Adoption and Fostering, 35(1), Spring 2011, pp.6-17.
Publisher:
Sage
National Adoption Week (NAW) is the UK’s most high-profile recruitment campaign, organised annually by the British Association for Adoption and Fostering. It utilises national and local media and invites interested people to request an adoption information pack. This article investigates the success of the campaign and whether the profile of enquirers adds insight into their likelihood of starting the adoption process and showing interest in older children. Two thousand enquirers to the 2003 NAW campaign were sent a questionnaire a year after receiving the information pack, and 493 completed responses were received. The findings showed that NAW is successful in generating applications and maintaining interest. One in 6 enquirers went on to start the adoption process and only a 6th said that they were no longer interested in adopting. The well-reported preference for younger children by prospective parents was confirmed, but enquirers also displayed a willingness to consider older children with complex needs. Enquirers motivated by infertility were more likely to start the adoption process while those with other motivations were more inclined to be interested in non-infant children. Respondents' expectations of the adoption process and the system for approving candidates were seen as significant barriers, indicating that information may be required at the recruitment stage to reduce this anxiety.
National Adoption Week (NAW) is the UK’s most high-profile recruitment campaign, organised annually by the British Association for Adoption and Fostering. It utilises national and local media and invites interested people to request an adoption information pack. This article investigates the success of the campaign and whether the profile of enquirers adds insight into their likelihood of starting the adoption process and showing interest in older children. Two thousand enquirers to the 2003 NAW campaign were sent a questionnaire a year after receiving the information pack, and 493 completed responses were received. The findings showed that NAW is successful in generating applications and maintaining interest. One in 6 enquirers went on to start the adoption process and only a 6th said that they were no longer interested in adopting. The well-reported preference for younger children by prospective parents was confirmed, but enquirers also displayed a willingness to consider older children with complex needs. Enquirers motivated by infertility were more likely to start the adoption process while those with other motivations were more inclined to be interested in non-infant children. Respondents' expectations of the adoption process and the system for approving candidates were seen as significant barriers, indicating that information may be required at the recruitment stage to reduce this anxiety.
In this mixed-methods study, 118 adult adoptees completed an online survey gathering information on (a) reasons for seeking therapy, (b) preferences for therapists, (c) perception of therapists' degree of emphasis on adoption during therapy, and (d) relationship satisfaction with adoptive and birth family members. The participants also completed the Satisfaction With Therapy and Therapist Scale–Revised (STTS-R), Adoptive Identity Questionnaire (AIQ), and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES). Findings were that the therapists' adoption competence was the most important factor for adoptees in selecting therapists, adoption-related issues were the most common reason adoptees sought therapy, and adoptees reported being more satisfied with therapy if their therapists placed emphasis on adoption regardless of the amount of attention that was focused on adoption.
(Publisher abstract)
In this mixed-methods study, 118 adult adoptees completed an online survey gathering information on (a) reasons for seeking therapy, (b) preferences for therapists, (c) perception of therapists' degree of emphasis on adoption during therapy, and (d) relationship satisfaction with adoptive and birth family members. The participants also completed the Satisfaction With Therapy and Therapist Scale–Revised (STTS-R), Adoptive Identity Questionnaire (AIQ), and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES). Findings were that the therapists' adoption competence was the most important factor for adoptees in selecting therapists, adoption-related issues were the most common reason adoptees sought therapy, and adoptees reported being more satisfied with therapy if their therapists placed emphasis on adoption regardless of the amount of attention that was focused on adoption.
