Graduate Research Assistant University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma, United States
Overview: This presentation shares the findings from interviews with adoptive parents who adopted children from foster care. Parents were asked about their adoption experience and the resources and support available to them after adoption. Discussion includes parents’ perspectives on challenging times during adjustment as well as gaps and needs after adoption.Proposal text: Background/Rationale The transition to adoption from foster care can be a challenging experience to navigate, especially if children and families do not have adequate access to appropriate support and services (Rolock et al., 2021). Children who have significant losses or challenges in their early years are often impacted by these experiences for several years to come (Faulkner et al., 2017; Palacios et al., 2019). On-going and adequate post-adoption support and services are invaluable for children and families navigating the days, months, and years after a child initially joins the family. Yet, families under stress often struggle to find a professional who adequately understands all the unique aspects of adoption (Palacios et al., 2015).
This study is a continuation of a previous qualitative study on adoption adjustment in which adoption workers were interviewed about experiences in transition to adoption and post-adoption. Findings from this study built on the first study’s insight on healthy adoption adjustment, including expansion of the adoption adjustment model which may be useful in identifying specific time frames when challenges are most likely to occur.
Methods This qualitative study investigated adoption adjustment and post-adoption services and support for families adopting a child from foster care through the perspectives of 15 adoptive parents in a state in the southwest region of the U.S. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents (n=15) who had adopted a child from the state’s public child welfare system. Participants were asked about their experience beginning with initial placement of the child or children and beyond. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and open, axial, and selective coding were used to analyze the data (Corbin & Strauss, 2015).
Findings Themes addressed by adoptive parents (n=15) who participated in the interviews reflected previous research in adoption breakdown and highlighting many of the same child, parent, and systematic agency factors as critical during the initial adjustment period into adoption. Parents were able to identify specific time frames of increased challenges for both themselves and for their children, as well as what post-adoption services were the most helpful in addressing those challenging times. Additionally, parents pointed out gaps and needs they have experienced from the time of initial placement through legal finalization of the adoption and beyond.
Conclusion The findings from this study provide valuable information for public child welfare practice and professionals providing services to adopted children and their families. This study expands on the development of the adoption adjustment model that has the potential to help adoption professionals, adoptive parents, and children placed for adoption better prepare themselves for the transition. Knowing time frames of when challenges may increase after adoption can assist parents in setting realistic expectations and navigating challenging times with the understanding that they are typical in adoption adjustment. Additional implications for social work education, practice, and policy will be addressed, as well as recommendation for future research on this topic.
