Journal of Law and Practice, 3(2), January 1994, pp.49-53.
Publisher:
PEPAR Publications
Considers a model illustrating the complexity of issues surrounding continuing contact which has four facets: the child's wishes and feelings, safeguarding the welfare of the child, rights vs. responsibilities, review.
Considers a model illustrating the complexity of issues surrounding continuing contact which has four facets: the child's wishes and feelings, safeguarding the welfare of the child, rights vs. responsibilities, review.
There is evidence for long-term intergenerational effects of parental love, including both increased motivation for parenting and higher-quality parenting of one’s own children. The aim of this study was to test a model for predicting adoption attitudes based on remembered parental warmth. The model predicts that remembered parental warmth is associated with more positive attitudes toward adoption and that this relationship is mediated by motivation to parent and liking of children. The participants were 187 university students enrolled in psychology courses at a private university in the Midwestern United States who completed an online survey. The findings showed that people with adoption experience held more positive attitudes toward adoption. Controlling for participant gender and adoption experience, the model was supported for maternal warmth, but not for paternal warmth. Specifically, the relationship between recalled maternal warmth and more positive attitudes toward adoption was mediated positively by liking of children and negatively by motivation to parent. The results implicate both childhood experiences and contemporary motives and preferences in adoption attitudes.
There is evidence for long-term intergenerational effects of parental love, including both increased motivation for parenting and higher-quality parenting of one’s own children. The aim of this study was to test a model for predicting adoption attitudes based on remembered parental warmth. The model predicts that remembered parental warmth is associated with more positive attitudes toward adoption and that this relationship is mediated by motivation to parent and liking of children. The participants were 187 university students enrolled in psychology courses at a private university in the Midwestern United States who completed an online survey. The findings showed that people with adoption experience held more positive attitudes toward adoption. Controlling for participant gender and adoption experience, the model was supported for maternal warmth, but not for paternal warmth. Specifically, the relationship between recalled maternal warmth and more positive attitudes toward adoption was mediated positively by liking of children and negatively by motivation to parent. The results implicate both childhood experiences and contemporary motives and preferences in adoption attitudes.
Attachment and Human Development, 8(3), September 2006, pp.261-273.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
... must arise as a consequence of dyadic interaction histories. The objectives of this study were to evaluate whether the child's age at the time of adoption or at the time of attachment assessment predicted child attachment security in adoptive families and also whether the adoptive mother's internal attachment representation predicted the child's attachment security. The participants were 106 mother – child dyads selected from the 406 adoptions carried out through the Lisbon Department of Adoption Services over a period of 3 years. The Attachment Behavior Q-Set (AQS; Waters, 1995) was used to assess secure base behaviour and an attachment script representation task was used to assess the maternal attachment representations. Neither child's age at the time of adoption, nor age of the child
Studies of families with adopted children are of special interest to attachment theorists because they afford opportunities to probe assumptions of attachment theory with regard to the developmental timing of interactions necessary to form primary attachments and also with regard to effects of shared genes on child attachment quality. In Bowlby's model, attachment-relevant behaviours and interactions are observable from the moment of birth, but for adoptive families, these interactions cannot begin until the child enters the family, sometimes several months or even years post-partum. Furthermore, because adoptive parents and adopted children do not usually share genes by common descent, any correspondence between attachment representations of the parent and secure base behaviour of the child must arise as a consequence of dyadic interaction histories. The objectives of this study were to evaluate whether the child's age at the time of adoption or at the time of attachment assessment predicted child attachment security in adoptive families and also whether the adoptive mother's internal attachment representation predicted the child's attachment security. The participants were 106 mother – child dyads selected from the 406 adoptions carried out through the Lisbon Department of Adoption Services over a period of 3 years. The Attachment Behavior Q-Set (AQS; Waters, 1995) was used to assess secure base behaviour and an attachment script representation task was used to assess the maternal attachment representations. Neither child's age at the time of adoption, nor age of the child at assessment significantly predicted the AQS security score; however, scores reflecting the presence and quality of maternal secure base scripts did predict AQS security. These findings support the notion that the transmission of attachment security across generations involves mutual exchanges and learning by the child and that the exchanges leading to secure attachment need not begin at birth. These results complement the findings and conceptual arguments offered by Bowlby and Ainsworth concerning the critical influence of maternal representations of attachment to the quality of attachment security in children.
