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”