(Publisher abstract)
POLICY INTELLIGENCE, ASSOCIATION OF DIRECTORS OF CHILDREN'S SERVICES
Publisher:
Association of Directors of Children's Services
Publication year:
2013
Pagination:
37
Place of publication:
Manchester
This report seeks to provide an up-to-date analysis of adoption activity undertaken by local authorities acting as adoption agencies. It considers data on both children and adopters in the system and information about collaborative activity in which local authorities are involved. The most recent official data analysed only covers activity upto 31st March 2012. The analysis is based on data received by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) covering 139 local authorities, a 91% response rate. 12 local authorities, in seven formal shared services, provided joint responses and are considered throughout as single agencies. The data returns included information about adoption activity currently, at 31st March 2013. The report notes that In 2014, the 122 local authorities
(Edited publisher abstract)
This report seeks to provide an up-to-date analysis of adoption activity undertaken by local authorities acting as adoption agencies. It considers data on both children and adopters in the system and information about collaborative activity in which local authorities are involved. The most recent official data analysed only covers activity upto 31st March 2012. The analysis is based on data received by the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) covering 139 local authorities, a 91% response rate. 12 local authorities, in seven formal shared services, provided joint responses and are considered throughout as single agencies. The data returns included information about adoption activity currently, at 31st March 2013. The report notes that In 2014, the 122 local authorities predict that their supply of adopters will meet demand.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
adoption, adoption agencies, local authorities, recruitment, surveys;
The ADCS analysis of adoption data presents a number of findings relating to the current and future supply of adopters in local authorities in England. This document provides further interpretation of those findings, alongside commentary on other proposed changes to adoption provision. It presents recommendations for local authorities and central government for next steps in developing local and national adoption policy and practice. Among the key messages from the data analysis is that the outlook for prospective adopters and children waiting is now far more positive than had been thought. Local authorities are planning collaboratively with voluntary agencies and other local authorities to increase the supply of approved adopters. Although the number of placements of children with adopters
(Edited publisher abstract)
The ADCS analysis of adoption data presents a number of findings relating to the current and future supply of adopters in local authorities in England. This document provides further interpretation of those findings, alongside commentary on other proposed changes to adoption provision. It presents recommendations for local authorities and central government for next steps in developing local and national adoption policy and practice. Among the key messages from the data analysis is that the outlook for prospective adopters and children waiting is now far more positive than had been thought. Local authorities are planning collaboratively with voluntary agencies and other local authorities to increase the supply of approved adopters. Although the number of placements of children with adopters is rising, there are still significantly more children waiting than adopters waiting nationally: some children in hard to place groups wait much longer than others.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
adoption, adoption agencies, local authorities, surveys, recruitment;
The Adoption Barometer 2021 provides a comprehensive assessment of the experiences of prospective adopters and adoptive families during 2020 – a year in which the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the life of every person in the UK. The data for the report was collected via a survey of adoptive parents and prospective adopters which was open from 11 January 2021 until 28 February 2021. In total,
(Edited publisher abstract)
The Adoption Barometer 2021 provides a comprehensive assessment of the experiences of prospective adopters and adoptive families during 2020 – a year in which the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the life of every person in the UK. The data for the report was collected via a survey of adoptive parents and prospective adopters which was open from 11 January 2021 until 28 February 2021. In total, there were 2,452 valid responses. In addition to the main survey, there was also an associated survey for adopted young people and adults aged 16 and older, focused on experiences of transitioning to adulthood. Although there were variations in the views and experiences of the adoptive parents and adopted young people and adults who responded to the surveys, some key principles have emerged: both in childhood and during the transition to adulthood, support needs to be geared towards every member of the adoptive family; timely and early support is essential – preparation for the transition to adulthood must not be left until a child is on the threshold of turning 16 or older; adopted adults have much wisdom to offer adoptive families and practitioners working with them – while survey respondents were likely to naturally focus on those issues that seem most relevant at their current stage in life (such as education for younger respondents), older adopted people have the benefit of hindsight and perhaps a more rounded view of the priorities for support in childhood and adolescence; arbitrary age-based cut-off points for access to support services are not appropriate for those whose early years have been impacted by trauma, neglect, care experience, and the loss of their first families. These experiences can have a lifelong impact and there should be a presumption that support will be available throughout an adopted person’s lifetime.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
adoption, surveys, adopted children, adoptive parents, contact, user views;
Findings from online surveys to gather views about children’s homes, secure children’s homes, adoption services, fostering services, residential family centres, boarding schools, residential special schools and further education colleges. In 2021, the surveys were open between 1 February and 28 March. We received 49,113 individual responses, 7,011 of which were from children. This was a very
(Edited publisher abstract)
