surround the client system. For the purpose
of this study, the client system is the adoptive family and the environment consists of
post-adoption services.
Definition of Terms
Concurrent Planning – planning for a child to be reunified with their birth family while
simultaneously planning for the child to be adopted if they do no reunify (Katz, 1999).
Dissolution – an adoption that ends after it had been legally finalized (Child Welfare
Information Gateway, 2004, December).
Disruption – an adoption process that ends in which a child has already been placed in an
adoptive home, but before the adoption finalized (Child Welfare Information Gateway,
2004, December).
Family Reunification – a process of returning foster children to their birth family (Child
Welfare Information Gateway, 2006, June).
6
Post-Adoption – refers to after the finalization of an adoption. Adoption is the court
procedure where an adult legally becomes the parent of someone who is not their
biological child and assumes legal responsibility for the child (Guerin & Gima, 2008).
Justification
This research will benefit the profession of social work through the investigation
of elements of post-adoption services perceived most-needed by professionals in the
field. The research also contributes to the literature on the post-adoptive needs of former
foster children. Social work is about meeting the needs of individuals that are vulnerable.
Even after being adopted, foster children are still vulnerable due to the past trauma in
their lives. Post-adoption services can help mitigate some of the vulnerability through
assisting the child and family with specialized services. Post-adoption services help to
ensure that adoptive placements are not disrupted which could result in a child’s return to
foster care. These services also help to ensure that the needs of a vulnerable child are still
being advocated for by a professional in the adoption field.
Limitations
There were a few limitations to this study. This research included only a small
number of adoption staff; therefore it lacks a large representation and randomization.
Also, the results of this study are reflective of individuals working at adoption agencies in
California and therefore the results of this study may not be generalizable to other states
in the United States. This study asserts what the post-adoption needs are for adoptive
families based on the opinions of adoption professionals as opposed to the opinions of
7
adoptive families. The study made no attempts to gain responses from adoptive families
regarding what have been their post-adoption needs.
8
Chapter 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
The review of literature for this study includes several themes: 1) the broader
topic of adoption; 2) the more specific topic of post-adoption issues for families that
adopt from the foster care system; 3) the types of adoption in the United States; 5) a
discussion of why individuals are interested in adopting; and 6) the importance of
adoption. Key elements of adoption legislation beginning with the late 1970s are
discussed. Also, a brief description of effective post-adoption service programs is given.
Finally, a discussion of the literature on transracial adoption is detailed including the
review of a recent study by Gina Samuels.
Types of Adoption
In the United States there are four methods in which an individual or couple can
adopt a child: private domestic adoption, private independent adoption, international
adoption or public foster care adoption. (The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute,
2002). Private domestic adoption refers to a child, usually an infant, being adopted with
the aid of an adoption agency. Independent adoption refers also to domestic adoption, but
without the participation of an adoption agency. In an independent adoption, birth parents
consent to place their child directly with the adoptive parents with no adoption agency
involvement (Guerin & Gima, 2008). International adoption is when a child is adopted
from outside the United States. The Hague Convention is an international treaty that the
U.S. agreed to in 2007 which governs international adoptions (Guerin & Gima, 2008).
9
Public foster care adoption refers to a child being adopted from foster care. The child
may be adopted by a relative, a foster parent, an adult unknown to the child, or a nonrelative adult known to the child. Foster children are in the custody of their county as a
result of abuse, neglect or abandonment. Once their parents’ rights have been terminated
or relinquished, the child becomes legally freed for adoption.
A couple or single individual with a desire to adopt should first evaluate their own
motivation. Some prospective adoptive parents are motivated as a result of their own
infertility. Those interesting in adopting must consider whether they would like to adopt
domestically or internationally, and whether there is interest in a transracial adoption. The
couple or individual must also determine how much they value adopting an infant.
Although there are infants in foster care, most children in foster care are older than age 2.
Families need to decide on the number of children they would like to adopt. Many
children in foster care have siblings also in need of a permanent home whereas it is less
likely for birth siblings to be an immediate consideration in a domestic private adoption
or domestic independent adoption.
Families that chose to adopt will need training for the potential challenges they
face. Families choosing to adopt from the Child Welfare System must consider whether
or not they are willing to have a child in their home in which it is possible for the child to
be reunified with the birth family. Some prospective adoptive parents are motivated to
help children return to their birth family and only adopt if that reunification is not
possible. Other prospective adoptive parents would prefer to have a child whose birth
parents’ rights have been terminated in order that they are on the “fast track” for
10
adoption. Families considering adoption through the foster care system should understand
there is a Dependency Court Process the case must go through. Examining the motivation
for adoption is critical in order to determine which type of adoption a prospective couple
or individual should choose. The following continues the literature review that will focus
on the importance of adoption and the need for post-adoption services for former foster
children and the families who have adopted them.
The Importance of Adoption for Foster Children
Regardless of the type of adoption, all adoptions are crucial for children in need
of a safe and stable home. The story may be a woman adopting an orphan from another
country, an infertile couple adopting from a teenage birthmother or foster parents
deciding to be the forever family for a young victim of abuse. Regardless, all types of
adoption are honorable in that they make an attempt to restore a parent-child relationship
that was lost. Each adoption story indicates that there is a distinct importance for all types
of adoption. The following describes the importance of adoption, specifically from the
public child welfare system.
Since its beginnings, foster care was intended to be a temporary resource in which
children were placed out of home until they could be reunified with their family or, if
necessary, permanent care with relatives or adoption. But over time, foster care became
the more permanent arrangement for many children (Freundlich, Avery, Gerstenzang &
Munson, 2006). As a result, children have lingered in the system without stability,
permanency or adequate training of independent living skills. These problems have longterm effects on the children’s lives, especially into adulthood.
11
Youth in foster care define permanency as relational, physical, and legal
permanence (Stott & Gustavsson, 2010). Legal permanence is primarily met through
adoption. Although legal guardianship exists as an option, it differs in its stability.
Adoption terminates the legal relationship between the birth parents and child, whereas a
guardianship does not terminate that legal relationship. The concept of permanency
continues to be at the forefront of child welfare reform. When children cannot be
reunified with their family or be cared for by a relative, adoption provides the
permanency they need. Children that remain in foster care are often moved to different
homes. When a child’s behavior becomes difficult for foster parents to handle, the foster
parents may put out a 7 day notice to the child’s county worker, requesting the child be
moved within a week. As children in foster care are growing up, they are not
experiencing unconditional stability.
Studies have shown that permanency helps in providing a child stability, a
positive self-image and support into adulthood (Freundlich, Avery, Gerstenzang &
Munson, 2006; The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, 2004). In one study, research
showed that adopted children had better outcomes than children who remained in foster
care in areas such as education, employment, social status and emotional health (Plunkett
& Osmond, 2004).
Understanding the critical need for foster children to be given permanency
through adoption lays the foundation for why these children and their adoptive families
will later need services after the adoption has been finalized. Currently in California,
most prospective foster families are asked upfront whether or not they will consider
12
adopting the child that will be placed in their homes. If families will agree to adoption
and if it is later determined that a child cannot be reunified with their birth family, then
the child is already placed with a family that will adopt them. This provides more
stability for the child to not be transferred from a foster home to an adoptive home. But
rather, the child was already placed in the home that would foster and later adopt if
necessary to terminate parental rights. This method of planning is known as concurrent
planning.
