Preparing school age children for special needs adoption: perspectives of successful adoptive parents and caseworkers
Year: 2005
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study explored child preparation for adoption from the perspective of 55 successful \nadoptive parents and 26 corresponding caseworkers from 19 different states and 27 \ndifferent agencies. Children in this study were placed from the foster care system into \nadoptive homes when they were between the ages of six and fifteen years. The results of \nthis study add to the understanding of how children have been prepared for adoption from \nthe perspective of the adoptive parents who are responsible for nurturing and guiding \nthese children to adulthood. This study also offers exploratory data on the understanding \nof adoption preparation from the perspective of the workers responsible for preparing \nchildren for adoption. Qualitative and quantitative analysis were conducted to explore \nthe variation in child preparation activities and the relationship between the child’s \npreparation for adoption and long term outcomes for the adoptive family including the \nuse of post adoption services. Findings suggest that preparing children for adoption is a \nprocess that extends beyond the placement of the child into the adoptive home. Findings \nalso highlight the pivotal role of adoptive parents in preparing school age children for the \nlife long ramifications of adoption. Although many models of preparation exist, the \nresults of this study also suggest that children are not being prepared for adoption in a \nsystematic or consistent manner across agencies nationwide. Findings indicate that \nchildren who are adopted by foster parents or kinship families receive less preparation for \nadoption than children who are adopted by general applicants. Results also highlight the \nneed for workers to understand and consider the child’s experience and history with the \nchild welfare system as they individualize adoption preparation activities to meet the \nunique needs of the child.
Author: Michele D. Hanna
Language: English
Topic: Child Welfare and Adoption
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1916312659