By Young Ji Yoon, MSW with Liz Lightfoot, PhD
The following blog is part four of a five-part series providing an overview of the history of institutionalization of children in Romania and its effects on children both in Romania and on those adopted in the United States. We’re pleased to have guest blogger and School of Social Work faculty member Elizabeth Lightfoot who is currently participating in a Fulbright scholarship in Romania. She will be joined by Young Ji Yoon, MSW, who conducted simultaneous research about adoption from Romania in the United States.
Want to learn more? Join us for a free webinar on June 25th, 2019. Dr. Lightfoot will host “History and current trends in institutionalization and inter-country adoption of Romanian children: Implications for child welfare practice in the USA” from Romania. Find out more details and / or register today.
We interviewed social workers and other professionals, in both the U.S. and Romania, who have worked with families adopting from Romania. We wanted to gain insight on supports that they currently provide, post-adoption experiences of children adopted from Romania, and suggestions for changes in adoption practices if international adoption from Romania resumes to non-Romanian citizens.
Supports that U.S. social workers provide to families adopting internationally
International adoption organizations indicate that they help families who are adopting with the process of matching with children, preparing for their first meeting, and preparing the family for bringing their child home. Typical education and/or training programs for those adopting internationally generally have three components. First, there is a pre-adoption education program requirement, such as an online training course, lasting a minimum of 10 hours. The educational focus is on issues for children who were internationally adopted, such as their medical needs, effects of institutionalization, and trauma exposure. Second, a country-specific training is provided to the family focusing on the country the children will be adopted from. This includes a basic overview of the country, such as language, economy, and culture. Third, child-specific education is provided to the family about special needs the child may have once referral of the child is accepted by the family and the registry. The goal of these trainings is to make sure that prospective parents are fully aware of and equipped for adopting a child.
Post-adoption experiences for children and families involved in adoption from Romania
While there were many organizations in the United States involved in international adoption from Romania in the 1990s and early 2000s, when adoption was banned these organizations left Romania. The youngest Romanian children adopted by U.S. citizens without Romanian ties are nearly adults. As only dual Romanian citizens have been able to adopt from Romania for the past fifteen years, there typically have not been as many language or cultural issues in Romanian adoptees as those adopted from other countries. However, a concern one interviewee expressed is that many Romanian children in foster care sometimes are not told that their foster family is not their biological family. This can cause severe trauma for children, particularly older children, when they learn both that their foster family is not their biological family, and that they will be moving to a new family in a new country. In one Romanian adoption case, the foster family had to tell a 6 year-old boy that they were not his biological parents.
Romanian children who were adopted
Professionals from adoption agencies said that for children adopted internationally, most children and families do well. However, there could be issues depending on a child’s age when they were adopted, or issues that arise as they age. For children aged 0-3 years old, there may be sleep and eating issues. For children aged 4-9 years old, there may also be language issues. For teenage children, there may be issues of internalized and externalized behaviors, anxiety, depression, and ADHD, and typical teenage behaviors. This fits with the research on Romanian children, which indicates that many children who were adopted out of institutional settings experience late-onset issues in their teenage years.
Suggestions for policy and practice change related to international adoption from Romania to the U.S.
Adoption professionals from both the United States and Romania said that the adoption process needs to be improved from Romania, particularly if inter-country adoption is expanded. Professionals in both Romania and the U.S. were concerned that the adoption process takes too long, and that the extended time-frame often results in children living in institutions while they are waiting for the adoption to be finalized. Blog #5 will introduce changes that are currently being proposed in the Romanian Parliament to speed up this process.
Professionals were also concerned that in the past there was not good communication between Romanian authorities, adoption facilitators, and adoptive families. Romanian authorities were frustrated that adoptive parents were not complying with required post-placement reporting, and U.S. based adoption agencies were frustrated that they were being blamed for the adoptive families’ failure to complete their post-placement reporting. If inter-country adoption is to be re-opened, perhaps new methods of reporting could be developed to help adoptive families comply with these important requirements. Adoptive families need to be aware how important it is to Romania that adoptive families are respecting the procedures of their children’s home country, and it is the responsibility of all involved to ensure that this reporting is happening. Both U.S. and Romanian professionals need to work on their communication strategies to ensure that the procedure is smooth to facilitate the best experience for the child. This also extends to an emphasis on developing greater cultural sensitivity, particularly by U.S. professionals and potential adoptive parents.
Suggested Citation: Yoon, Y. & Lightfoot, E. (2019, June 11). Perceptions of U.S. Social Workers on the International Adoption from Romania to the U.S. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://cascw.umn.edu/featured/perceptions-of-u-s-social-workers-on-the-international-adoption-from-romania-to-the-u-s-4-of-5/