Child and Family Social Work, 25(1), 2020, pp.173-181.
Publisher:
Wiley
Open adoptions have increased over the past few decades, and although guidance for considering and creating open adoption agreements exist, one area of needed post‐adoption support is helping adoptive birth/first families navigate open‐adoption relationships after finalization. Adoption agencies have a responsibility to assist adoptive parents, who may have fears and concerns about openness, see
(Edited publisher abstract)
Open adoptions have increased over the past few decades, and although guidance for considering and creating open adoption agreements exist, one area of needed post‐adoption support is helping adoptive birth/first families navigate open‐adoption relationships after finalization. Adoption agencies have a responsibility to assist adoptive parents, who may have fears and concerns about openness, see the potential benefits rather than only the challenges. This article describes a practice model designed by one agency to help families navigate post‐adoption openness. The Inclusive Family Support model is conceptualized through the theoretical perspectives of family systems theory, ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief, and the transtheoretical model of change. The authors highlight the major dimensions of the model, how it will be implemented and evaluated at one agency, and discuss implications for practice and policy.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
adoption, open adoption, post adoption services, models, adoption agencies, family support, adoptive parents;
ECORYS UK, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD. Rees Centre for Research in Fostering and Education
Publisher:
Great Britain. Department for Education
Publication year:
2020
Pagination:
100
Place of publication:
London
This is the second report of a three-year evaluation of regional adoption agencies (RAAs), to assess their impact on improving the delivery of adoption services and understand the models they are adopting. It reviews their progress and effectiveness, focusing on four areas (adopter recruitment, reducing unnecessary delay, adoption support and cost efficiencies), alongside other impacts achieved. a more strategic approach to commissioning adoption support, resulting in improved early intervention and universal offers; many of the practical difficulties in the transition to a RAA remain to some extent including information sharing and managing culture change but, RAAs have continued to explore ways to overcome arising issues. The emerging evidence suggests that the RAA model matters less
(Edited publisher abstract)
This is the second report of a three-year evaluation of regional adoption agencies (RAAs), to assess their impact on improving the delivery of adoption services and understand the models they are adopting. It reviews their progress and effectiveness, focusing on four areas (adopter recruitment, reducing unnecessary delay, adoption support and cost efficiencies), alongside other impacts achieved. There are signs of early improvement since the first report in 2018 in the qualitative and quantitative data: the time taken to place a child in an adoptive family has improved, with live RAAs showing statistically significant reductions of 14 days in the time to placement for all children and 35 days less for 'harder to place' children (5 or more years old, ethnic minority, sibling group); longer established RAAs (2 years +) have become less reliant on interagency placements and report placing more children (83%-100%) within their own area; RAAs are taking a more strategic approach to marketing, incorporating targeted marketing activities, and developing inclusive websites to boost efforts to increase adopter diversity, which has been important for adopter engagement; there has been a drive to develop a more strategic approach to commissioning adoption support, resulting in improved early intervention and universal offers; many of the practical difficulties in the transition to a RAA remain to some extent including information sharing and managing culture change but, RAAs have continued to explore ways to overcome arising issues. The emerging evidence suggests that the RAA model matters less for determining overall effectiveness than the presence of certain core functions, not least the pooling of resources.
