Submitted April 2011 by Daniel Sheriff, SW, MCFD
New Findings on Exploring Motivations to Adopt from the National Survey of Adoption Parents
The National Survey of Adoption Parents (NSAP) is the first national survey on adopted children from different types of adoption. The NSAP also provides a variety of information on the characteristics and well-being of adopted children and their adopted families. The NSAP was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and the DHHS Administration for Children and Families. The Survey was carried out by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Centre for Health Statistics (NCHS).
The Survey’s Structure
The National Survey of Adoption Parents was a randomized digital-dial telephone survey. The Survey targeted households with children under 18 years of age who lived with their adopted parents; questions were catered to the parents and primarily focused on their adopted child(ren)’s health and overall development. The NSAP was administered from April 2007 to July 2008 and allowed for the collection of information from a total of 2,089 participants.
Because the NSAP is a national survey, researchers were allowed to access its content and conduct their own studies. In response to various inquiries from researchers who took advantage of this opportunity, The Adoption Quarterly, a scholarly academic research journal, presented an entire issue on studies that recycled the NSAP data. The purpose of this article is to focus on one study that used the NSAP in order to better understand why parents choose to adopt.
Exploring Motivations to Adopt
Karin Malm and Kate Welti from Child Trends, a non-profit, nonpartisan child development research center, analysed the results from the NSAP to better understand why parents adopt as well as motivations for choosing specific adoption types: private adoption, international adoption and adoption from foster care. Malm and Welti (2010) only examined 57% of the NSAP original sample, and analysed their data through a series of statistical formulas in order to compare motivation types for adoption.
A Look at Previous Research on Adoption Motivations
Previous research has scantly linked a family’s inability to produce children as a conventional motive for seeking adoption efforts; for example, in 2000, Leslie Hollingsworth, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan, School of Social Work, compared and studied a sample of women and concluded that women who sought treatment for infertility were five times more likely to seek adoption. In addition, a previous study in 1996 by Marianne Barry, Ph.D., currently at the University of Kansas, School of Social Welfare concluded that more than half of their sample (69% of adopted parents) decided to adopt because they were unable to have biological children.
Other studies have noted that parents’ desiring to help a child in need actively pursue adoption efforts. In 2003, Tyzoon Tyebjee, Ph.D, from the Leavey School of Business at Santa Carla University, found that parents wanting to provide a positive family experience for a child, willing to make a difference in a child’s life, and knowing that there are a great number of children in need, were considerably motivated to not only foster children but to adopt as well – especially with respect to international adoption. In addition, Professor Tyebjee also reported that ‘religious/spiritual’ beliefs were also associated to wanting to adopt as well.
The David Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA), an agency dedicated to help facilitate foster-to-adoption opportunities, conducted an Attitude to Adoption Survey in 2007. The DTFA discovered from the survey that people are more likely to adopt a child subsequently knowing that a friend(s) or family member(s) was adopted. In correlation with the foster care system, more than half of the parents surveyed reported that they considered adopting a child from foster care because of some degree of exposure to the foster care system.
Another interesting finding is from The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). In 2009, the DHHS studied adopted families and noted that parents who were adopted were, in turn, more likely to adopt. This finding indicates that a direct experiential relationship with adoption can motivate parents to expand their family through adoption.
Current Findings on Motivations to Adopt
Malm and Welti’s (2010) findings are somewhat parallel to previous research results on motivations for adoption. For example, according to their study, 80% of parents explored adoption efforts in order to provide a permanent home for a child, and 78% of parents reported that they considered adoption because of unsuccessful efforts to produce biological children. However, in efforts to expand our understanding on this topic, Malm and Welti (2010) noted that infertile couples, preferred to explore private adoption means than international and foster care efforts. They further noted that infertile couples reported to be more satisfied with their adoption decisions when compared to non-infertile couples. Furthermore, Malm and Welti (2010) indicated that infertile couples are more resilient in their parenting skills, and therefore, are predisposed to be more satisfied with their adoption experience than non-infertile adoption parents. This interesting finding tells us that resiliency is a fundamental skill for adoption parents which in turn can contribute to successful adoption outcomes.
