The Children's Bureau released a new Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) report for 2011 (October 1-September 30, 2011). According to the report: In 2011, there was a continued trend toward fewer children waiting for adoption (104,236 children, down from 109,456 in 2010 and from 133,682 in 2007).During the reporting period, parental [...]
For many children in foster care or those adopted from foster care, being separated from one or more sibling is unfortunately a common experience. Although the sibling relationship is the longest relationship any person will have to another family member, about 70% of the children in foster care also have another sibling in care. Because [...]
Photo by Chris Wilson for the Journal Sentinel The abuse of children who have been adopted by their adoptive parents is particularly tragic, considering that adoption is supposed to be the safe haven for children who have already experienced the traumatic dissolution of their birth families. A recent case of the abuse of internationally adopted [...]
The University of Minnesota has some amazing scholars researching adoption. Here is a presentation by Megan Gunnar, Department Chair and Regents Professor at the Institute on Child Development here at the University of Minnesota, presenting a keynote address on the developing adolescent brains of post-institutionalized adopted children at the 2012 Rudd Adoption Conference, New Worlds [...]
The Child Welfare Information Gateway has created a factsheet for adopted individuals and birth families on the search and reunion process. This publication also includes information on hiring a professional searcher, using social media, and issues that come up in the reunion process. The resource is free and you can download it as a PDF [...]
On July 9th, 2012, the American Bar Association published a story about fraud in adoption subsidies. According to the report, hundreds of millions of the $2.5 billion paid in adoption subsidies may have been collected by adoptive parents who do not support their adopted children. The likely scenario, according to this report, is that an [...]
FOX Carolina 21 The ACLU is assisting six families in North Carolina in filing a federal lawsuit against the state for discrimination. North Carolina currently prohibits a partner from adopting his or her partner's biological or adopted child. This law affects both same-sex and unmarried heterosexual couples. Until 2010, North Carolina recognized second parent adoptions. [...]
A new study conducted for Oxygen Media surveyed more than 1,000 Americans about their views on adoption. According to the report: 86% of women and 77% of men are open to single parent adoption;73% of women and 62% of men are open to gay and lesbian couples adopting;90% of women and 84% of men thought [...]