Concurrent planning encompasses planning for the child to be reunified with their
birth family while simultaneously planning for the child to be adopted if reunification is
not a possibility. Typically in this scenario, the child is placed in what is called a fostadopt home. During the time before an adoptive placement occurs, the child is considered
to be in foster care. As a foster child, they are entitled to services such as therapy and an
individualized educational plan. However, once adoption finalizes, services may be
reduced or terminated, leaving the adoptive families without the needed support to
continue caring for their developing child.
Generally, there are three primary types of families that adopt children from the
child welfare system: A family who wants to build their own family through adoption, a
family that fosters and did not originally intend to adopt and thirdly, a relative of the
child (Howard, 2006). Also, an adult known to the child, but who is not a family member
may adopt the child. This fourth type of placement is referred to as a Non-Relative
Family Member (NRFM). The difference among these types of families may affect their
later need for post-adoption services. For instance, an aunt who has become the adoptive
13
parent may need services to address family roles and boundaries. Whereas, the foster
parents who have adopted may need services to search for family members in order to
receive a family medical history. These are examples of how each type of adoptive
family may encounter different post-adoption service needs. A family’s need for postadoption services could range from brief to extensive.
The Importance of Post-Adoption Services
Barth, Gibbs & Siebenaler (2002) report that generally adoptions in the United
States have been stable and successful despite the lack of post-adoption services for
adoptive families. This is reflected in the low adoption disruption rates which shows that
not all adoptive families will need to utilize post-adoption services (Barth et al., 2002).
Families seek post-adoption services for a variety of reasons. Some examples of those
reasons are: to normalize the adoption experiences, to search for birth parents, to become
informed of adoption issues and for purposes of crisis intervention (Barth, et al., 2002).
The number of children adopted with United States public child welfare agency
involvement has increased from 51,000 in 2002 to 57, 000 in 2009 (U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services AFCARS Report, 2009). As the number of children adopted
increases, the emphasis on post-adoption services must also increase. Children from
foster care have experienced abuse, neglect or abandonment that will require services
both during their foster care years and after an adoption has finalized. The purpose of
post-adoption services is to provide support for the family by promoting healthy
relationships and reducing the risk of dissolution. For many families post-adoption
services are essential to reducing the risk of dissolution or disruption. (North American
14
Council on Adoptable Children, 2007). Post-adoption services help families work
through the past trauma in the child’s life and work through current emotional and
behavioral issues that arise due to that past trauma.
The term disruption is used to describe an adoption process that ends when a child
has already been placed in an adoptive home but before the adoption finalized. This will
result in the child returning to foster care or to a new fost-adopt home. The term
dissolution is used to describe an adoption that ends after it had been legally finalized.
This also will result in the child returning to foster care or to a new fost-adopt home
(Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2004, December).
Information regarding the number of dissolutions is difficult to obtain because
often a child’s record is sealed at the time of adoption and names and social security
numbers are sometimes changed. A few studies have shown the statistics regarding the
percentage of finalized adoptions that dissolve. One study in New York City found that
3.3% of children adopted from a public or voluntary agency had been or were in foster
care four years later (Festinger, 2002). Another study in Kansas City surveyed 159
parents by mail and telephone interviews. This study had similar results, finding that 3%
of adopted children were no longer living with their adoptive parents 18 to 24 months
after the adoption. (McDonald, Propp, & Murhey, 2001). Although these percentages are
low, they must not be disregarded because every time an adoption dissolves or disrupts a
child is faced with another traumatic event in their life.
Post-adoption services help to ensure that adoptions do not dissolve. In addition,
post-adoption services provide support for the adoptive family that is struggling with
15
adoption issues. These services are intended to guide the adoptive family through
predictable stages as a result of the child’s past trauma. Usually the children are receiving
services while in foster care to address their critical needs, however most all the services
to the child are discontinued once adoption has been finalized (Voice for Adoption,
2009). Continuing these services is crucial to preserving the adoption and strengthening
the adoptive family. Continuing services post-adoption is an important long-term
investment in the future of the adopted child. In fact, families that have post-adoption
support networks, such as support from another adoptive family, have been found to be
associated with higher levels of family functioning (Leung & Erich, 2002). Studies show
that post-adoption services affect families positively including an association with
reductions in children’s emotional and behavioral problems and improvements to the
family’s mental health (Harris, 2002; Smith & Howard, 1994).
Post-adoption services also provide assurance for prospective adoptive parents to
know that their children will still be given the services they need even after the adoption
is finalized (Voice for Adoption, 2009). Social workers have predicted that more children
will be adopted as there becomes more availability of post-adoption services (Avery,
1999 as cited in Dhami, Mandel & Sothmann, 2007). Although many adoptive families
indicate a desire for post-adoption services, few have actually utilized these services,
particularly in regards to clinical services (Barth et al., 2002). Yet without the assurance
that there will be the services their child may later need, prospective adoptive parents,
including the current foster parents, are more hesitant to adopt.
16
Adoptive families may need post-adoption services for a variety of reasons
relating to issues such as: behavioral problems, attachment and trust issues, birth family
contact, racial and identity formation, problems in school, age-appropriate understanding
of adoption, and the loss and grief of their birth family. All families deal with difficult
issues as they raise their children, however adoptive families with a child that has
experienced abuse, neglect or abandonment will go through unique challenges in which
additional supports are needed. Contrary to other families, adoptive families will face
fundamental differences at every developmental stage of their children’s lives
(Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical
Assistance, the Center for Adoption Studies, and the Illinois Department of Children and
Family Services, 2002). At each stage of development, families will have different needs
regarding which post-adoption services would best suit their child’s needs. For example,
some adoptive families will need therapeutic intervention services and other families will
not. All adoptive families could benefit from their adopted child having connections to
other adopted children. Adoptive families need support to help normalize the adoption
experience for their children.
Types of Post-Adoption Services
There are different types of post-adoption services that adoptive families utilize
when available. These services are provided through different organizations and agencies.
Post-adoption services include: support groups for parents, support groups for children,
crisis intervention, crisis hotline, couples therapy, group therapy, family therapy, therapy
for the child, respite care, social skills training, financial support, workshops,
17
conferences, search for biological family information, parenting classes, case
management services, advocacy, referral services, recreational opportunities with other
adoptive families, lending library, ethnic heritage activities, and newsletters (Barth &
Miller, 2000; Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2006; Association of Administrators
of the Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance, the Center for Adoption
Studies, and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, 2002; Mack, 2006;
Children's Bureau Express, 2004).
Barth & Miller (2000) divide post-adoption services into three categories: (1)
educational and informational, (2) clinical, and (3) material services. Barth & Miller
included support groups under the education and informational services category, but in
another study two years later, Brooks, Allen & Barth (2002) grouped support services as
a fourth category of its own. Educational and informational services refer to services for
the parents such as workshops, pamphlets, books, newsletters, seminars, conferences,
referrals and full disclosure about their child. Parents especially noted the importance of
disclosure about their child including social, medical and genetic history (Brooks et al.,
2000; Barth et al., 2002). The purposes of informational and educational services are to
provide information to help the parents better understand the issues surrounding adoption,
to plan for the financial costs involved and to better understand their adopted child.