(Edited publisher abstract)
ECORYS UK, UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL. School for Policy Studies. Hadley Centre, et al
Publisher:
Great Britain. Department for Education
Publication year:
2018
Pagination:
91
Place of publication:
London
The findings from the scoping phase of the evaluation of Regional Adoption Agencies (RAAs), which provides background context to RAAs, the models being developed and an assessment of progress in implementation. The report draws on interviews with RAAs, local authorities (LAs) newly involved or not yet part of RAA projects, voluntary adoption agencies (VAAs), adoptive parents (Adopter Voice) and VAAs to work together was historic relationships. Other factors included geography and performance of each adoption service. Decisions over which model to adopt were influenced by the degree to which the LAs were willing to each take on, or give away, control and risk of the adoption process and of their statutory duties. The research found a mixed picture of whether RAAs and RAA projects were
(Edited publisher abstract)
The findings from the scoping phase of the evaluation of Regional Adoption Agencies (RAAs), which provides background context to RAAs, the models being developed and an assessment of progress in implementation. The report draws on interviews with RAAs, local authorities (LAs) newly involved or not yet part of RAA projects, voluntary adoption agencies (VAAs), adoptive parents (Adopter Voice) and national stakeholders. The regionalisation reforms allowed LAs to choose from one of four broad RAA models: Single LA hosting on behalf of the other LAs; Joint venture between the LAs and VAAs creating a new VAA; Joint venture between the LAs and VAAs under a local authority trading company (LATC); and Outsourcing service delivery to an existing VAA. The findings show the main factor influencing LAs and VAAs to work together was historic relationships. Other factors included geography and performance of each adoption service. Decisions over which model to adopt were influenced by the degree to which the LAs were willing to each take on, or give away, control and risk of the adoption process and of their statutory duties. The research found a mixed picture of whether RAAs and RAA projects were on track with agreed plans. Anecdotal examples of positive impacts were identified on four areas: speed of matching, recruiting adopters, adopter support, processes and timeliness. Critical success factors included strong, consistent and effective leadership, taking a phased and thoughtful approach together as a partnership and placing sufficient emphasis on changing culture and identity. The Annex of the report sets out the implications of the findings for the national evaluation.
(Edited publisher abstract)
del POZO DE BOLGER Andrea, DUNSTAN Debra, KALTNER Melissa
Journal article citation:
Australian Social Work, 70(4), 2017, pp.477-490.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
This paper describes the population of children in care in New South Wales, Australia, who were adopted by their foster families (N = 372) from 2003 to 2014. Data pertaining to 370 of these adoptees were available and obtained from administrative records accompanying adoption applications. Most of these children had been placed with their subsequent adoptive family during infancy. However, adoption orders occurred much later in their lives. According to the available information at the time of adoption, these children did not suffer the high levels of mental health problems typically identified in populations of children in foster care. Though the data do not include follow-up to determine if the contact agreed upon at the time of adoption orders translated into practice, the most frequently postadoption arrangement recorded was face-to-face contact, four times a year with mother and siblings. The high levels of openness and face-to-face contact in Australian adoptions from care are a significant point of difference with other adoption models, and presents a need for research in the area.
(Publisher abstract)
This paper describes the population of children in care in New South Wales, Australia, who were adopted by their foster families (N = 372) from 2003 to 2014. Data pertaining to 370 of these adoptees were available and obtained from administrative records accompanying adoption applications. Most of these children had been placed with their subsequent adoptive family during infancy. However, adoption orders occurred much later in their lives. According to the available information at the time of adoption, these children did not suffer the high levels of mental health problems typically identified in populations of children in foster care. Though the data do not include follow-up to determine if the contact agreed upon at the time of adoption orders translated into practice, the most frequently postadoption arrangement recorded was face-to-face contact, four times a year with mother and siblings. The high levels of openness and face-to-face contact in Australian adoptions from care are a significant point of difference with other adoption models, and presents a need for research in the area.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
foster care, looked after children, adoption, models, contact, open adoption;
Myths, fairy tales, films, books, and everyday communication contain images and stories of orphans and adoptees that convey societal discomfort and judgment about adoption (i.e., adoption stigma). In this article, the author applies the microaggression model to adoption-related experiences using the literature and theory on adoption stigma. Definitions for adoption-related microaggressions (microassaults, microinvalidations, and microinsults) and a fourth type of microaggression called microfictions (i.e., shared and hidden narratives that contribute to and define the secrecy in adoption) are introduced. Thirteen themes for adoption microaggressions and examples for each are proposed.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Myths, fairy tales, films, books, and everyday communication contain images and stories of orphans and adoptees that convey societal discomfort and judgment about adoption (i.e., adoption stigma). In this article, the author applies the microaggression model to adoption-related experiences using the literature and theory on adoption stigma. Definitions for adoption-related microaggressions (microassaults, microinvalidations, and microinsults) and a fourth type of microaggression called microfictions (i.e., shared and hidden narratives that contribute to and define the secrecy in adoption) are introduced. Thirteen themes for adoption microaggressions and examples for each are proposed.
