Do you think adoption agencies should be REQUIRED to mention foster care as an option of PAP?
September 19, 2009 by Adoption Information and Laws
Filed under Fostering & Orphanages
Can you answer Looney Tunes’s question about Adoption?:
Do you think it would increase adoption through foster care?
Do you think it would increase adoption through foster care?
Or would nothing happen because it’s really about “the baby” and “not the true needy?”
My point is that MANY people do not even think about or KNOW about adopting kids through foster care…so the option is not even considered because people DON’T KNOW.
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Adoption Feedback: oh gosh, looney- i think foster care parenting should be an absolute requirement, before anyone can adopt.
if everyone was required to foster, we’d see a heck of a lot less kids floating around in the system.
Adoption Feedback: Abso-freaking-lutely!
I think it would increase adoption through foster care. I know if i had been presented the facts of foster care adoption in the beginning that would have been the route we went through.
Some it will remain all about the “baby”. Some tho i would like to believe would make it about the children who truly need homes.
Adoption Feedback: I asked a question the other day about adoption statistics. It seems like there are less than 20,000 international adoptions each year and even fewer private adoptions than that. If a portion of those people were to switch to foster care adoption it seems like it would only be a drop in the bucket to the 140,000 children waiting in foster care.
I don’t know if the requirement to discuss foster care would fly legally, but I think it’s a good idea. I think they should more than just mention it. I think everyone should have to go to the foster to adopt classes I took, they really educated us about adoption in general. Still, it seems to me that to concentrate only on redirecting those families who already want to adopt isn’t enough.
How do we get more people interested in adoption? Is it even right to try? People who have to be talked into adoption wouldn’t be the best parents, would they? My caseworker said that they rely on recruiting foster parents, and that foster parents often turn into adoptive parents.
Adoption Feedback: I don’t think thats a viable solution. It would be like McDonalds being required to mention Subway as an option when someone comes in looking for lunch.
I didn’t know until just this past weekend that there are three foster care agencies in my area. One run by the Govt, one run by Catholic Social Services and one run by a private adoption agency. All have children in foster care and all are in need of homes so which foster care agency would be promoted?
If adoption agencies were required to do this then in 10 years we would be here asking if Foster Care agencies should be required to mention adoption agencies as an option. People are entitled to make their own choices which avenue to proceed with.
Adoption Feedback: I don’t think it would accomplish what you expect that it will.
Randy has a good analogy: McDonalds must recommend Subway before you can order a Big Mac.
PAPs should research every avenue of adoption before deciding which is the best fit for their family and their unique circumstances.
And though I think there’s nothing wrong with foster care adoption, it does have its own challenges and not everyone who adopts is willing or able to meet those challenges.
If a person needs to be convinced to adopt from foster care, are you sure they should be adopting from foster care?
When we started our adoption journey, we researched every avenue thoroughly. At that time in our lives, we did not feel foster adoption was right for our family. If we could not have adopted internationally, we most likely would not have adopted until we were at a different stage in our lives.
Down the road, we may adopt again, or foster.
But my point is, we were well aware that foster adoption was an option, without an agency telling us that. And we understood our own family circumstances well enough to know what would be the best fit for our family at that time.
Adoption Feedback: It was a mention with our agency. there was an extra 4 hours at the end of the classes to foster or adopt through the “system”. It wasn’t an option for us, as we already had our son in our home for a year when we took the class. We weren’t interested in any other adoption. They mainly emphasized that there were many children who came with a monthly payment and many with medicaid until 21, should a couple not be chosen by a expectant mother. There were a few couples considering foster care adoption (about 3 of the 12 couples).
ETA- I don’t think offering foster adoptions would cut into their profit, unless it were offered to the parents placing. Here’s why:
1-the more adoptions they facilitate, they more desirable they become
2-there is never a shortage of PAPs, but there is babies. So expanding their Homestudy and classes to Foster/adopt PAPs they would be able to get more people through their course. they will NEVER have a problem finding a home for a newborn.
