Process of Adoption It is a pretty safe bet to say that everyone knows what adoption is; it is also pretty safe to say that everyone knows, or at least knows of, someone who is adopted. However, I would definitely think twice before that people would know what was involved in the process of adoption. From the time I was a young girl, I have always thought that I would adopt a child, since being an adopted from South Korea. My mother had always told me about the long process It took for me to be adopted.
She had always mentioned that adopting a child was for the best, especially from a different country because It would benefit children who are living In an unhappy lifestyle. Even today, as I look to my future and think about the different avenues before me, I still openly consider the prospect of adopting a child. As being an adopted child, growing up was confusing and somewhat hurtful. Knowing I was adopted was not the problem; the problem was always being questioned about why I was adopted and how come I did not look like my mother.
I had always felt self-conscious about being n public with my family or if my mother ever came into school. I felt ashamed and afraid of what my friends and other peers would say about me. In the end, I realized that I should not care about what other people think because regardless of what happens, I know my mom will always be there for me; and that is why she adopted me. She cared enough about me to go through the long process of being adopted, that she still cares about me today. I would venture to say that there are many people In the world who have salary feelings about adoption.
People who would like to let a needy child into their loving mom, but do not know if they would qualify, have any rights, or have to pay a large sum of money. Also, in my mind, I pictured a happy union with a grateful and happy child. I did not contemplate the fact that these children often have many problems that they bring with them. Again, I would guess that others are unaware of this and unaware of how to handle such problems. I realized that if adoption were ever to be a possibility for me, that it was time I became more informed about the process.
I have sought to answer some basic questions about the adoption process itself and the effects that it can have on the adopted children. Adoption Is the process of becoming the legal and permanent guardian of a child when there has been a termination of parental rights. “Termination of parental rights legally frees a child to be adopted by another person or persons, and may be The decision to adopt is obviously life-altering for the adoptive parents as well as the adopted child. Neither the process nor the decision is to be taken lightly.
There are many steps that must be taken before approval given to the adoptive parents and the adoption legalized. “The adoption process begins with a Family Preparation which insists of meetings between the prospective adoptive family and a social worker and provides an opportunity for the family to learn more about and to seriously consider their motivations and expectations for adopting” (Adoption). This process can take anywhere between three to six months and generally includes a personal history, health statements, a criminal background check, an income statement, personal references, and numerous interviews.
Not anyone can adopt, but the guidelines for approval are not discriminatory or especially hard to meet. A physical examination and health statements are required, UT being in perfect health is not. “A medical condition that is under control (high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. ) usually would not prevent a person from being approved to adopt; however, a serious health problem that affects the life expectancy may prevent approval” (Adoption). Likewise, an income statement is required, but earning a large income is not. Mimi do not have to be wealthy or own your home to adopt.
Even if you receive some type of assistance, you are still eligible to adopt as long as you have an adequate resources to provide for your family’ (Adoption). The there requirements are to be expected: interviews, personal history, background check, and references. The majority of the children awaiting adoption are not simply sitting in institutions Ninth little human contact and no sense of family. Most children waiting to be adopted are in foster care. Foster care provides temporary placement in a family setting. ‘Over 500,000 children in the U.
S. Currently reside in some form of foster care” (Foster). This is not to say that there are over 500,000 children waiting for adoptive parents. Actually, the number needing to be adopted ends up being much ewer. “Two out of three children who enter foster care are reunited with their birth parents within two years. A significant number, however, can spend long periods of time in care awaiting adoption or other permanent arrangement” (Foster). Making decisions about the future for a child in foster care can be difficult and controversial. Options include: returning the child to his/her birth parents; termination of parental rights (a formal legal procedure) to be followed, hopefully, by adoption; or long-term care with foster parents or relatives. Most states encourage efforts to provide the rite parents with support and needed services (e. G. Mental health or drug/alcohol treatment, parent skills, training and assistance with child care and/or adequate housing) so their child can be returned to them” (Foster). The question of where to place a child has sparked many debates centered on what is in “the best interest of the child”.
Many people feel that the best interest of the child should be the only consideration, but a lot of attorneys caution that this way of thinking could backfire. In addition, going strictly to a system of focusing on “the best interest of the child” caches into everyone’s homes, not Just the homes of adoptive and foster children. Attorney Richard Crouch says, “What this means is that the courts get to take a child away from its natural-born parents and “allocate” that child to somebody else who that it would seem to accord with “the best interest of the child” “(Family Law).