Clinical services are offered by trained professionals, including child, couple or family
therapy, and crisis counseling. The purpose of clinical services is to help the family,
couple, or child grow developmentally as they encounter various emotional,
developmental, or behavioral challenges. Material Services are in reference to adoption
18
subsides, respite care and medical care. The purpose of material services is to provide for
the family in a tangible manner, for example, by meeting their financial or childcare
needs. Support services are the services that provide opportunity for relationships with
other adoptive families which could happen through recreational activities, ethnic
heritage events, an experienced adoptive parent(s) serving as a mentor or support groups
for either the parent(s) or child. (Barth & Miller, 2000; Barth et al., 2002; Dhami et al.,
2007). The purpose of support services is to help normalize the adoption experience by
the family identifying and building relationships with other adoptive families.
When Post-Adoption Services are Most-Needed
In a study researched by Dhami et al. (2007), adoptive parents identified five
seasons in which they most needed post-adoption services: (1) after a stressful or
traumatic event, (2) soon after the adoption, (3) when the adopted child started school, (4)
when the adopted child became a teenager, and (5) when the adopted child turned 19
years old. The Child Welfare Information Gateway (2006, March) presents several other
milestones that may trigger the need for post-adoption support, including: birthdays,
anniversaries of placement dates, holidays, adoptive or birth mother’s pregnancy of
another child, adoption of another child and the adoptee’s pregnancy, birth or fathering of
a child. The Child Welfare Information Gateway (2006, March) describes that when
adopted children start school is often the first time they must explain adoption to their
peers and the first time they realize that most of the other children were not adopted.
Many times, thoughts of adoption are not at the forefront of the child’s mind since they
are busily involved in various activities. However, there are predictable triggers and
19
children can be prepared emotionally by understanding that those triggers will come
(Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2006, March). Since many of the triggers are
predictable, adoptive parents can help prepare their adopted child for the difficult
adjustment. The parent might help prepare their child by creating an open environment
for the child to share their thoughts and feelings. At the time of these triggers, the parent
may also want to find outside support. Parents and adopted children benefit by being
aware of the seasons in the adopted person’s life that are likely to prompt a need for postadoption services.
Which Post-Adoption Services are Most-Needed
There has been little research done relating to which services adoptive families
identify as being most-needed. However Festinger (2001) and Dhami et al. (2007) both
provide an evaluation of which post-adoption services adoptive parents identified as
important. Those studies report that what families want most is some form of continued
communication with a supportive agency.
Festinger (2001) documented adoptive parents’ service needs in New York based
on her survey of more than 400 families who adopted foster children in 1996. Festinger
also did follow-up phone calls and discovered that the three most unmet needs were a
telephone hotline, information about summer activities and tutoring help. Festinger also
discovered that the most commonly provided services were medical, special education
programs and information about after school activities. Festinger reported that many
families felt abandoned after adopting children from foster care. Particularly, foster
parents who adopted felt abandoned because they had been previously receiving a variety
20
of services from different agencies for quite some time for the children and then suddenly
felt cut off. These parents specifically had a need for after-school services, health
services, housing assistance, vocational services, and legal assistance (Festinger, 2001).
Festinger suggested that post-adoption services be provided based on what families need
and not based on agency’s capabilities. She recommended that agencies contract out the
services that families need if the agency itself cannot provide the services. One of the
most-needed services identified in Festinger’s study was tutoring help which is one
example of a service that could be contracted out.
Dhami et al. (2007) evaluated a post-adoption program in Canada, the Adoption
Support Program (ASP) by mailing surveys to 211 families regarding their post-adoption
service use in the previous two years. Participants were instructed to return the survey
within two weeks. Follow-up phone calls went out two months later to determine which
family’s contact information was not valid and which families were ineligible because
they had not used the services in the previous two year. In the end, there was a 25%
response rate.
Also in Dhami’s (2007) study, adoptive parents rated the importance of 13
services offered by the ASP: resource library, individual counseling, family counseling,
couple counseling, counseling follow-up, child groups, teen groups, parent groups,
respite care, facilitate reunions, workshops, psychological test, and help at school. On
average, all of these services were rated by adoptive parents as being at least “somewhat
important.” The educational and informational services were rated as being significantly
more important than the material services. The clinical and support services were also
21
rated as being more important than the material services. No significant difference was
identified between the educational/informational services and the clinical/support
services. Adoptive parents were also asked to report how frequently they had utilized
services. On average, all post-adoption services were only “rarely” used (Dhami et al.,
2007). As previously discussed, many adoptive families will not utilize post-adoption
services; however, for the families that will be in need of post-adoption support, it is
essential that they at least have a supportive agency to call to receive further information.
Adoption Legislation
Federal Adoption Legislation has a significant impact on all children in the child
welfare system because it determines what states and therefore counties must prioritize.
As more recent legislation has passed to emphasize a child’s need for stability, entire
systems have reformed how they practice child welfare. Although the implementation of
reform takes time, all foster care and adoption legislation will eventually impact the
children it attempts to serve. The following is a summary of major federal adoption
legislation since the 1970s.
The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 1978
promoted that it would be beneficial to a child’s development to be placed in an adoptive
home. This Reform Act extended and improved the provision of the Child Abuse
Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Act of 1974 by facilitating permanent placement
into adoptive homes for children with special needs and by promoting that adoptive
homes have quality standards (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2009, February). The
Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 established an Adoption Assistance
22
program by requiring States to make adoption assistance payments to parents who adopt
an AFDC-eligible child who has special needs. (Child Welfare Information Gateway.
2009, February) In 1981, the positive legislation for adoption continued when Congress
voted to provide a tax credit to families adopting children with special needs. That tax
credit was increased in 1986 (Child Welfare Information Gateway. 2009, February;
Callahan, 2010, November).
The Child Abuse Prevention, Adoption, and Family Services Act of 1988
purposed to increase the number of minority children being placed with adoptive families
with an emphasis on recruitment of minority adoptive families. This Act expanded the
Adoption Opportunities Program by providing post-adoption services to families who
adopted special needs children. (Child Welfare Information Gateway. 2009, February;
Callahan, 2010, November). Then in 1994, Congress’ tax credit expanded to apply to all
adoptive families, not just families who adopted children with special needs. Also in
1994, the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act of 1994 made it illegal to prevent or delay children
from being placed into a foster or adoptive home based on race alone. This Act required
States to have a plan for recruiting foster and adoptive parents that would reflect the
ethnicity and race of the children in need of placement (Child Welfare Information
Gateway. 2009, February; Callahan, 2010, November).
In 1997 came the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) which promoted
adoption of children in foster care. Criminal checks became required for foster and
adoptive parents who receive federal funds on behalf of the child (however States could
opt out of this requirement). ASFA accelerated permanent placement by requiring shorter
23
time limits for decisions on permanent homes. In the extreme cases, a child could be
freed for adoption more quickly. ASFA promoted adoption in several ways, for example
by rewarding States whose adoption rates increased and by prohibiting States from
delaying a child’s placement with an adoptive parent based on geographical location
alone. ASFA increased accountability for States’ performances (Child Welfare
Information Gateway, 2009, February; Callahan, 2010, November).