Adoption from Foster Care
The research findings on motivations for adopting children from foster care were particularly interesting when compared to other adoption types, i.e., international and private. “ Wanting an infant ” was reported to be the main reason for parents – who choose private and international adoption – to adopt. However, with respect to the foster care system, Malm and Welti (2010) found that parents seeking adoption explored the foster care system because it was inexpensive and less-strenuous when compared to other adoption approaches. In addition, 45% of the sample who choose international and private adoption efforts queried the foster care system first before looking at other adoption methods. These findings indicate that a good number of prospective parents have considered the foster care system for adoption before exploring other adoption types. Conversely, Malm and Welti (2010) noted that only 37% percent of parents considered adopting from the foster care system for the second time: adopting a second child. This tells us that although the foster care system is a popular and conventional method for adoption, it is not vigorously utilized and maintains poor retention for parents pursuing adoption for a second time.
What Does This Mean?
The aim of this research study was designed to produce findings that can help improve adoption recruitment efforts by gaining a better understanding on parent’s motivations to adopt. Although Malm and Welti (2010) found that most of their sample embraced international and private means when adopting a child, the foster care system continues to be the popular approach for adoption query. In order to improve adoption efforts from foster care, it is essential for parents to establish a “ parent-child relationship ” as a foster parent before actively pursuing adoption. This recommendation is supported by evidence as Malm and Welti (2010) discovered that 91% of parents who fostered their child before adoption, returned to the foster care system to adopt a second child. Finally, this study brought to light that factors such as one’s willingness to provide a good home for a vulnerable child, prior exposure to adoption, and conditions of infertility, are currently the leading factors that motivate parents to expand their family through adoption.
If you would like more information on the Nation Survey of Adoption Parents, please visit: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/WADO .
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/slaits/nsapsn.htm
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/09/NSAP/index.shtml
http://www.norc.org/projects/national+survey+of+adoptive+parents.htm
Reference:
Bramlett, M. D., & Radel, L.F. (2010). The National Survey of Adopted Parents: An Introduction to the Special Issue of Adoption Quarterly. Adoption Quarterly, 13(3-4), 147-156.
Berry, M., Barth, R.P., & Needell, B. (1996). Preparation, support, and satisfaction of adoptive families in agency and independent adoptions. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 13(2), 157-183.
Childs Trends: Research to improve children’s lives. Retrieved from http://www.childtrends.org/
David Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Mission and Values. Retrieved from http://www.davethomasfoundation.org/Home
Hollingsworth, L. D. (2000). Who seeks to adopt a child? Findings from a National Survey of Family Growth (1995). Adoption Quarterly, 3(3), 1-23.
Malm. K., & Welti. K. (2010). Exploring motivations to adopt. Adoption Quarterly, 13 (3), 185-208.
Radel, L.F., Bramlett, M.D. (2010). Commentary: Research Possibilities Using the National Survey of Adoptive Parents. Adoption Quarterly, 13 (3), 292-301.
Tyebjee, T. (2003). Attitude, interest, and motivation for adoption and foster care. Child Welfare, 82(6), 685-706.
Vandivere, S., Malm, K., & Radel, L. (2009). Adoption USA: A chartbook based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoption Parents. Washington, DC: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
Submitted September 01st 2010 by Daniel Sheriff, SW, MCFD
Placement Attachment in Foster Homes
Attaining stability in child welfare is a popular topic of discussion amongst social service practitioners. Other than protecting children, child welfare systems allocate a considerable amount of time and resources to ensure their service users have equal opportunity to feel wanted and stable during their time in care.
Stability and attachment are interconnected; both elements are essential to childhood development, and they help to determine how children fare in a fostering atmosphere. Foster parents work very hard on developing healthy attachments for children in care; however, research supports that attaining a healthy attachment is challenging. This is because children in care have a firm likelihood of developing insecure attachments and have preconceived negative ideologies about their caregivers. Despite being fundamental in child progression, stability through attachment has its challenges.
