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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report findings from a service evaluation undertaken within a single specialist child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) team. The team works closely with local authority children's services to serve specific populations recognised as experiencing higher levels of mental health need, including children living in alternative care and with adoptive families. The evaluation sought to better understand the experience of this provision during the COVID-19 pandemic and concomitant increase in remote and digitally mediated care delivery. Design/methodology/approach: Analysis of the accounts of 38 parents, carers and professionals involved with the team gathered via telephone interviews and email and postal questionnaires. Findings: Similar views were expressed from participants involved with the team before and following the onset of the pandemic. Overall, satisfaction was high; however, changes in care appeared more challenging for those already involved with the team before the pandemic. Differences in experience between groups were also evident. Whereas foster carers' accounts were generally appreciative of the involvement of clinicians, particularly regarding clinician–patient relationships, amongst adoptive parents and members of children's birth families there were more mixed and negative impressions. Originality/value: Locally based service evaluations can help inform care pathway planning in specialist CAMHS provision as part of wider quality improvement initiatives. This is especially relevant considering the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and as the longer-term acceptability of remote working practices is appraised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adoptions subsidies represent a growing portion of federal, state, and local expenditures for child welfare services. Almost no previous analysis has been done with state level adoption subsidy data. This paper reports on analyses of subsidy data from North Carolina and California. These analyses indicate the significantly different way that subsidies are used in each state. In California, subsidies change markedly because they are used to purchase post-adoption services. In North Carolina, most post-adoption services are paid for through vendor payments. In California, the likelihood of subsidy increases are associated with family income, in unexpected ways. Common findings across states are that few families that begin to receive a subsidy will generally continue to receiving them until the child ages out of the program. Implications for policy and research are forwarded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Adoptive Family Study (AFS) is a longitudinal, qualitative, prospective study of eight adoptive families. This paper uses a long-term case study design of one participant family composed of a mother, father, and their four children, two by adoption and two by birth. The family was recruited from a private adoption organization. Observations of the family were made over the first thirteen years of the study, with data collected in annual interviews with the couple in their home. Annual updates of changes in the three generation family included discussion of each child's adjustment. Transcripts of the interviews were coded from the perspective of the family projection process, a key concept in Bowen family systems theory that describes the process in which parents project their anxiety onto a child. This process contributes to a child's vulnerability to anxiety and dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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When a child from China is adopted by U.S. parents, the adoptive family must address questions about if, when, how, and how much to acknowledge the birth cultural heritage of their child. This paper addresses these concerns by presenting findings of a study that examined ways families address the myriad issues surrounding cultural heritage. Drawing on work by H. David Kirk, D. M. Brodzinsky (Brodzinsky, Schechter, & Henig, 1992. Being adopted: The lifelong search for self. New York: Anchor Books), and others, a conceptual framework is presented to aid in understanding the dynamics involved in emphasizing (or de-emphasizing) cultural heritage Second, results of a web-based survey that extends the results of earlier work on cultural heritage in families with children adopted from China (Rojewski & Rojewski, 2001. Intercountry adoption from China: Examining cultural-heritage and other post-adoption issues. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey) are presented. Specific findings reveal the range of actions taken by adoptive parents on (a) how families cope with family-child differences, (b) how families acknowledge the child’s birth culture and heritage (e.g., acknowledging birth cultural heritage and culturally-related events, having contact with other Chinese children and adults), and (c) the perceived benefits and importance of incorporating Chinese cultural heritage into family life. Results add to an emerging baseline for understanding the range of responses adoptive families have to address issues of Chinese heritage, as well as trends in the reasoning parents use when deciding about cultural heritage-related issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about how teachers learn about the adoptive status or background of their students, or how they use this information. This mixed-methods study examined U.S. teachers' experiences with obtaining and using information about children's adoptive status and background. Data were gathered via an online survey. Respondents were 207 K-12 teachers, paraprofessionals, and other school professionals. Teachers most often learned a child was adopted from the child themselves, followed by the parents. Sometimes they learned the information in the context of a child's emotional/behavioral difficulties or their specialized education plan. Almost half had wanted to know more about a child's adoptive status or history but were unsure of how or who to ask. Findings have implications for teachers, school support staff, and adoptive families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of