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 amended title IV-E of the Social
Security Act to provide States with more funding and flexibility to help youth transition
from foster care to independence. Major provisions of the Act included an emphasis on
permanent placement and an increased funding for adoption incentive programs (Child
Welfare Information Gateway, 2009, February). Two years later, Congress increased the
adoption tax credit under the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of
2001. The Adoption Promotion Act of 2003 reauthorized that adoption incentive program
under title IV-E of the Social Security Act (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2009,
February).
The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 has a goal of
protecting children from further child abuse by requiring that prospective foster and
adoptive parents and any other adult residents in their home be fingerprinted. If the
prospective parents of their adult residents have resided outside of the State in the
preceding five years then the child abuse and neglect registry must be checked in the
State(s) which they were residing (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2009, February).
And more recently, the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoption Act of
24
2008 continued to increase incentives for adoption. The Act amended the Chafee Foster
Care Independence Program to allow services after age 16 for foster youth who are
adopted or are in a kinship guardianship. The Act also extended the Adoption Incentive
Program to Fiscal Year 2013 with an increase of incentive payments (Child Welfare
Information Gateway, 2009, February). An overlook at the past 35 years of adoption
legislation demonstrates that the needs of foster children and adoptive families have
begun to be recognized through the provision of programs and incentives.
Effective Post-Adoption Service Programs
Throughout North America there are several post-adoption services programs that
have effectively served adoptive families. Although these programs have different
populations and a variety of services, they have all sought out to make positive impacts in
the lives of adoptive families. The following is a brief overview of four of these programs
that have offered post-adoption services:
Oregon’s Post-Adoption Family Therapy Project partnered with two licensed
clinical social workers to go out to the family’s home. One was an adoption worker and
the other a family therapist. The sessions generally focused on empowering the parents to
understand their adopted child’s confused belief system. The idea is that the child’s
confused belief system is the cause of inappropriate behavior. All families that
participated in the project had adopted children with special needs and were classified as
being at risk of disruption. Parents were empowered by learning about adoption issues
such as entitlement, mastery, grief, loss and identity. Services for this program were
25
generally 3.5 months in duration. Oregon’s Post-Adoption Family Therapy model had a
solutions-focused and brief therapy approach (Prew, Suter & Carrington, 1990).
Currently, Oregon has a Post-Adoption Resource Center which offers free
services to adoptive families who adopted from any state’s child welfare system and to
Oregon-assisted guardianship families. Oregon Post-Adoption Resource Center
(ORPARC) is a non-profit that began in 1999 through contract with Oregon’s
Department of Human Services. ORPARC provides information, referrals, support
groups, in-depth consultation, mentorship, parent education through trainings and a
lending library. Posted on their website is a large list of adoption issues separated into
categories such as attachment and bonding, grief and loss, and transracial issues. Families
can call, email, requested via U.S. mail or walk into the library in order to make a book or
CD request. At no cost, ORPARC will mail the book(s) to the family’s home with the
return stamp already paid. The ORPARC library also has some of its resources in
Spanish. ORPARC sends out a quarterly newsletter to families regarding new resources
in the library, adoption issues and upcoming trainings and events for adoptive families
(Northwest Resource Center, 2009).
Illinois offers a state-wide Adoption/Guardianship Preservation Project which
began in the early 1990s to reduce disruptions of adoptions and subsidized guardianships.
The program offers in-depth assessments, intensive therapeutic services, support groups
for children and parents, 24-hour crisis intervention, case management and advocacy
services. Most families receive services for a 6 to 10 month period (North American
Council on Adoptable Children, 2007; Barth et al., 2002; Dore, 2006).
26
The Adoption Support Program (ASP) in B.C., Canada began in 1989 by
providing long-term post-adoption support to its adoptive families. The ASP provides
counseling services, a resource library, networking and support groups, workshops,
respite care, accesses psychological testing, and help for families to deal with the
education system. Some of these services are provided in partnership with other agencies
and mental health agencies (Dhami et al., 2007).
Transracial Adoption
Another aspect of adoption literature discusses the importance of transracial
adoptions and the need for transracial families to have post-adoption support. The MultiEthnic Placement Act (MEPA) of 1994 eliminated barriers to transracial placements by
making illegal the use of race or culture in adoption placement decisions (Samuels, 2010;
de Haymes & Simon, 2003). Samuels (2010) reports it was intended to reduce the time
minority children spend in foster care, specifically Black foster children. Controversy
exists as to whether or not transracial adoptions are in the best interest of a child. The
National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) has been known for a formal
position that opposes the placing of African American children with White families. This
initial policy was approved at the NABSW Fourth Annual Conference in 1972. Currently,
the NABSW has softened its position; however it maintains an emphasis on preserving
children of African Ancestry with a family member of the same culture and race or with
another individual of African Ancestry before considering placing the child outside of the
African Ancestry community (NABSW, 2011). Although matching families racially may
27
be the ideal, it is unrealistic because the number of minority children in foster care is far
greater than the number of minority foster and adoptive parents.
Some argue that a minority child in a stable transracial placement is better than
the child waiting in foster care until a racial match is available. Others argue the need for
a child to have a positive racial identity (Perry, 2010). Regardless of which organizations
stand for and against transracial adoption, with the current legislation, transracial
placements will exists in many adoptive families. Accordingly, child welfare workers
need to be competent and comfortable discussing matters of race, discrimination and
identity formation. Transracial adoption provides for unique challenges to families that
same-race families do not experience. Competent social workers will be able to prepare
and plan with the family for some of those challenges.
Social workers and adoptive families would benefit from being competent in
particular training issues surrounding transracial adoption. The literature on transracial
adoption emphasizes the identity formation of the adopted child. Samuels (2010)
interviewed 25 adult multiracial adoptees. Participants described growing up in middleto upper-class and predominately or exclusively White communities. Participants also
reported their parents’ approaches to socialization as “colorblind,” a common term in
adoption literature describing “we don’t see color.” Critics of this term argue that it is
impossible to not “see color” and that this approach disregards racial heritage by not
taking into account the value of developing a healthy racial identity. All participants in
Samuels’ (2010) study felt they have benefited professionally because of their own
comfort level with white mainstream culture. On the contrary, participants also felt that
28
as children they lacked similar cultural immersion in Black culture which led to a lack of
acceptance by African Americans.
Samuels (2010) found patterns that the participants experienced regarding their
identity formation such as claiming whiteness culturally but not racially, learning to “be
Black,” and identifying biculturally after experiencing authentic Black kinship. Race and
culture often overlap, but particularly with transracial adoptions, the child’s race and
culture may differ. One’s cultural identity is formed by interactions with family and the
broader environment and therefore can be different than one’s racial identity. Most of the
participants in Samuel’s (2010) study were Black adult adoptees raised by White parents.
The participants received their cultural socialization within predominately White contexts
throughout their childhood and accordingly identified strongly with White culture.
