...In the paper, the author evaluates the effectiveness of the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (AACWA) and the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA) in addressing the issues surrounding foster care drift. The current definitions and statistics of foster care drift are presented, along with a brief history of children “lost in the system” in the United States. The AACWA is presented, along Title IV-E, a federal plan created by Congress that provides adoption subsidies to encourage permanency placements for children with special needs. The author provides current definitions related to the term “special needs” given by Congress, as well as the specifications a child must meet in order to be eligible to receive an adoption...
Words: 1672 - Pages: 7
...Children being placed into the foster care system have experienced or are at risk of experiencing maltreatment. A study conducted utilizing data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting Systems (AFCARS) provides estimated risks for children in the United States. As social workers we aim to make the voice of our clients be heard. A study conducted in Canada provided just that for twenty children in foster care. These children provided valuable advice for children entering foster care, foster parents and social workers. Having this valuable information can only bring positive insight to a difficult situation. Foster Care Risks and Transitions Foster care placement for children occurs when the child or children...
Words: 1041 - Pages: 5
...The Impact of Foster Care on Child Development Demeka F. Gaddy Liberty University Abstract The foster care system was designed to provide a safe temporary placement for children who can no longer stay in the care of their parents or guardian. The overall goal of foster care is for the children to return home to their caregiver. If the caregiver fails to regain custody the child is placed in other living arrangements, to include foster homes. However there is a controversy over the effectiveness of the foster care system in regards to child development. Foster care has been linked to negative impacts in child development to include; physical and sexual abuse, attachment disorders, and behavioral problems that eventually lead to children being placed in multiple placements and in some cases the juvenile justice system,. Children who are in foster care are a vulnerable group due to the being removed from their home, in some cases abruptly. It has been proven that the longer children living in foster care are subject to negative development more than children who do not live in foster care. Based on these factors the foster care system needs to focus more on the needs of the child so that positive development can occur. Keywords: child welfare, abuse, child development The Negative Impacts of Foster Care on Child Development The foster care system was designed to provide a safety net for children and families and to reunite children with their biological parents if possible...
Words: 3851 - Pages: 16
...The following case analysis seeks to examine the Supreme Court’s decisions in Racine v. Woods, [1983] 2 S.C.R. 173, in regard to the legal questions, basis of reasoning, as well as the cultural implications. In order to fully understand the outcomes of this case, it is necessary to briefly review the legal issues that prompted the appellants and respondent to pursue legal action. The initial factor was the apprehension of a six week old infant named Leticia Grace Woods, on October 20th, 1976, by C.A.S. of central Manitoba. Upon removing her from her mother’s custody, in an effort to protect her, she was placed in a foster home as stipulated in the Child Welfare Act, C.C.S.M., c. C80. After several months in foster care, Mrs. Woods’, Leticia’s mother consented to a year extension on her daughter’s stay in Society care, followed by an additional six month period. At which time Leticia was situated in the foster home of Sandra Ransom (later Racine) and Lorne Ransom. In March of 1978, when the extended period had ended, Leticia was returned to her mother. At this point, the Racine’s had developed an attachment and sense of responsibility for her care, which impelled them to visit Leticia with Mrs. Woods’ permission. On the second visit, in May of 1978, Mrs. Woods authorized the Racine’s to take Leticia home with them. This concept of “taking home” was later disputed by the Racine’s and Mrs. Woods on the basis of intended length of stay. The Racine’s believed that Mrs. Woods intended...
