out of foster care homes can aggravate this trauma and cause further emotional and behavioral problems. One adoptive mother told us, “…Regardless of what happened with her first family, I believe the five years bouncing around foster care is what caused [my daughter] the most trauma.” Most children only have one or two foster placements but about 15 percent experience multiple placements. According to AFCARS in 2012, close to 30 percent of all foster children have been in care for more than two years.9 Children who are in foster care for many years are more likely to experience multiple placements.
Children also suffer when they are not integrated in a meaningful way into a foster family. Some foster children describe feeling as if they are little more than house guests. Despite the problems some foster children experience, living with a foster care family can be positive for many children, especially if the foster family is loving and supportive and wants to have a permanent relationship with the child.
Prospective adoptive parents considering adopting a specific foster child should ask questions about how long the child has been in care and what his experience was like. This knowledge will help adoptive parents develop empathy for their child and understand why certain behaviors are manifesting. Pre-adoptive parents may even want to speak to the child’s current and/or former foster parents to get a sense of what type of experience the child had and how well he adjusted to a positive family environment.
FOST-ADOPT
Achieving “permanency” for children is a guiding principle in contemporary child welfare practice. In order of priority, permanency for a child engaged in the system means either reunification with parents or relatives, adoption or long-term foster care. Generally, for older children and teens interested in being adopted, an agency pursues two concurrent tracks toward permanency: reunification with the biological parents or adoption by a foster or relative caregiver. Agencies prefer to license and place children with foster caregivers who are willing to adopt them should they become legally free to be adopted.
Foster adoption, or fost-adopt, programs allow foster parents to adopt a child in their care should that child become legally free for adoption. In many areas, participating in fost-adopt programs is the quickest and surest way to adopt a child. Fost-adopt parents undergo screening, preparation and have to fulfill foster parent licensing requirements. Each state sets its own guidelines about the amount of training and preparation foster parents must receive. Fost-adopt parents receive public subsidies for their service and may receive reimbursements and other benefits to assist in the care of their foster child(ren).
Some prospective adoptive parents decide the best route to adoptive parenthood is through a fost-adopt program; however, foster-adoption is not for everyone. Foster parents must accept the risk that their foster child, whom they may grow to love very much, could be reunified with his or her biological parent(s). Not being able to adopt a beloved foster child can be heart-wrenching, so prospective adoptive parents must understand this risk before entering a fost-adopt program. Some prospective adoptive parents may prefer the fost-adopt route to parenthood, because it can be easier and faster than adopting a legally free child, because they will have time to get to know the child prior to permanently adopting him or because there is a greater likelihood of adopting a baby or toddler. Contact your local or state child welfare agency to learn more about fost-adopt.
WAITING CHILDREN
Think about the background and characteristics of the child you would like to adopt. Educate yourself about the common problems and issues that waiting children may face and think about the types of behaviors or challenges you think you and your family could cope with. As you decide what type of child you would like to adopt, think about or discuss with your partner or spouse the following questions:
• Do I/we want to adopt an elementary-school-age child or a teenager?
• How important are the racial or cultural characteristics of the child?
• Am I/Are we open to transracial and/or transcultural adoption?
• Am I/Are we open to adopting a sibling group?
• Can I/we parent a child with special needs?
• Am I/Are we open to ongoing contact between the child and his/her biological family members?
You will encounter the term “special needs adoption” during your adoption journey. “Special needs adoption” is a designation ascribed to children who are “hard to place” by states. The definition of which children qualify for “special needs adoption” assistance varies by state but may include children over a certain age, children who are part of a sibling group, male children of color, children who are ill or disabled or children who have several mental health or behavioral challenges. States receive federal funding to increase the number of special needs adoptions in that state. Funds may be used to provide additional subsidies and services for adoptive parents. Many foster children and adoption professionals are uncomfortable with the term “special needs adoption” because it can stigmatize older children who truly do not have any special needs but simply have been in the system for a long time.
Since African-American children in foster care wait longest for permanent families, states often designate older African-American children in foster care as “special needs adoption” cases. Because African-American prospective adoptive parents are more likely than prospective parents of other races to adopt African-American children from foster care, there are special recruitment efforts in some states to increase the number of prospective African-American adoptive parents.
Transracial or transcultural adoption may not be the best choice for every family and thus should be carefully considered. Prospective adoptive parents must think about whether they will be able to help a child from a different culture or background connect with their cultural heritage. They also must think about the degree of openness and acceptance of their extended family, the people where they live and whether their child will face serious challenges fitting in or even experience negativity because of his or her race or culture. One couple who adopted a child from the foster system decided transracial adoption was not best for their family:
We were open to white or Hispanic children. I received some anger on an adoption forum when I revealed that we were open to Hispanic children but not African-American. Older child adoption is complicated and difficult. Each family needs to evaluate their strengths and challenges to determine the children they are best suited to parent. Due to prejudices in our small town and extended families, we didn’t feel we would be the best choice for an African-American child. (We were worried) the child would face serious challenges fitting in or facing prejudice.
Families that do decide to adopt a child from a different racial or cultural background must be prepared to handle cultural issues in adoption. Although the prevalence of multicultural and multiracial families has increased over the past twenty years, some families still face prejudices. Children of transracial adoption or interracial unions may still deal with identity issues or wonder where they fit in. Most agencies, especially those that handle international adoption, require parent training on cultural issues in adoption. Parents can also prepare for cultural issues by reading books and articles, speaking to other adoptive families or joining transracial adoption discussion forums. (Read more about multiracial/multicultural adoptive families in chapter 8.)
According to data from the Federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS 2012):
• Fifty percent of children in foster care were reunited with their families.
• The average age of children in foster care was nine years old.
• The average age of children waiting in foster care to be adopted was 7.8.