Despite being immersed in White culture and identifying with whiteness, all participants
reported “being treated like a black person in America.” Ten of the participants described
that their parents had often supplied them with books on Black people, dolls of color and
attended Black cultural events as a family. Yet the participants did not want to know their
White parents’ understanding of Black culture from afar, rather the participants wanted to
experience it through Black kinship. Participants felt that their parents’ attempts at
teaching their child about Black culture only created a superficial connection to their
Black heritage. As young adults, most of the participants did not remain in predominately
White communities. Instead the participants longed for close relationships with those
they could identify with racially, a journey that did not come easily.
29
Samuels (2010) explains this journey as “learning to be Black.” Participants
described that they were not accepted with Black peer groups because of their White
cultural upbringing. However, they still experienced discrimination amongst Whites.
They were not “Black enough” culturally to be accepted by the African American
community and they were not “White enough” racially to be accepted by Whites. Some
participants described being dark enough to experience racism in their White
communities, but light skinned enough the Black community viewed them as having
privileges and a higher status.
Once participants were in racially diverse high schools, they reported being teased
often about their hair style, clothes, music and the way they walked and talked. The
participants felt that it was difficult to navigate having Black friends in high school
because they did not experience Black culture and relationships in their early childhood.
As young adults, the participants desired Black relationships that would authenticate their
racial identity and therefore they searched for biological family members. After meeting
his paternal father, one participant would even carry around a picture of that father as
“proof” that he had ties to African Americans.
A personal relationship with other African Americans was the key to these
participants identity formation. An imperative piece to post-adoption services is that
transracial families would be connected to one another. Children of a different color than
their parents desperately need the relational connection with other adults and peers that
look similar. It is important that potential adoptive parents have a comfort and familiarity
with the racial community before adopting a child of that racial group. One suggestion
30
that adoptees in Samuels’ (2010) study recommended is that someone wanting to adopt
would first live in a racially diverse neighborhood and already have friends of color. The
adoptees again emphasized how imperative it is that a child of color would have a
cultural mentor or guide to help navigate what it means to be a minority. The adoptees
also suggested that families always adopt more than one child of color, in order that they
would have a sibling with whom they could develop a unique attachment and mutual
understanding of the struggles in identity formation.
Post-adoption services in relation to transracial adoption would teach adoptive
parents about practical, current issues of racism and empower these parents to advocate
for their child. Parents can learn to be a transracial and transcultural family rather than a
couple with transracially adopted kids. Workers that are competent in these transracial
adoption issues can provide post-adoption services that empower families to take on the
challenges of institutionalized racism and identity formation. Without post-adoption
services, the holistic needs of the children are unmet or underserved.
31
Chapter 3
METHODOLOGY
Introduction
Interviews with social workers and supervisors at three different adoption
agencies were conducted to identify how those adoption agencies implement postadoption services for their families. The data was anticipated to be foundational for
implementing a post-adoption service program. During the interviews, the participants
responded to how their agency provides post-adoption services and which organizations
they send families to if the adoption agency itself is unable to provide a service needed.
Also included was what staff’s perception were of the most-needed post-adoption
services. The participants’ professional insights and opinions provide the groundwork for
a new post-adoption services program.
Purpose and Design Procedures
The purpose of the study was for the researcher to gain knowledge on postadoption services in order to lay the foundation for a future program. The researcher used
the snowball sampling method by meeting with professionals from various adoption
agencies in California. Some of the participants were asked for further contacts of anyone
else they would recommend participate in this study. The researcher began making a
connection with participants based on professional contacts. The participants were
contacted by email. The researcher conducted a qualitative in-depth interview of
approximately one hour with each participant at a location of their choice. During the
32
interview the researcher asked 5 demographic questions and 10 open-ended questions
regarding the participants’ expertise and opinion on post-adoption services.
Prior to the researcher’s interviews, the participants read the consent form. The
participant provided their signature to acknowledge they read the form and were therefore
giving their consent to participate. The researcher made clear that they may decline or
withdraw from the study at any time. The participant received their own copy of the
consent form after signing the form.
Participant’s responses were coded and identified by number only. The researcher
took notes and audio taped the interviews. The interview notes, audio tape and consent
form were in a secure mobile lock box during the transportation in the researcher’s
vehicle. Once at the researcher was home, the box was placed in a safe in the closet. This
researcher was the only individual with a key to this lock box. The consent forms were
stored separately from the data. The interview notes, audio tapes and consent forms will
be destroyed by June 1, 2011 after the information has been used for the purpose of this
study. There will not be a list retained identifying anyone approached to participate in
this study. The participant may end their participation at any time in the interview
without consequence by stating that they would like to withdrawal from the study.
Identification and Recruitment
The participants of this research were six individuals employed with a California
adoption agency. The researcher utilized a snowball sampling method, and began making
contact with subjects in February 2011 after Human Subject Approval. Qualitative indepth interviews of approximately one hour in duration were conducted by the
33
researcher. In order to meet the criteria for inclusion in this study, the participants must
have been paid employees at a California adoption agency, holding either a social worker
or supervisory position at the time of the study. This researcher included those with a
classification of social worker or supervisor whose educational background was in social
work (e.g., BSW, MSW, LCSW) and/or whose educational background was in a similar
field (e.g., MFT, LMFT). The criterion for exclusion comprised of anyone other than
those employed at a California adoption agency and who did not either have the
classifications or degrees noted above.
The researcher works in adoption services and recruited participants for the study
by contacting professionals known to the researcher, and asking for additional
professional referrals. The researcher avoided any conflict of interest by maintaining
confidentiality of participants, interviewing professionals who had no personal
relationship with the researcher, and who do not share clients. There were no
inducements given for participation in the study.
Data Analysis
Participant’s responses were coded and identified by number only. The researcher
took notes and audio taped the interviews. The consent forms were stored separately from
the data. Participant interviews were identified as Participant 1-6, and answers to
questions were coded for themes. The data is reported in narrative form along with
groupings of similar responses. Demographic information was summarized and reported.
34
Protection of Human Subjects
The researcher has read and complied with the Policies and Procedures for the
Protection of Human Subjects provided by the Office of Graduate Studies at Sacramento
State University. The protocol for the protection of human subjects was submitted and
approved on February 14, 2011 by the Division of Social Work Committee at Sacramento
State University. The protection of human subjects was approved as posing no rick to the
participants involved.
35
Chapter 4
FINDINGS
Introduction
The intent of this study was to gather information that can be used to develop a
post-adoption service program. The information was gathered through a review of
literature and through one-hour qualitative interviews. The data is groups by themes. This
findings section will describe the participants and report on the 12 themes that emerged
from the interviews.
Demographics
The participants of this study consisted of six adoption staff employed by three
California adoption agencies. All six participants are female, work in both foster care and
adoptions and have a master’s degree in social work or a similar degree. There were three
supervisors and three social workers interviewed. A social worker and a supervisor were
interviewed from three California adoption agencies. Participants 1, 3 and 4 are social
workers that indicated they have between 6-11 years of experience in the field of social
work and between 0-5 years of experience specifically in the field of adoption social
work. Participants 2, 5 and 6 are all supervisors that indicated they have more than 12
years of experience in the field of social work and more than 12 years of experience
specifically in the field of adoption social work.
