ADOPT
Adoption Development Outreach
Planning Team
Est. - February 1972
35th Anniversary
ADOPT Purpose and Membership
ADOPT is committed to promoting and assuring the right of
children in Virginia to permanent homes through
advocacy, education, legislative activities, and
examination of practice issues.
ADOPT is a voluntary child-advocacy group open to
professionals from public and private child welfare
agencies, adoptive parents, therapists, attorneys
and all others interested in promoting our purpose.
HISTORY
ADOPT began as a collaboration of public and private child
placing agencies in February of 1972.
ADOPT collaborated in order to coordinate and broaden
adoption opportunities for Virginia’s “waiting children.”
ADOPT raised the follow question to guide their collaboration:
How do we serve children in long term foster care?
Can we identify families who will give these children
permanence?
How to identify children who would be appropriate for
adoption?
HISTORY - Continued
ADOPT was a relatively small group and grew to the point
that it was necessary to institute dues, adopt by-laws
and establish definite quarterly meeting times.
Title XX funding reduction resulted in staff cutbacks and
smaller ADOPT meetings and attendance
In 1984 membership procedures were revised, members
were recruited and subcommittees were formed:
- Legislation, Membership/Procedures, Practice/Values,
Policy, Training, and Illegal Placements
ADOPT in the Seventies
-Elected Officers – 1973
-Started Charging Dues – 1978
-Quarterly Meetings Started, March, June, Sept., Dec. - 1978
-Adopting Handicapped Children Conference - June 1979
- Guidelines for Agency Adoptive Placements - Preparing
Children and Families - Revised 1979
ADOPT in the Seventies - Continued
-Adoption Assistance - Nevelle Weeks
- Issues were infant adoption, infertility, artificial insemination,
AREVA registration, identifying minority children, older
children and children with handicapping conditions - the
outcome was “To expand ADOPT goals as well as their
membership in order to effect changes in state policy and
legislation, which would promote permanency for ALL Virginia
children who could benefit by adoption.”
ADOPT in the Eighties
- Importance of Parent Support Groups
- Recruitment of Families to meet MEPA requirements
- Curriculum Development for Best Practices in Adoptive
parent preparation
- Due to state cutbacks, workloads increase and membership
suffered
ADOPT in the Eighties - Continued
- Open Adoption
- Adoptive Search
- Trans-racial adoption issues
- Illegal Placements
- Subsidized Adoption
- Parental Placement
ADOPT in the Nineties
- Adoption Search and effect on Triad
- Committee Formed to Research Drug Addicted Babies
- HIV Committee
- Surrogacy
- Subsidized Adoption
- Parental Placement Issues
ADOPT in the Nineties - Continued
- Birth Father Rights
- IVE and Federal Guidelines
- Membership Committee cut and responsibilities added to
Treasurer, limit lifted on the number of ADOPT
members
- Post Adoption Committee formed
- Public/Private Partnerships emerged under Federal Grants
ADOPT in the New Millennium
- Membership Committee Reinstated
- Awards Committee Formed
- Match Retreats
- Concurrent Planning/Full Disclosure
- Dual Approval of Families
- Training on Writing of Home Studies
ADOPT in the New Millennium - Continued
- Subsidy Changes
- Gay/Lesbian Adoption
- Brain Trauma and Attachment in Adoption
- Alternatives to Talk Therapies
- Heart Gallery
ADOPT Adoption Barriers and
Accomplishments
in the first five years:
Sondra Draper
The need for fuller utilization of AREVA services
- Recommended mandatory registration of
children and families
- Recommended a photo listing of children
and families
ADOPT Adoption Barriers and
Accomplishments
in the first five years:
Brenda Kerr
The need for Legislation to permit subsidized adoption in VA
- Worked to secure enactment of subsidized adoption
legislation in Virginia
ADOPT Adoption Barriers and
Accomplishments
in the first five years:
Brenda Kerr
The need for accurate information and children in foster care
- An ADOPT questionnaire became the prototype
on which the foster care status report and
information system was based
ADOPT Adoption Barriers and
Accomplishments
in the first five years:
The need for more specific definitions and judicial guidelines
for psychological neglect and abandonment of children
- Proposed statute for Virginia on the TPR, TPR
laws strengthen in 1977
ADOPT Adoption Barriers and
Accomplishments
in the first five years:
Sharon Richardson
The need for guidelines in the preparation and placement of
children for adoption and emphasis on the older or
handicapped children
- The development of the handbook on “Guidelines
for Agency Adoptive Placements”
ADOPT Adoption Barriers and
Accomplishments
in the first five years:
Sondra Draper
The need for continuing public awareness for the “children
who wait” for adoption.
- The development of “Adoption Questions and
Answers”