Findings from online surveys to gather views about children’s homes, secure children’s homes, adoption services, fostering services, residential family centres, boarding schools, residential special schools and further education colleges. In 2021, the surveys were open between 1 February and 28 March. We received 49,113 individual responses, 7,011 of which were from children. This was a very small increase of responses from children compared with last year. But overall, there was an increase of 7,476 responses from children and adults compared with 2020. Key findings include: while a lot of children said that they would like COVID-19 (coronavirus) to ‘go away’, they commented that they felt they had been helped to adjust to the restrictions by the people who cared for them; a lower proportion of children in boarding schools and in residential accommodation in further education felt they were well cared for compared with the children who lived or stayed elsewhere; ninety-nine per cent of children in foster care who responded to the survey felt safe where they lived; there was an increase in the number of children in boarding school and in residential accommodation in further education who felt they were not helped to do well with their school or college work; a theme within the responses this year was children saying that they wished they could stay where they were for longer and that they did not have to move on when they were 18.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
surveys, childrens social care, residential child care, adoption, foster care, user views, staff views;
This report is the second in a planned sequence to present findings from an independent evaluation of the Adoption Support Fund (ASF) 2018-2021. The findings in this report relate to the first of three waves of an online questionnaire completed by over a thousand (1,008) adoptive parents and carers of children with a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) between November 2018 and February 2020, immediately before a package of Adoption Support Fund (ASF) funded support commenced. Headline messages include: there were good and mostly improving levels of satisfaction with aspects of seeking help through the Fund including with the assessment process, family views being taken into account, choice of provider, also location of support; findings from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)
(Edited publisher abstract)
This report is the second in a planned sequence to present findings from an independent evaluation of the Adoption Support Fund (ASF) 2018-2021. The findings in this report relate to the first of three waves of an online questionnaire completed by over a thousand (1,008) adoptive parents and carers of children with a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) between November 2018 and February 2020, immediately before a package of Adoption Support Fund (ASF) funded support commenced. Headline messages include: there were good and mostly improving levels of satisfaction with aspects of seeking help through the Fund including with the assessment process, family views being taken into account, choice of provider, also location of support; findings from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) completed by adoptive parents and SGO carers suggested that the needs of these children prior to the ASF funded support were statistically significantly greater than those in the overall British child and young person population; however, the baseline SDQ scores also suggested that the emotional health and wellbeing difficulties of this sample of children were statistically significantly lower overall than those reported by parents in the earlier (Tavistock Institute, 2017) study of children who began accessing ASF funded support between May 2015 and May 2016; approximately one half of all the children and young people in the sample had a form of (specialist) education plan and 31% of those aged 11 plus had a multidisciplinary Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP); a proportion of children and young people in the baseline sample were described by their parents or carers as having a formal diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (13%), Autistic Spectrum Disorder (9%) or Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (6%) and a further 16% of parents and carers thought that a specific or additional diagnoses were currently being explored.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
government policy, intervention, adoption allowance, adoption, surveys, evaluation, post adoption services;
This report presents the findings of an online survey for prospective adopters and adopters run between January and March 2017. The survey asked about prospective adopters and adopters’ views on adopting children in a sibling group, including experiences and perceptions about the challenges of adopting siblings, preparation and support in adopting siblings, the transition from care to the adoptive home and experiences of managing contact. The survey received a total of 414 responses, representing all English regions, along with respondents living in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Over half (80 out of 140) prospective adopters who responded to the survey and said that they were considering adopting children in a sibling group. Three quarters of these held the view that adopting children in a sibling group would be more challenging than adopting a single child. Of the 200 adopters who responded to the survey who had adopted children in a sibling group, 84 percent believed that adopting children in a sibling group was more challenging than adopting a single child.
(Edited publisher abstract)
This report presents the findings of an online survey for prospective adopters and adopters run between January and March 2017. The survey asked about prospective adopters and adopters’ views on adopting children in a sibling group, including experiences and perceptions about the challenges of adopting siblings, preparation and support in adopting siblings, the transition from care to the adoptive home and experiences of managing contact. The survey received a total of 414 responses, representing all English regions, along with respondents living in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Over half (80 out of 140) prospective adopters who responded to the survey and said that they were considering adopting children in a sibling group. Three quarters of these held the view that adopting children in a sibling group would be more challenging than adopting a single child. Of the 200 adopters who responded to the survey who had adopted children in a sibling group, 84 percent believed that adopting children in a sibling group was more challenging than adopting a single child.
(Edited publisher abstract)