36
Crisis Contact
Participants were asked by the researcher, “After adoption has been finalized,
who does the family call if they have a crisis?” All six participants (100%) said that the
family could call the agency worker that had previously provided the family with case
management services prior to the adoption finalization. However, Participant 1 specified
that the family could only call that worker, “if the worker has left that door open to say, if
you need help, call me anytime.”
Two supervisors (Participants 2 and 6) also stated that if the worker was not
employed with the agency anymore, then the family could call the social worker’s
supervisor. Three out of six of those interviewed (Participants 4, 5 and 6) responded that
a family in crisis might also call their therapist. Participants 4 and 5 specified that the
family could either be working with a therapist that is employed with their agency or a
therapist out in the community. Participant 6 specifically responded regarding an outside
therapist, not an agency therapist. Participant 6 further stated that in addition to the
agency social worker, supervisor or outside therapist, the family could also contact the
agency’s director or the agency’s warm-line. In her words, “Any of us would take those
calls.”
Referrals
Participants were asked by the researcher, “Where do you send the family for
post-adoption services?” All participants responded with one or more of the following
answers: therapy, support group(s) or the State Adoption’s office. Regarding therapy,
Participants 2, 3, 4, and 5 stated that they would refer the family to their own agency
37
therapist for post-adoption services. Participants 2, 4 and 5 also stated that they would
refer the family to a therapist in the community as well if that outside therapist has been
trained in adoption issues. Participant 4 responded, “A lot of them [the families] we do
send here for therapy and then we train several clinicians in the area on adoption and we
send them there too.” Participant 2 explained that she decides whether to refer the family
to an outside therapist based on if the family is geographically distant from the agency’s
office and “whether they need Medi-Cal because they can’t pay for it privately.”
Two of the six (Participants 3 and 6) responded that they would refer the family to
a support group for post-adoption services. Participant 3 specified that that she would
send the family to a support group in the community. Participant 6 specified that she
would refer the family to an agency support group: “One of the first suggestions I would
have is to come to one of our support groups. We have two of them.”
Lastly, two of the six (Participants 1 and 6) stated that they would refer the family
to the State Adoption’s office for post-adoption services. Participant 6 explained,
Our agency has a grant to provide post-adoption services through the
State. We had one person in that position for many years and now there is
a new lady. There’s a 24 hour warm-line, not that it’s answered 24 hours
but it’s a warm-line and then there’s a direct line to her and she works fulltime with families who’ve finalized.
38
Educational Resources
Participants were asked by the researcher, “In terms of continuing education for
the parents after adoption has been finalized, where do you direct them to for further
educational resources?” Participants had one or more of the following five responses to
this question: agency library, support groups, another adoptive family, a therapist or
training classes. All six participants (100%) responded that they would direct parents to
their own agency library. Participant 6 explained,
We have a library and anyone in the community can come check out
books. They range from children’s books that explain adoption at different
age levels to international adoption to birth parent issues. So it’s a wide
variety of books.
Five of the six (Participants 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) responded that for further educational
resources, they would direct the parents to support groups. Participants 1, 2, 4 and 5
specified that they would direct the parents to a support group the agency offers whereas
participant 3 specified that she would direct the parents to a support group in the
community. Participant 3 was the only participant to also indicate that she would direct
the parents to another adoptive family or to a therapist, within or outside of the agency.
Four of the six (Participants 1, 2, 4 and 5) responded that they would direct the
family to training classes. Participants 1, 4 and 5 spoke of trainings that their agency
provides. Participant 2 would inform the family of websites such as
fosterparentcollege.com. Participants 2 and 5, both supervisors, indicated that they would
also direct the family to classes offered through local community colleges.
39
Therapy Recommendations
The participants were asked by the researcher, “Where do you recommend the
family go for individual, child and/or family therapy?” The participants responded with
either their own in-house therapists, one in the community or both. Participant 3
described how she decides whether to recommend a therapist at her agency or one in the
community: “I would recommend they come here, especially if it’s an adoption issue. If
it’s some other kind of issue I might try to find them a specific therapist. And I’ll usually
try to find them three therapists and give them their contact information and then they can
determine which one they want to use.”
Participants 2, 3, 4 and 5 would recommend either a therapist at their own agency
or one in the community. Participants 1 and 6 would recommend a therapist in the
community because their agency does not have a therapist at their office’s location. One
of the three agencies has a list of therapists. Participant 2 explains, “We keep a list and
keep it current. We don’t want to refer a family to someone we haven’t had contact with
in a couple of years. We’ll talk to the therapist first and interview them on their
techniques.” Of the six participants that would recommend a therapist in the community,
five of those participants (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) stressed that the therapist they are
recommending must be skilled and trained in adoption issues.
Financial Assistance
The participants were asked by the researcher, “Where do you send families for
financial assistance after adoption has finalized?” Participants responded with one or
more of the following four topics: information on the Adoption Assistance Program
40
(AAP), the Victim Witness Assistance Program, the cost of childcare and the financial
stability of the adoptive parents. All six participants (100%) referenced the AAP monies
as a part of the financial assistance available for adoptive families. Five of the six
(Participants 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) at least mentioned the financial difficulties they see for their
adoptive families, but Participant 6 did not discuss financial difficulties for adoptive
families. Rather she stated,
“The AAP money is quite generous. Most kids get just the basic rate
which is in the $400 range and then if they have some diagnosis or
something than it ranges from $500 to $900 and if there’s a child that has
Down syndrome or something then it can go to the $2,000 to $3,000
range. This money comes each month until they’re 18.”
Three of the six (Participants 1, 2 and 3) also discussed the Victim Witness
Assistance Program. Participant 1 explained,
Victim Witness is a program that was started for victims of crime. It’s
great. It pays higher than medical and you get 40 sessions of therapy and
almost any therapist takes it because they’re guaranteed their money. The
only downside is that it takes a while to get approval and sometimes by the
time families ask for therapy, they’re already in a major crisis.
Three of the six (Participants 1, 4 and 6) discussed issues of childcare.
Participants 4 and 6 described that childcare is an important service that their agency
offers during the time that parents are in a support group. Participant 1 elaborated on why
the cost of child care can be such a burden to the adoptive family,
41
Part of the issue becomes the cost of childcare because they [the families]
need to pay out of pocket for childcare. And when their child is getting
kicked out of some daycares because of behavioral issues, then the family
needs to find one-on-one childcare which is expensive.
Two of the six (Participants 1 and 3), both social workers, discussed how
important it is that the family is financially stable. Participant 1 said,
Part of the criteria for adopting is to be financially stable. Similarly,
participant 3 responded, “The families really have to be financially stable
to even adopt. If it’s not financially feasible for them, then we’ll let them
know upfront that this may not be the best time for you.
Services Most-Needed for Adoptive Parents
Participants were asked by the researcher about their opinion on what postadoption services are most-needed for adoptive parents. Participants responded with one
or more of the following: education, therapy, support groups or staff availability. The
participants’ emphasis indicated that education (Participants 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) and
therapy (Participants 2, 3 and 5) are the two most-needed post-adoption services for
parents.
