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MOVING CHILDREN FROM FOSTER CARE TO ADOPTIONPresented by Utah Youth Village
Talon Greeff, LPC
Charity Hotton, SSW
INTRODUCTION
Advantages of permanence Child
Provides a child with their very own family Creates permanent home for a child
Agency Brings adoptive parents into foster care Family saves money over a private adoption Builds credibility for your program
State Recent emphasis on providing permanence for
children Cost savings
OUTLINE
Information about Foster Care and Adoption
What Children Need for a Successful Adoption
What Families Need for a Successful Adoption
What Agencies Need for a Successful Adoption
THE STORY Adoption experience Marshall Islands Cooper and Jacxon Latency-age Girls Danny/Megan Battles with Utah DCFS Permanence Mandate
for a charity
STAGES TO ADOPTION
WHAT CHILDREN NEED FOR A SUCCESSFUL ADOPTION
WHAT CHILDREN NEED…
A high level of supervision and support24/7 crisis
management by their consultant
Get youth from agencies that do not provide our level of support
WHAT CHILDREN NEED…
Children have often learned to shape adult behavior through many failed placements
We need to be ready to provide creative, positive motivation systems
Parents and a team who will try many different things
WHAT CHILDREN NEED…
Relationship Building – common elementsOne on one timeQuality
components are critical (humor, touch, eye contact, proximity, voice tone, body language)
Fun family activities weekly
WHAT CHILDREN NEED…
Non-verbal communication is key
They will watch what you do not necessarily listen to what you say
Expectations and structure must be clear - provides a sense of safety and control
WHAT CHILDREN NEED…
Special issues with adoptionMental health
diagnosis – a sampler Reactive-Attachment
Disorder (RAD) Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
Sexual reactivity
WHAT CHILDREN NEED…
Specialized care for physical and emotional disabilities Traumatic brain
injuries (TBI) Birth defects Abuse and neglect Enuresis/Encopresis Physical disabilities
Hearing loss Blindness
Cerebral Palsy
WHAT CHILDREN NEED…
Examples Severe reactive
attachment disorder – deepening relationship creates anxiety, feeling unsafe (Megan)
Emotional and physical disabilities (Emily and Vlad)
WHAT FAMILIES NEED FOR A SUCCESSFUL ADOPTION
WHAT FAMILIES NEED…
First, What Doesn’t Work?Pathologizing
‘normal’ kid behaviors
Danny’s adoption
No matter what they do, it is just a behavior
WHAT FAMILIES NEED…
Assuming a relationship you haven’t yet earned
“Barbie doll” Normal kids
You are not mom and dad until you ‘earn’ it
Pre-teach that children and youth will not appreciate the adoption
WHAT FAMILIES NEED…They will, however,
provide superficial behaviors suggesting relationship
Calling you “mom” and “dad”
Want hugs immediately
If we do this correctly, we are moving foster parents from foster care to adoption
WHAT FAMILIES NEED… Money from foster
care generates dependency Families budget for
additional money Find resources
In Utah, adoption subsidy
REALLY, what they need to know is that they can get SSI money
Moving from more structure to less structure
WHAT FAMILIES NEED… Relationship Building
If you don’t like the child you won’t want him in your home.
Use the praise experiment
Keep discipline positive
Children with special needs or attachment issues need special care in bonding with adoptive parents – creative treatment planning
WHAT FAMILES NEED…
Moving from system dependence to independence Financial Support
Hybrid families first/consultation approach
Working with state agencies
Federal and state programs and resources
Closure on children’s and families’ needs – moving from formal to informal
WHAT FAMILES NEED…
Services Formal Informal
Often need strict structure to stabilize the home
Later, normalized family structure customized for their adoptive children
WHAT FAMILIES NEED… Hybrid Family
Preservation/Program Consultation approach
Consultation Components Initial intense supervision
and support Regular consultation and
in-home schedule Family Preservation
Components Move to Phases approach Problem solve with family-
Assume they have the answer
Emphasis on natural/logical consequences/structure
WHAT FAMILIES NEED… You are not creating a
“tool” that will work with many different youth, you are customizing a “tool” for the specific children in the home Treatment foster care
is about developing a home to provide treatment for children and youth – general
Intensive in-home services are about developing a home that will be successful for the children and youth living in it
WHAT FAMILIES NEED… Phases
Finding their agenda – must know this
Assessment – relationship building
Criticism by suggestion Build strengths into
skills Treat them as experts Help them implement
structure Implementation of 4:1
ratios and contingent environment are key
WHAT FAMILIES NEED… Tapering off service
delivery and develop independence Fewer/shorter in-home
visits Doing assignments and
applying concepts More spontaneous
problem solving by couple
Tell them “You know what to do”
Act as a support not a supervisor
WHAT AGENCIES NEED FOR A SUCCESSFUL ADOPTION
WHAT AGENCIES NEED…
Commitment to permanence and children’s best interest
Creative policies and willingness to think “outside the box”
Pressures to provide permanence
Consumers see you as a partner in creating a home for a child
WHAT AGENCIES NEED…
TFM prepares families for success through the transition
Partnering with case workers and advocating for use of the TFM with adoptive parents
Adoptive families often think they can handle behaviors for which they are unprepared
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION It may appear that benefits are only for the kids but ultimately good for the agency and family
More rewarding to individuals because it provides permanence for the “hard-to-adopt” child
Changes the life of the child and their children, forever
“It’s the toughest job you’ll ever love”
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