Gordon Jack from the school of Applied Social Sciences at Durham University published a study on understanding the links between children’s attachment and their environment. This study referenced research from the fields of human geography and environmental psychology, and discussed that very few social service professionals have considered the bond between healthy attachment and placement environments.
Placement attachment is associated with the memories, feelings and beliefs of a person. It is also connected with personal, social and cultural meanings that are attached to an individual’s physical environment (Cuba and Hummon, 1993; Proshansky et al., 1983 as cited in Jack, 2010).
A child’s connection with their environment holds significant meaning to current and future outcomes. Their milieu consists of social indicators that help develop self-esteem and internal-resiliency, and Jack (2010) indicated that feelings of belonging are at their strongest when children have connected with their local community. It is for these reasons why foster parents should know more about the development of placement attachment in children and young people.
Foster Parents Contribution to Placement Attachment
There are an array of resources foster parents can access to better understand the complexities of attachment. In the spirit of “keeping it simple,” I suggest for caregivers to pay attention to five things that can help facilitate a healthy placement attachment in their home (the following information has been cited from Gordon Jack’s 2010 study):
1. Help your foster child experience a cluster of events in your home that are personal in meaning; for example, learning to ride a bicycle, caring for a pet, or cooking a favourite meal. These experiences will help your foster child link practical thoughts to your home thus re-affirming a positive attachment.
2. Register your foster child in community-based or recreational programs. A strong sense of belonging and placement attachment is most prevalent when a child, or youth, is constructively involved and accepted in their community; for example, little league baseball, hockey camps, arts and crafts programming, or karate classes. It is essential for children and youth to have meaningful experiences and relationships beyond their home and school environment.
3. Daily experiences are sensitive learning tools for children, so crucial that in 2007 the Sustainable Development Commission, an independent government advisor on sustainable development, owned by the federal government but governed by a board in the UK, publically indicated that children’s daily experiences of living and learning in an environment is critical to their overall well-being (Sustainable Development Commission, 2007 as cited in Jack, 2010). Therefore, foster parents should try to make every-day in their home a positive learning experience which includes finding productive solutions to challenging disruptions expressed by their foster child.
4. Adolescent caregivers have a challenging responsibility to not only establish support and stability for their foster children, but to do so with knowing that their foster child may have a lengthy history of personal complexities and trauma. Therefore, research indicates that caregivers must first try to understand the social, emotional and ethnic cultural rules, also known as ‘social codes and expectations,’ which your foster child embrace before getting to know their personality and characteristics. By doing so, you will better understand the reasoning behind their behaviour, which in turn will better prepare you to respond effectively and efficiently to their challenging and “attention seeking” behaviour.
5. Foster parents must clearly understand that a child’s length of stay in an out-of-home placement is not always a reliable indicator that a healthy attachment has been established. It is essential for foster parents to remember that the quality and intensity of a child’s foster home experience is more significant than the duration or “total length of time” spent in a placement.
Foster Children can develop a personal, social and cultural identity with their foster home. This becomes achievable when foster parents can help their foster children establish social and personal connections with their community.
Foster parents work very hard to ensure that foster children are loved and feel a sense of belonging when living in foster care. Foster parents should understand that it is not only their relationship that counts when developing secure attachments with their foster children but that their foster home environment, and community, is just as important.
If you would like more information on Gordan Jack’s study, please visit: bjsw.oxfordjournals.org
Reference:
Cuba, L. & Hummmon, D.M. (1993) A place to call home: Identification with dwelling, community and region, The sociological Quarterly, 34 (1), 111-131.
Jack., G. (2010). Placement matters: The significance of placement attachments for children’s well-being, British Journal of Social Work, 40, 755-771.
Proshansky, H. M.,Fabian, A. K. & Kaminoff, R. (1983) Place identity: Physical world socialization of the self, Journal of Environmental Psychology, 3, 57-83.
Sustainable Development Commission (2007). Every Childs Future Matters, London, SDC.