3-By placing foster children, they can give the impression that they do really care about the kids.
4-Offering foster adoptions, they will be able to reach a larger audience than if they just offered agency placed adoptions.
Over all there is more money made, giving hope to people wanting to adopt, then with the actual adoptions.
for instance, the agency we used to do our homestudy and adoption classes, actually only placed 11 children in the 12 months previous to our class. There were 12 other couples in our class alone. Thats (I don’t remember the exact number) like $72,000 per class given (about 60 hours). On top of that there is an hourly rate for report writing, milage, and any extras. They offer their classes every 6 weeks. Then you have the down payments that are required to even be put on a list (it’s refundable if you are not matched in a number of year, but guess who keeps the interest).
Sure they want to place babies, ’cause thats what keeps the people coming to them.
ETA, sweetheart, i’m just sharing my experience. They DID puch the fact that kids came with benefits. Also I’m not saying that people do it for the money. I am saying that it CAN e financial profitable for an AGENCY to place fostercare children for adoption for the reasons above. This is contrary to all those saying that it would cut into their profits, ’cause it wouldn’t, there will alwas be a family for a newborn and any addition placement won’t even be a drop in the bucket of PAPs who do want a newborn. Kinda like a car lot who sells new and used cars. Sure they want to sell the hyped up cars, ut some come looking for a used car and they are profitable too.
Adoption Feedback: YES!!! Absolutely, it should be a legal requirement that they are told about foster-adoption.
Adoption Feedback: Dear LT,
BRILLIANT question! Yes, I do think it would be wonderful but it would never happen - it would cut into their PROFIT$ and you know they would lobby against such a requirement with a vengeance!
I DO think there are some people who WOULD consider it if they were better educated about it. Of course there would be plenty of people who would still insist that they “need” a newborn. (If we go by Randy’s sad analogy, it would be the same as all the overweight people who insist they “need” a super size double cheeseburger meal rather than a healthy meal. It’s all about making them happy -damn the consequences!)
BTW, Randy, what a sorry analogy. Comparing a lunch choice to a child’s life?! They are NOTHING alike. AND let’s not forget that although Micky D’s is not required to tell you about Subway, they WERE/ARE required to offer healthier options AND make the nutritional content available to their customers! Adoption agencies are allowed to omit pertinent information to THEIR customers. (And let’s face it, PAPs are CUSTOMERS, which IMO is wrong.)
I love your idea, LT!
Adoption Feedback: Only if its a public agency.
Adoption Feedback: Yes
Adoption Feedback: I dont think everyone should be required to foster first as mentioned by others because some people would not make good foster parents. There is idealized view of foster care on here that is a pure fallicy. It is an extremely difficult job that is not right for everyone. Add to that the fact that many children are returned home and some people just are not emotionally strong enough to go through that over and over. (regardless if they have other kids or not)
ETA: but to answer your question yes they should be told. They should sit down with a counselor to discuss attachment and bonding, adoption related concerns and all avenues of adopting/fostering. In my world thats how it would happen:)
Adoption Feedback: I think it should be part of the training process, which is why private adoption agencies should be banned and it should all be through the state, or province as it is here in Canada.
I do disrepsectfully disagree with the poster who stated anyone who wants to adopt should foster first. They are very different roles, and not everyone is fit to be a foster parent. I actually think anyone who is wanting to adopt should NOT foster until they have resolved their issues with adoption. Foster children require someone committed to seeing if they can be reunited, not to be first considered to be an option for adoption.
ETA, is offended by the analogy of McDonald’s and Subway. Adoption should not be a capitalist enterprise and yes all options should be presented, with an emphasis on foster care adoption.