families, through the process of adoption, is an increasingly relevant topic in the field of mental health. Taking into consideration the growing number of adoptions in the United States (UN DESA), there is a prevalent need for a systemic approach to working with these families. This article addresses the societal need by offering Restoration Therapy as a framework for effectively assisting adoptive families in adjusting to their newly formed unit. The authors provide a brief overview of Restoration Therapy, the justification for using it with adoptive families, and a case vignette to exemplify the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trauma-related emotional and behavioral struggles of adopted children can affect the adoptive family system due to the emotional interdependence of families. To meet the needs of adoptive families, a two-weekend therapeutic family camp intervention was developed from an existing 2-3 week camp model for adopted children called Hope Connection®. The current study examined the preliminary effectiveness of the revised camp, Hope Connection 2.0, to address adoptive families' needs. A two-group (waitlist (n = 4 families) vs. intervention (n = 5 families)) pre-post design was used. The results indicated trending decreases in adopted children's trauma-related emotional and behavioral struggles and trending increases in parent-child relationship quality and family functioning. These findings support future research of the effectiveness of Hope Connection 2.0 to improve adoptive family outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

the objective is to present an upgrade of the scientific literature on adoption in the Latin- American context, focusing the relationships established between parents, children and brothers. LILACS, PEPSICc and SciELO databases had been consulted, in the period of 1998-2008. 124 papers had been found, of which 13 had been selected for analysis. The corpus of the research was submitted to the analysis of content, that allowed to detach motivations for adoption, construction of the parenthood in the adoptive parents and its meanings, delayed adoption and brothers' relations. The recouped articles approach specifically the construction of relationships in the adoption, from the birth of the desire to adopt, however few approach the relations between brothers in the family. It is necessary to extend the understanding concerning the construction of relationships between parents and children, as well as between brothers in the families constituted from adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children who have been adopted are more likely to have mental health diagnoses than non-adopted peers and may be overrepresented in residential treatment centers (RTCs). Yet, few studies have examined adoptive parents' experiences with RTCs. We administered a survey to N = 113 adoptive parents who had at least one child in RTC. Many families utilized services such as family therapy, but fewer used adoption-competent therapists or trauma-informed care. Themes emerged related to finding support, connecting with providers, training in a trauma-informed approach, listening to parents, and shifting toward prevention. Implications are discussed to better support adoptive families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. We highlight the major dimensions of the model, how it will be implemented and evaluated at one agency, and discuss implications for practice and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article has two main goals. The first is to present the hypothesis that Bowen family systems theory provides an effective explanatory framework for understanding differential developmental outcomes of children in the same family. The second goal is to illustrate how qualitative methodology can provide data supporting that hypothesis. The article uses a grounded theory approach for coding archival data from transcripts of twelve annual interviews with one family. It closes with a discussion of how using qualitative methodology to analyze clinical data has the potential to provide an important link between research and clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: A rich and heterogeneous body of knowledge about adoption breakdown has accumulated in recent years. The goal of this article is to review the existing research literature on the topic. Method: A comprehensive review of journal articles, book chapters, and technical reports addressing the issue of adoption breakdown was conducted. Results: Terminological and methodological difficulties are discussed before the main findings about the incidence of adoption breakdown are presented. A detailed examination of the child, parent, and support and service characteristics associated with the breakdown experience follows. The review ends with the analysis of some policy and practice implications, as well as with suggestions about how to increase and improve the study of adoption breakdown. Discussion: Although research into adoption breakdown has achieved a considerable progress in recent years, improvements are still needed in both the basic research and the applied implications domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The worldwide spread of social media is changing the forms and rules of social relations, the boundaries of private and public spheres, and the definition of privacy and its protection. In reflecting on children’s rights in a digital age, the online experiences of adopted children and their families foreground the tension between the right to privacy and protection and children’s right to know about their origins. This article explores the Italian case through a qualitative study of professionals working in private and public foster and adoptive services. It analyses the risks and opportunities presented by social media in the everyday life of adoptive families, with particular attention to children’s rights and recommendations for families and professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to understand the strategies employed by families that adopt Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)-orphaned children (Adoptive families) for coping with and mitigating the impact of AIDS in Mbeya Rural District, Tanzania. High