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July 15th 2010 Written and Submitted by Daniel Sherriff, SW, MCFD
The child welfare system is an establishment of services designed to keep maltreated children safe. To evaluate how well children are doing in the system, one would need to properly define success and what it looks like. This exploration should include how children in care transition from childhood to adolescence, then from adolescence to adulthood. Although social workers are the decision makers in the child welfare system, foster parents and alternative caregivers play an essential role in the overall wellbeing and success of children in care. This article is designed to provide you with new information on how your foster child(ren) may live or experience life as a young adult(s).
The Midwest Evaluation of Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth Study is a comprehensive evaluation on how former foster youth are living in adulthood. The Midwest Study is a collaborative effort among the child protection systems in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. This study initially conducted interviews on 763 youths when they aged out of the child protection system. The first sets of interviews were called “base-line interviews.” The researchers re-interviewed these teens a year later, and then again when they were 21 years old. Finally these teens were re-interviewed for a fourth time when they were 23 to 24 year of age. This article covers the fourth wave of interviews carried out on these former children in care. In order to better understand how this group were living as young adults, the researchers compared them to a group of adults who had not been in care. It is important to note that those with chronic mental health and youth justice associations during the first wave of interviews, better known as the base-line interviews, were excluded from the study.
Preparation for Independent Living
History tells us that former children in care struggle when they age out of the child protection system
,
and are forced to live on their own. During the first wave of interviews, the Midwest study found that 25% of participants were very prepared to live independently when they exited from care. This percentage increased to 66% when the participants were 23 to 24 years of age.
This information tells us that children in care are still ill-prepared to live self-sufficiently once leaving care; however, they do learn the compulsory skills as they get older. The study also found that children in care would prefer to learn semi-independent skills at an earlier age rather than a few years before leaving the system. In addition, budgeting and money management were two skills that were not adequately taught to this group while in care.
Living Arrangements
The Midwest study found that 49% of the participants lived on their own, 14% lived with a relative, and 7% lived with a partner. Surprisingly, 67% lived in three or more places from the time they aged out of care to their 23rd or 24th birthday.
Homelessness continues to be a problem among children in care. Half of the young adults were homeless more than once, and 24% were homeless for four or more times. The common theme with this information is that children in care continue to struggle with sustaining stability and permanency as young adults. This finding brings us closer to understanding the possible long-term effects of institutionalization (e.g., experiencing multiple placements and child protection workers) among children and youth who have spent substantial periods of their lives in care.
Employment and Earnings
Finding and sustaining employment is a popular subject with respect to youth in care. The Midwest study found that 84% were employed at least once in their young adult lives; however, only 48% were employed during the fourth wave of interviews. Most of these young adults worked more hours for less pay when compared to those who were not previously in care. To compensate for their low wages, these former children in care relied heavily on their birth families and friends for money. As a result, most were in serious debt and developed severe food insecurities; e.g., 39% worried about running out of food, and 36% could not afford food when they ran out.
Education
It is not a surprise when hearing that children in care are underachieving in schools and academic settings; however, the Midwest study reported some promising results: 75% of the group had a high school education at age 23 to 24, and 33% completed one year of college.
Although it is refreshing to know that more than half of the participants in this study experienced school success after aging out of the child protection system, their secondary and post secondary graduation rates were still significantly lower than their peers who were not in care. Conversely, this problem has potential to change; insufficient funding opportunities, e.g., scholarships, school grants, and student loans, were reported to be the primary barrier for pursuing adult education. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, children in care will need to learn how to access the right resources as adults.
Social Support/Relationships
Almost all the Midwest participants had a trusting relationship with a family member. This is why it is essential for the child protection system to preserve family and cultural ties for children when they are in care. According to the Midwest study, these young adults turned to their family of origin for financial support, guidance and social mentorship.
Parenthood
There is a belief that victims of abuse or violence can cycle their victimization onto others, therefore, becoming abusers or perpetrators. This theory is better known as a “cycle of abuse or violence.” This cycle helps to explain why kids from certain families or communities have an inter-generational relationship with the child protection system.