Adoption Feedback: When we started the process to adopt our oldest child from Korea, our agency did ask us if we also wanted to go on a list to be notified if a younger child became legally free for adoption through fostercare, (I’m not sure if they were actually required to ask or not)
In our county we were told that there are lots and lots families waiting to adopt a legally free child from fostercare unger the age of 6, including those with minor to moderate special needs, and the wait could be very long. However, with both of international adoptions it actually was the other way around. It took the agency a while to find a family for them because of very minor “issues to consider”, even though they were under 2 months old at time of referal.
If not adopted, many of the children available for adoption internationally will grow up in an orphanage, some of whom were legally free as infants. I don’t understand why these children aren’t considered “needy”, while foster children are, even those younger foster kids who have no problem at all being adopted.
Also, of all the adoptive parents I know who either adopted internationally or domestically, just about all of them considered foster-adoption first before deciding to go a different route. By the time a family is speaking with an agency, they’ve probably already decided against adopting from fostercare.
Adoption Feedback: I think it would be really good if any prospective adoptive parent was fully informed about their options for adoption from foster care, and what the realities (as opposed to the stereotypes) are like. I don’t think they should be pressured or arm-twisted into it, but they should be aware 1.) that it’s an option, and 2.) what they could realistically expect in terms of challenges, instead of just assuming they can’t handle it.
I’m concerned about it being in the hands of agencies, though. Every time a prospective adoptive parent chose a foster child instead of a newborn, the agency would lose out on tens of thousands of dollars… not exactly encouraging the agency to be the foster child’s best advocate.
I’m afraid the agency’s “pitch” for the foster children would be something incredibly backhanded, would trot out all the stereotypes and unlikely worst case scenarios, and essentially use the foster kids as a way to market their infants, who they could claim came with less baggage.
I think having adoption agencies involved (since they have a built in conflicting agenda) might actually make things worse for foster children.
Maybe an option would be to have an information packet prepared by the state or federal government, given out to all prospective parents considering adoption? I know it wouldn’t have the same punch as a face to face conversation, but at least it would be standardized. At least you could be sure it would do no harm.
I definitely think prospective adoptive parents should be made aware of foster care adoption… but I don’t think the agencies are the people to tell them. It needs to be someone working for the foster kids’ interests, not potentially against them. It needs to be someone without their own conflicting agenda.
Adoption Feedback: i don’t think it should be required that they foster first, but definately should be given the options of adopting through fostering.
it sure would be a nice concept, but a lot of people want to adopt kids with no baggage attached to them or they don’t want to foster children only to get attached to them and have them go back home.
Adoption Feedback: My parents knew they wanted to adopt and knew it would take time so while they waited they were foster parents then they got me. They had to fight in court due to my sensitive situation but eventually they were able to adopt me when i was 2. They got me at 6 months. And they continued to fostor untill one of the boys gave me a black eye and his sister one also and my parents decided that it was best for my familly including the 2 natural sons they already had to not have to deal with the attachment and then the pain and heartache from the children having to go back to a horrible home. But they got me outta it
Adoption Feedback: It sure should be!A lot of people look at foster care as a bad thing!It isn’t!And what people also don’t know there are tons of baby’s in the system too!It is a really sad and heartbreaking thing to see and know!My husband and I have been doing Foster care now for 3 years!It is amazing!We have a 12 year old now that we have been trying to adopt!The process is a long one but worth it!Knowing you changed a child’s life is so great!Believe it or not they remember!We still have contact most of the children that have been in our home,and that is possible!”I just know that is a fear that some people face about fostering”Anyways,sorry I got carried away!But Yes,I think they should mention it!
Oh and to@ those aren’t my thumbs,you have the wrong impression about foster parents!There might be a few that’s in it for money,but there really isn’t any money in it.That money goes for the child just like child support!And I know there is many foster parents that do the same as we do any spend 100s of extra a year for the child to do extra thing like sports,fun activites,ect…Most of the children in the SYSTEM come from broken homes and don’t even know what its like to be loved!!!!!!!!!!
Adoption Feedback: Yep..along with mandatory extensive parenting classes that focus on the issues that kids in foster care go through.