Words: 1796 - Pages: 8
...How do you feel when knowing that you are just an adopted child - not the biological child? These conditions are experienced by many children after they have grown up they eventually find out that they are not the biological child of the two parents who have raised them. Surely knowing that they are only adopted children is very painful. It really hurts. So as parents what actions would you take after the children you have raised know the actual condition? Why do spouses have to adopt a child? Spouses sometimes have difficulty having children until they finally decided to raise a child as their heart entertainer. But parents sometimes do not realize that raising a child will become a problem later on if the child knows that they are only adopted children. When parents decide to adopt children, they should be able to keep it secret by moving to a new house or moving to another city. It's very important to keep the adopted child's feelings. I know a friend of mine who is in fact an adopted child. He told me he was deeply hurt when he found out he was only an adopted child. His foster parents kept it secret but neighbors let the cat out of the bag. He overheard a conversation that mentioned him being an adopted child. He was not brave enough to ask his parents. In my opinion, adopted child or biological child is not a problem. Adopted child who has grown up since he or she was a baby is just like a child of their own. He will have the nature of people who raised him....
Words: 4476 - Pages: 18
...Parents who are convicted of child abuse should have their children taken away from them. This is not a matter of punishment but of recognition of the fact that there is a problem society has to address and that the children need to be protected. First, those parents have abrogated their parental responsibilities and shown that they cannot be trusted. Second, the children will benefit by being taken away from an abusive situation and placed into a loving situation. The alternative would be to work to preserve the family group. Attempts to do this are usually made by social workers, who might be brought in at an early stage, before adjudication becomes necessary. In such cases, the case worker develops a plan and implements it: This plan ultimately becomes the case plan that outlines treatment services for the child and the family. The plan describes what actions are required of all the parties involved to correct the conditions that caused the maltreatment and, in some cases, the placement outside the home, as well as the time frames for accomplishing them. In addition, the plan must address a child's health and education needs, including arrangements for any specialized treatment by health care providers. The causes of child abuse and neglect are complex, and a case plan can involve referrals to an array of individuals, including caseworkers from other units in the child welfare agency, such as adoption or foster care specialists; private service providers...
Words: 1627 - Pages: 7
...Louisa lives in Baton Rouge, LA. In 2002, her husband, Jacques, was killed in a boating accident. Because of this, Louisa became depressed and started drinking heavily. Unfortunately, there were several times that her drinking and depression got the better of her and she had a few incidents where she severely beat her two children, Marie and Pierre, aged 6 and 8 respectively. Based on those incidents, the children were removed from Louisa's home and placed with a foster family in 2003, where they have lived for the past 3 years. The foster parents, the Smiths, later formally adopted the children. After her children were taken away, Louisa realized that she'd better get her life in order. She started attending AA meetings and received anger control therapy. As of July, 2006, Louisa hasn't had a drink in 18 months and by all accounts, she no longer has an anger management problem. She comes to you and asks if she can get her children back. After a little investigating, you learn that the children, now ages 10 and 12, are doing very well with their new family in New Orleans. The Smiths, when asked, say that they will allow Louisa some visitation, but that Marie and Pierre have become integral parts of their family, school and community and that they will not give up the children without a fight. Louisa asks you to research some Louisiana case law to determine what her chances of getting back custody of her children are. Please draft an essay answering her question. ISSUE: ...
Words: 3029 - Pages: 13
...Methodology and Method……………………... 8 4) Key Findings……………………………………... 16 5) Analysis and Discussion………………………. 25 6) Limitations………………………………………... 28 7) Conclusion and recommendation…………….. 29 8) Bibliography………………………………………. 30 1) Abstract This literature review explores the concept of direct contact, and what impact it has on the challenges that face adopted children. It begins by discussing adoption, contact and the meaning of these concepts. The key findings are then analysed and discussed in correlation to social work practice. From the literature analysed it would seem that direct contact has a positive impact on the challenges facing adopted children. These include, identity development,attachment development and reduced feelings of loss. Recommendation for future practice and research; although there is much to be learnt from research that has been carried out to date, simple formulas and rules cannot be applied; decisions made around contact require case by case assessment of the risks and benefits. Furthermore, long term, large scale research needs to be carried out to examine the effects of direct post adoption contact on children’s lives as they continue to develop and their needs change. 2) Introduction Children in families formed by adoption have challenges, or ‘additional tasks’ (Neil,2002) to negotiate that do not concern families...