The Midwest study looked at parenthood practices among these former children in care. The researchers found that female participants were having more children after care than their male counter parts. Most of those who became parents were not living with their child(ren); these children were either cared for by their maternal relatives, were adopted, or living in foster care. To better understand parenthood dimensions, the study examined how these former children in care disciplined their own children. Methods like
shouting, screaming, and spanking
were most frequently used. A small percentage used certain methods that were abusive in nature; for example,
hitting with a fist, kicking very hard, or shaking their child when over two years of age.
Life Satisfaction
Despite the overwhelming challenges this group experienced as young adults, these children in care were very happy with their lives. More than half of these young adults felt that their lives improved after they left the child protection system. Many participated in political events and established a few social networks by volunteering in community initiatives.
The findings from this study are designed to help you understand what your foster child(ren) may experience as a young adult. Research, historically, has informed us that foster children struggle with the criminal justice system, school success, employment, and homelessness. New research projects like the Midwest study, tell us that young adults who lived their lives in care rely heavily on family and friends for financial and emotional support, are under represented in post-secondary institutions, and acquire severe food insecurities because of their poor money management skills. In contrast, more children in care are graduating from high school as adults, are becoming more resilient and self-sufficient, and are very satisfied with their lives as young adults. There is much more for us to learn about how former children in care survive as young adults. Hopefully, more information with on this topic with surface as The Midwest study will continue to examine this group of former children in care for another two years.
If you would like for information on The Midwest Evaluation of Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth Study, please visit: www.chapinhall.org .
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May 20, 2010
Written and Submitted by Daniel Sheriff, SW, MCFD
Early Foster Care for Prenatally Substance-Exposed Infants
Foster care is the essential mechanism that child protection professionals access to help keep maltreated children safe from their perpetrators. Well trained, loving and caring persons known as foster parents, provide a continuation of care and protection under the child welfare system. Foster children are mostly victims of maltreatment and are therefore considered extremely vulnerable when compared to children who have not experienced legislative ill-treatment. Infants are the most vulnerable in the child protection system. However, newborns exposed to maladaptive substances during gestation are the most sensitive and fragile population requiring care. There is a lot to debate when talking about foster homes caring for newborns; however, the bottom-line is how effective and efficient are foster homes that care for substance-exposed infants?
Amedeo D’Angiulli from the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies at Carleton University, and Richard Sullivan from the School of Social Work, University of British Columbia, lead a research project examining the effects of early foster care settings on prenatally substance exposed infants. The study intended to build on existing research that focused on foster homes caring for infants and young children. To better understand what makes early foster care homes successful, the authors of the study paid very close attention to the essential support services attached to these homes: The Safe Babies Program.
Volunteered foster families from the Vancouver Coastal Safe Babies program participated in this study. The researchers observed nine preterm (premature babies) and eleven full-term (fully developed) prenatally substance exposed babies in early foster care settings. The researchers looked at the progress of these infants through five developmental domains (personal-social, adaptive, motor, communication, cognitive), and measured their cortisol levels (noted in a previous study as a ‘stress hormone’) to help measure the effectiveness of their early foster care home.
The study reported that the premature infants showed lower growth in their fine motor skills but shared similar results with the full-term infants when compared to the other four observed domains: personal-social, adaptive, communication and cognitive. The study also indicated that the preterm babies spent an additional four months in foster care. As a result, they developed lower cortisol levels than the full-term babies. However, after conducting a few statistical tests, there was very little difference in cortisol levels between the preterm and full-term infants. According to the results, these prenatally substance exposed infants, when living in an early specialized foster care, showed signs of active and positive growth, and developed ordinary stress levels.
The findings from this study should be looked upon as a “starting point” in acknowledging that stable, committed foster care environments can promote healthy growth for substance-exposed newborns. In contrast, the findings in this study contradict previous research on exposed infants in foster care, and the authors were too conservative with their measuring methods. As a result, these findings are tentative and should not be noted as significant. However, the implication of this study is that it advocates for foster parents to not only direct their energy towards the child(ren) they are caring for, but to also work closely with support services, for example the Safe Babies program, which in turn adds to the holistic success of substance- exposed infants in early foster home settings.