(Edited publisher abstract)
British Journal of Social Work, 45(1), 2015, pp.225-240.
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
... involvement in a government-funded adoption research project. The research team included a birth relative consultant group and the paper discusses both the process and outcomes of their involvement. The benefits and costs of service user involvement are highlighted. Reflections from the consultants about their experiences of being involved in the research are included. The discussion positions the project
(Publisher abstract)
Service user involvement in research has triggered debate about epistemology, power relationships between researchers and participants, ethics and the validity of research findings. The social work profession encourages respect for service users and promotion of their rights-values which arguably should be reflected in social work research. This paper presents a case study of service user involvement in a government-funded adoption research project. The research team included a birth relative consultant group and the paper discusses both the process and outcomes of their involvement. The benefits and costs of service user involvement are highlighted. Reflections from the consultants about their experiences of being involved in the research are included. The discussion positions the project in relation to existing theories and models of service user involvement.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
service users, user participation, case studies, adoption, research methods, models;
Domestic adoption in Ireland has been traditionally extremely controversial and its history, linked to the strong influence of the Catholic Church on the Irish state, has left a difficult legacy. In many respects the topography of contemporary domestic adoption in Ireland is now changing, presenting a critical opportunity for a national paradigm shift. However, while there is some evidence of change, a number of factors threaten the potential for more significant progress. Tensions exist between historical adoption practices in Ireland that continue to affect adopted individuals today, contemporary societal perceptions of adoption, the historical and current legislative basis of domestic adoption and the individual needs of those affected by it. The availability of new, independent methods of tracing birth relatives via the internet is competing with the traditional social worker-led model of tracing, creating unforeseen challenges for adoption stakeholders. This article draws on two recent Irish studies in the area of domestic adoption, which examined the experience of adoption, and its inherent challenges, from the perspective of adoptive families, adopted individuals and practitioners. It considers some of the challenges associated with the closed model of adoption and how those directly affected by adoption have been central in highlighting areas in need of reform. Some of the positive changes that have occurred in adoption practice are discussed, and the ongoing tensions that exist between contemporary adoption practice and law are examined.
(Publisher abstract)
Domestic adoption in Ireland has been traditionally extremely controversial and its history, linked to the strong influence of the Catholic Church on the Irish state, has left a difficult legacy. In many respects the topography of contemporary domestic adoption in Ireland is now changing, presenting a critical opportunity for a national paradigm shift. However, while there is some evidence of change, a number of factors threaten the potential for more significant progress. Tensions exist between historical adoption practices in Ireland that continue to affect adopted individuals today, contemporary societal perceptions of adoption, the historical and current legislative basis of domestic adoption and the individual needs of those affected by it. The availability of new, independent methods of tracing birth relatives via the internet is competing with the traditional social worker-led model of tracing, creating unforeseen challenges for adoption stakeholders. This article draws on two recent Irish studies in the area of domestic adoption, which examined the experience of adoption, and its inherent challenges, from the perspective of adoptive families, adopted individuals and practitioners. It considers some of the challenges associated with the closed model of adoption and how those directly affected by adoption have been central in highlighting areas in need of reform. Some of the positive changes that have occurred in adoption practice are discussed, and the ongoing tensions that exist between contemporary adoption practice and law are examined.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
adoption, open adoption, internet, models, law, social work methods, access to birth records;