Education. All six participants (100%) stated that education is a critical postadoption service for parents. In terms of how that education should be implemented, all
six participants (100%) indicated that the parents should be continually educated through
training classes. In explaining why parents need training after finalization, Participant 1
explained,
42
We put our families through PRIDE training before they get children, so
they get the information and take home a binder, but when they’re in it,
it’s something totally different. Very rarely do they understand what it
means to be an adoptive parent, no matter how much training they get
beforehand. People’s expectations are over the top. People are not at all
prepared for the work that goes into it. And even the most behaved child
may have something attached to them that make it a lot of work.
Participants 1, 2 and 3 responded that parents need training classes on grief, loss
and understanding that raising foster children is different than raising biological children.
Participant 1 explained, “We get disruptions because families don’t understand what it
means to be a foster child. They don’t understand how a child can function well in one
area and then not in another.” Participants 1 and 3, both social workers, indicated that
parents also need post-adoption training on birth parent issues. Participant 4 responded
that she sees parents needing further training on the developmental stages of children. In
her words,
So many of our parents come with not too much experience with kids
which we’re finding more recently. So when we are asking about where
the child is developmentally, they don’t know because they haven’t spent
much time with kids. So they really need some basic child development
education.
Participant 6 indicated that parents need training on issues of race and identity after
adoption as well.
43
Therapy. Three of the six (Participants 2, 3 and 5) indicated that therapy is a
most-needed post-adoption service. Support Groups. One of the six (Participant 2)
responded that support groups are one of the most-needed services for parents, “because
you don’t have a normal kid, you have one with huge grief and loss issues.” Staff
Availability. One of the six (Participant 5) indicated that it is a most-needed services for
parents that staff are available. In her words,
One of the things that’s really important is that we are available [to
parents] all times of the day and night. And most of them don’t take too
much advantage of that but just that comfort that comes that if they can’t
get their social worker then they can get me, and if they can’t get me, they
can call our senior social worker. They don’t feel like no one’s going to
return their call or that their social worker’s on vacation for three weeks so
they don’t feel like they can get any help for three weeks. It’s definitely
not like that here at all. And I think that’s the difference between us and
the county as well.
Services Most-Needed for Adopted Children
Participants were asked by the researcher about their opinion on what postadoption services are most-needed for children after being adopted. All six participants
(100%) responded that therapy is the most-needed service. Participant 4 emphasized the
use of life books for children as well. One of the six (Participant 2) responded that “being
in a therapeutic support group of other adoptive kids [is needed] so they don’t think
they’re alone and it helps them feel, not weird.” One of the six (Participant 6) responded
44
that speech services are needed for children too. In her words, “50% of our kids have
speech problems, especially the younger kids because when they were little nobody
worked with them.”
Ideal Post-Adoption Service Program
Participants were asked by the researcher, “If your agency could have a complete
and ideal post-adoption service program and there were no financial barriers, what would
that look like to you?” The most frequent responses to this question were: On-site
therapist (six of six participants), library (three of six participants), support groups (three
of six participants), recreational activities (two of six participants), and training classes
(two of six participants). Participants 1, 3 and 6 had further ideas which no other
participant suggested, such as: a list of respite resources (Participant 1), the agency
supervising visits with birth family (Participant 1), on-site, drop-in child care (Participant
1), on-site agency psychiatrist (Participant 1), clinicians for in-home services (Participant
3), outreach to the adoption community (Participant 3), and an on-site agency
“interdisciplinary team consisting of a social worker, a doctor, a therapist, a behaviorist
and the parents” (Participant 6). Regarding the agency supervising visits with birth
family, Participant 1 explained, “I think if it was taken out of their [the adoptive parents’]
hands to supervise a visit with bio parents or siblings, they would be more willing to do
it.”
On-site therapist. All six participants (100%) indicated that on-site therapy with
an agency therapist would be a part of an ideal post-adoption service program. Participant
3 explained,
45
Our adoptive families are not calling in because they need a little extra
support and just to talk things out. If they’re calling in it’s because
something has gone awry with their child and they need something pretty
severe like really intense therapy.
Library. All participants have a library at their agency. Participants 2, 4 and 5 indicated
that they would like to have a “bigger library” as a part of an ideal post-adoption service
program. Support Groups. Participants 1, 2 and 3 view support groups as a part of an
ideal post-adoption service program. Participant 2 emphasized, “Definitely support
groups for adopted children.” Recreational Activities. Participants 4 and 6 indicated that
recreational activities would be a part of an ideal post-adoption service program.
Participant 6 explained, “For some of the parents and kids it’s nice to just go recreate
with other families similar to you.” Training Classes. Participants 2 and 6, both
supervisors, indicated that training classes are another piece of an ideal post-adoption
service program. Participant 2 responded, “On-site classes and a webinar so parents in
rural areas could get served.” Participant 6 suggested that the training classes focus on the
different behavioral issues that typically arise at the various developmental stages. Her
two examples were, “The younger kids are always lying and the older kids have these
identity things going on.”
Enhancing Programming
Participants were asked by the researcher, “What other thoughts do you have that
would enhance programming?” There were four areas that participants discussed in
response to this question: supports changing, connecting families to each other, length of
46
employment and issues of funding. Supports Changing. Three of the six (Participants 1, 2
and 3) indicated that families are unaware how significantly their support will change.
Participant 1 explained
It just has to be understood that post-adoption poses totally different issues
than when the child was in adoptive placement or even initial foster care
placement. When it’s a foster placement they have all these supports in
place, from WRAP and Focus services to two adoption workers always on
hand and you have a county worker or state worker and your agency
worker and then sometimes you even have an FFA worker. So you have
all these people that are at your beck and call – and some families pretty
much do their own thing and don’t call anybody and some families utilize
every person attached to the child – and when they finalize its an instant
cut of almost all those services.
Participant 2 responded by stating, “I think it’s a real disservice to get as much support as
they get during the adoption process and then be sent out there alone.” Participant 3
responded with a similar sentiment, “I think that post-adoption services really get the
short end of the stick because once they’ve adopted, they’re not anybody’s problem.
Connecting Families to Each Other. Three of the six (Participants 2, 3 and 5)
expressed that it is important for adoptive families to connect with one another.
Participant 2 stated, “Sometimes we’ll hook families up and connect them because it’s
easier to go to a peer sometimes rather than to a clinician. And they’ll baby sit each
others kids too.” Length of Employment. Two of the six (Participants 2 and 6) indicated
47
that adoptive families benefit after finalization because their agencies have adoption staff
that have been employed with the agency many years later. Participant 6 explained, “One
nice thing about post-adoption services here is we have so many workers that stay here a
long time and so the families feel comfortable calling back.” Issues of Funding. Two of
the six (Participants 2 and 6) discussed that there is not enough funding available for
post-adoption services. Participant 2 stated, “I just wish there was more funding.”
Similarly, Participant 3 expressed, “Some families can’t wait to get rid of us and others
are terrified of being on their own. But the hard thing is there’s not a lot of funding
sources.”
48
Chapter 5
CONCLUSIONS
Summary
There are thousands of children in foster care (U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services AFCARS Report, 2009) in need of an adoptive home. These children
and the families that adopt them need services to still be available after finalization of the
adoption. The purpose of this study was to explore post-adoption services and gather
adoption staff perceptions of important elements. The practical components from
documenting these perceptions will serve as the foundation in implementing a postadoption service program for an adoption agency. There are three themes in which the
findings of this research supports the review of literature: Post-adoption services need to
be available and of those available services, educating adoptive parents and providing
clinical services are the most important and most-needed services for adoptive families.