Crouch questions the long-term outcome of such thinking stating that “no one rose the question of what should happen if someday a misguided government, with different views of social nonconformity and how to deal with it from what prevails today, should want to take away their children. Today we are protected from such events by the constitution and the Supreme Court – “courts are not free to take Children from parents simply by deciding another home appears more advantageous” (Family Law). However, family laws and adoption laws could change in the future. Abandonment and abuse issues are extremely common with adopted children.
The child’s inability to properly deal with these issues while struggling to understand and find identity and self-worth leads to dysfunctional behavior. Family Therapist and counselor J. Lynn Rhodes found in a study of adopted children and rite children that “behaviors seen more frequently in adopted children than in birth Children were: inability to give or receive affection, self-destructive behavior, cruelty to other people, phoniness, problems with food, thinking about fire, blood or gore, superficial attraction to and friendliness with strangers, substance abuse, and promiscuous sexual activity” (Perspectives).
The problems that these children face can be correctable, as in dysfunctional behaviors, or they can be in the form of handicaps or birth defects. A list of the most common problems found among adopted children includes: abuse (physical, sexual, and emotional), attachment problems, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD), drug exposure in utter, developmental disabilities, emotional disabilities, educable mental handicapped :MME), fetal alcohol syndrome (FAST), and learning disabilities. (Children P. 4).
Facing all these medical conditions can be a frightening prospect to, or even a deterrent of, potential adoptive parents. Over 120,000 children are adopted every year in the United States. Is it a game of luck whether you choose a child with numerous medical problems or are you made fully aware of your child’s problems? This past year marked the first known substantial recovery in California against a county adoption agency for its failure to disclose to adopting parents their adopted child’s medical and psychological history” (Wrongful).
But it is important to know that a claim must be filed within six months against an adoption agency if there is suspicion of fraud. Reese claims do have legal standing in a court of law. According to Civil Code Section sass: “No agency shall place a child for adoption unless a written report on the Child’s background, if available, and so far as ascertainable, the medical background f the child’s birth parents, has been submitted to the prospective adopting parents and the prospective adopting parents have acknowledged in writing the receipt of such a report.
The written report on the child’s background shall contain all diagnostic information which is known, including current medical reports on the Child, psychological evaluation, and scholastic information, as well as known information regarding the child’s developmental history and family life” (Wrongful). Adoptive parents are rightfully entitled to information on their child’s medical, scholastic, and family history. And most have children have already received residential treatment for problems through the adoption agency. What if an adopted child wished to locate birth parents or siblings?
The Adoption Disclosure Laws are records with the consent of the birth parents. If this consent is not established then there are two methods. First is a method called Passive Registry where – “at least two parties are required to register with a public or private agency in order for a match to be made. Some registries require as many as five signatures (both adoptive parents, both birth parents, and the adopted)” (State). Second, is an Intermediary System. Intermediaries are individuals approved by the court to have an adoption file released to them upon petition by an adopted or birth parent.
The intermediary then searches for the other party to obtain consent for identifying information to be released” (State). In Kentucky, to locate birth siblings, “adopters 18 years of age or older may register with the Cabinet for Human Resources their desire to have contact Ninth “pre-adoptive siblings. ” If the siblings register, and are eighteen years of age or older, identifying information will be released” (State). This paper only provides a basic understanding of the adoption process. A full understanding would require contact with an adoption agency and its social workers.
The decision to adopt is an Incredibly involved decision, but one that can feasibly be achieved. The Kentucky Cabinet for Families and Children does not charge an adoption fee, though you can be responsible for some legal fees in finalizing the adoption. And as stated earlier the requirements for approval are not extremely rigorous. These children are not perfect and are not looking for perfect parents. They have emotional scars from a disorderly and often turbulent childhood. They have problems, especially with attachment and trust that need to be understood and nurtured.
They need a lot of patience and love, but above all they want a family and to feel that they belong. I still Mould like to adopt in the future. Doing this research has not weakened my resolve; it has only made me more aware of what I might face with my new child and the preparations that I need to make. These children are struggling with being given away and feeling unwanted. I have the patience and the determination to make a child or children feel loved, wanted, and comfortable enough to get past their motional scars. I hope there are many others who feel the same way.