numbers of AIDS-orphaned children aged below 18 years in Mbeya Region have led to increasing the burden of families caring for them. Understanding the coping strategies and impact mitigation activities employed by adoptive families is important in order to develop programmes to help them. Methods: This study employed a qualitative method for data collection (one-on-one in-depth interviews). The respondents included 12 male and 8 female heads of families that provide essential care for AIDS-orphaned children in Mbeya Rural District in Tanzania. The framework approach was used to analyse the data that were collected from 15 July to 15 August 2010. Results: The study findings revealed that adoptive families faced several challenges including financial constraints due to increased needs for basic essentials such as health care expenses, school fees and food. Further impacts on adoptive families included shortage of work opportunities and limited time to address these challenges. To mitigate these challenges, adoptive families employed a range of coping strategies including selling family assets and renting out parts of cultivable land for extra cash. Task reallocation which involved the AIDS-orphaned children entering the labour force was also employed as a strategy to mitigate challenges and involved de-enrolling of children from schools so they could take part in income-generating activities in order to earn supplementary family income. The creation of additional income-generating activities such as poultry farming were other coping mechanisms employed, and these received support from both non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and governmental organisations, including the Isangati Agricultural Development Organization (local NGO) and the local government respectively.Conclusions: The current study identified challenges that adoptive families as well as the AIDS-orphaned children themselves faced in Mbeya Rural District, Tanzania. Recognition of these issues highlights the need for targeted interventions to address the underlying social determinants of human immunodeficiency virus or HIV and AIDS in affected populations in order to prevent further imposition of social, cultural and economic disadvantages on families that provide care for AIDS-orphaned children and the children themselves. These findings may prove useful in provoking discussions that may lead to HIV/AIDS prevention and the development of broader mitigation strategies to alleviate the impact of this scourge on families and communities in rural Tanzania, and in similar settings across the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While openness in adoption has become more common in the United States, little research has examined contact between birth and adoptive families as adoptees become adults. Using quantitative and qualitative data from 167 emerging adult adoptees, factors characterizing contact (e.g., type, frequency, with whom), satisfaction with contact, and the influences of transitional events and significant relationships were explored. Among these variables, satisfaction with contact with birth parents in emerging adulthood was significantly associated with greater openness levels. Four qualitative case studies, representing increasing openness levels with increasing satisfaction, provided illustrations of variability in emerging adult adoptees’ experiences of contact with birth parents. Overall, with regard to openness in adoption, emerging adulthood represents a transitional period marked by substantial individual variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of the need for pre- and post-adoption support, studies indicate low levels of services utilization among adoptive families, particularly those involving children with special needs. This study examines the relationship between utilization of adoptions services and adoptive child and family characteristics, pre-adoptive risk history, and provision of adoption preparation services. A longitudinal survey of 560 adoptive parents reveals significant but differential influences of pre-adoptive risk history and pre-adoptive preparation services on use of both general and clinical post-adoption services over time. Findings support the need for long-term post-adoption services for adoptive families, especially for families who adopt a child with special needs. Implications for practice, policy, and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to reveal underlying processes in adoptive kinship networks that experienced increases or decreases in levels of openness during the child's adolescent years. Intensive case study analyses were conducted for 8 adoptive kinship networks (each including an adoptive mother, adoptive father, adopted adolescent, and birth mother), half of whom had experienced an increase in openness from indirect (mediated) to direct (fully disclosed) contact and half of whom had ceased indirect contact between Waves 1 and 2 of a longitudinal study. Adoptive mothers tended to be more involved in contact with the birth mother than were adoptive fathers or adopted adolescents. Members of adoptive kinship networks in which a decrease in level of contact took place had incongruent perspectives about who initiated the stop in contact and why the stop took place. Birth mothers were less satisfied with their degree of contact than were adoptive parents. Adults' satisfaction with contact was related to feelings of control over type and amount of interactions and permeability of family boundaries. In all adoptive kinship networks, responsibility for contact had shifted toward the adopted adolescent regardless of whether the adolescent was aware of this change in responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the impact of the dominant North American genetic family ideal on community attitudes toward adoption, on adoption research, and on the beliefs and attitudes of adoption case workers. It examines how the .failure to recognize the stigmatized social position of adoptive families has shaped not only current public opinion about adoption, but adoption research and practice as well. In conclusion, the article offers suggestions for erasing negative bias from adoption research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]