Specifically, adoptive families need education to better understand and accept their
adopted foster child and they need therapeutic resources to help work through issues of
grief and loss.
The Need For Services. The literature reviewed (Barth et al., 2002; Dhami, 2007)
and the data from this study indicate that there are families who utilize post-adoption
services and there are families who do no utilize the services even when those services
are available. Participant 3 emphasized that if a family is making the effort to call, then
they really need the help. Although not all families will utilize post-adoption services, the
literature and the data from this study indicate that the services need to be available.
49
Educational Services. All 6 participants (100%) of this study reiterated during the
interviews, the importance of educational training for the adoptive parents. One
supervisor (Participant 5) explained that the more educated the parent is on adoption
issues, the more likely they will “hang in with their child and not give up.” The literature
supports this strong emphasis on education. The Child Welfare Information Gateway
(2006, March) states how educated adoptive parents can help emotionally prepare their
child for the predictable triggers that adopted children encounter. In Dhami’s (2007)
study, the data from adoptive parents also supports the critical elements of educated
parents.
Clinical Services. All 6 participants (100%) of this study communicated the
importance of clinical services. In fact, regarding an ideal post-adoption service program,
the participants had a variety of answers, but on-site therapy was the only service that all
6 participants indicated is necessary in order for an ideal program. The data from
Dhami’s (2007) study supports this emphasis on clinical services. In that study, the data
from adoptive parents rated clinical services as significantly more important than material
services.
Participants from this study are adoption staff who indicated that educational and
clinical service are the most-needed post-adoption services for families. The participants
of Dhami’s (2007) study are adoptive parents. Despite the differences in the population of
participants, the data from this study supports the conclusions of Dhami’s study in three
ways: Post-adoption services need to be available and of those available services,
50
educating adoptive parents and providing clinical services are the most important and
most-needed services for adoptive families.
Recommendations
This researcher has recommendations for further research, for adoption agencies
already providing post-adoption services and for adoption agencies wanting to provide
post-adoption services. For further research, a larger population of adoption staff should
be interviewed. The participants in this research study are employed at adoption agencies
in California. In order for the data to be more generalizable, research would need to be
done across States and in other countries with comparable child welfare systems. In this
study, the participants’ agencies had similarities, such as length of time as an adoption
agency. As a result of these similarities, participants shared similar responses and
experiences. Further research should include adoption agencies that are well-established
and those that are newer. This research study consisted of six female adoption staff but
further research should include a more diverse population. This researcher recommends
that adoptive parents be interviewed or surveyed regarding their post-adoption needs. The
opinions of adults who were adopted from foster care would also be invaluable to the
field of adoption.
For adoption agencies already providing post-adoption services, this researcher
has several recommendations based in the review of literature and the experience of this
study. During the collection of data, this researcher interviewed a supervisor and a social
worker from three adoption agencies. Although employed with the same agency,
supervisors and social workers varied in response when communicating their agency’s
51
expectations on post-adoption services. Therefore, this researcher would recommend
areas of training for adoption staff regarding what post-adoption services the agency
provides and the agency’s expectation of their adoption staff to provide the services
directly. This researcher would also recommend an evaluation of the effectiveness of
post-adoption services for the agencies that provide those services.
For adoption agencies wanting to implement a post-adoption service program, this
researcher suggests that the agency first inform its adoption staff that post-adoption
services are now being offered. The agency will need to provide training to the adoption
staff regarding protocols and expectation. For example, if the agency desires that all postadoption calls are filtered to the main office or if the agency’s expectation is that the
worker who wrote the home study receives post-adoption calls and provides the service
or referral needed. This researcher suggests that after agency protocols and expectations
have been communicated to the adoption staff, implementation of post-adoption services
occurs in three phases.
The first phase is in consideration that the literature and the data from this study
indicate that education and therapeutic services are the most-important and most-needed
for adoptive families. Therefore, the first phase would include creating a library of
adoption resources, facilitating a support group for adoptive parents and create a resource
list of therapists who are skilled in adoption issues. The resource library would consist of
books, CDs, and DVDs that pertain to adoption issues for children and adults and could
be checked-out in person. Also as a means to provide continuing education, agencies
could invite adoptive families to come to the trainings being offered to the pre-adoptive
52
families and also provide current information on foster and adoption classes being offered
at the local community colleges. This researcher suggests that in the first phase of a postadoption service program, the agency facilitates support groups for adoptive parents. As a
final step in the first phase, this researcher recommends the agency develop a list of
therapists who have been trained in adoption issues. The list should be kept current. An
agency staff will need to interview the therapists on their theories and modalities. When
families call and are in need of therapy, the agency is then prepared to give
recommendations of therapists in the community.
The second phase of implementing a post-adoption service program should
consist of providing support groups for adopted children and adopted adolescents. The
second phase also includes further development of phase 1 services, specifically,
providing childcare for the support groups and developing a system for families to be
able to check-out from the library by calling in or visiting the agency website. This would
require administrative support to receive the phone calls and online orders. There would
be a cost to the agency for the delivery of the resource(s) through the mail. In the second
phase of the implementation process, the agency should develop a newsletter for the
families which would inform families of the post-adoption service offered. The
newsletter could contain inspiring adoption stories, resources for parents and upcoming
trainings and events. The newsletter can be sent electronically as a means to save on
costs.
The third phase of implementation consists of hiring a clinician whose primary
roles consist of leading trainings, providing therapy, and facilitating support groups.
53
Since the families become familiar with this clinician during the trainings and support
groups, they may be more likely to participate in therapy. Regarding paying the
therapists, the agency has a few options, such as the family or their insurance paying for
the service.
The three phases recommended by the researcher are a starting point for adoption
agencies that desire to provide post-adoption services. Ideally, the agency would
eventually implement a fourth phase which would include a crisis hotline, workshops for
adoptive parents and promoting recreational activities for adoptive families, such as
camping and ice skating. The recommendations are based on the conclusion that since
adoption is a lifelong process, the professionals in the adoption field must directly or by
referral provide the services necessary for adoptive families.
54
APPENDIX A
Questionnaire on Post-Adoption Services
1. Gender:
Male
Female
Transgender
2. Years in field of Social Work:
0-5
6-11
12+
3. Years in Adoption Social Work:
0-5
6-11
12+
4. Your Position:
Social Worker
Supervisor
Both
5. Do you work in:
Foster Care
Adoptions
Both
6. After adoption has been finalized, who does the family call if they have a crisis?
7. Where do you send the family for post-adoption services?
8. In terms of continuing education for the parents after adoption has been finalized,
where do you direct them to for further educational resources?
9. Where do you recommend the family go for individual, child and/or family
therapy?
10. Where do you send families for financial assistance after adoption has finalized?
11. What types of services do you see are needed for the children post-adoption?
12. What types of services do you see are needed for the parents post-adoption?
13. In your professional opinion, what are the most-needed adoption services after an
adoption has been finalized?
14. If your agency could have a complete and ideal post-adoption service program
and there were no financial barriers, what would that look like to you?
15. What other thoughts do you have regarding post-adoption services that would
enhance programming?
55
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