Words: 8546 - Pages: 35
...Louisville, KY 40292, United States Received 20 June 2007; received in revised form 22 July 2007; accepted 9 December 2007 Available online 17 December 2007 Abstract A census of children in foster care provided valuable insight into the well-being of children in one state. CHAID analysis on differences related to physical and mental health needs among various groups of children in foster care revealed a number of significant differences that are often overlooked in other types of analyses. Children's medical needs differ significantly by length of stay and emotional needs were more profound among children of certain ages. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Keywords: Foster care; Well-being; Mental health; Physical health; CHAID 1. Introduction Historically, social workers in child welfare have focused primarily on keeping children safe from abuse and neglect, and helping them return home safely or find new adoptive homes. However, Altshuler and Gleeson (1999) described the emphasis on safety and permanency, to the exclusion of well-being, as a triangle that can only be completed when well-being becomes a focus of child welfare services. In response to this emerging professional perspective, the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997 mandated three goals for public child welfare agencies—safety, permanency, and well-being for children and families (PL 105–89). This marked the first time that well-being was made a specific goal. At the time of passage of ASFA, no consensus existed...
Words: 9185 - Pages: 37
...Child Abuse and Neglect 29 30 Dimensions and Critical Issues of Child Maltreatment in the African American Community: Causation, Consequences, and Prospects Presenter: Respondent: Joyce N. Thomas, R.N., M.P.H. Robert Pierce, Ph.D. Introduction African Americans, the largest minority population in the United States, suffer disproportionately from preventable diseases and deaths—(Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health, 1994). This statement from the Office of Minority Health not only captures the tragic problem of health related issues of African Americans, it also applies to the social welfare problems of these children and their families. Each year over 2,000 children die at the hands of their parents or caretakers (U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, 1995). Abuse and neglect in the home are considered one of the leading causes of death for children four years of age and younger and the largest number of child abuse fatalities is due to severe head trauma. Homicide statistics are only part of the grim reality, with near–fatal abuse and neglect accounting for more than 18,000 permanently disabled children, and approximately 142,000 serious injuries (Baladerian, 1991). Findings from the report, A Nation’s Shame: Fatal Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States, indicate that African Americans are overrepresented in both fatalities and near–fatal injuries (U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, 1995). Research shows that...
Words: 8401 - Pages: 34
...TREATMENT PLAN GOALS / OBJECTIVES Note: Always make objectives measurable, e.g., 3 out of 5 times, 100%, learn 3 skills, etc., unless they are measurable on their own as in “List and discuss [issue] weekly…” Abuse/Neglect Goal: Explore and resolve issues relating to history of abuse/neglect victimization ▪ Share details of the abuse/neglect with therapist as able to do so ▪ Learn about typical long term/residual effects of traumatic life experiences ▪ Develop two strategies to help cope with stressful reminders/memories Alcohol/Drugs and Other Addictions Goal: Be free of drug/alcohol use/abuse ▪ Avoid people, places and situations where temptation might be overwhelming ▪ Explore dynamics relating to being the [child/husband/wife] of an [alcoholic/addict] and discuss them each week at support group meetings ▪ Learn five triggers for alcohol & drug use ▪ Reach ____ days/months/years of clean/sober living Adoption/Foster Care Placement Goal: Explore and resolve issues related to adoption/out-of-home placement ▪ Discuss ongoing concerns and issues related to adoptive and/or biological parents during weekly sessions ▪ Talk about his/her wishes with regard to permanency planning Anger Goal: Increase and practice ability to manage anger ▪ Walk away from situations that trigger strong emotions (100%) ...
Words: 3267 - Pages: 14
...Report of the Stolen Generations Assessor Stolen Generations of Aboriginal Children Act 2006 February 2008 Depar tm e n t of P r e m i e r a n d C a binet Table of contents 1. 2. Introduction ...................................................... 2 Context of the legislation .......................................3 2.1 historical Context ................................................................... 3 2.2 Child Welfare and adoption laws .............................. 4 2.3 education policy and procedures ................................. 5 3. The Act ......................................................................7 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 4. 5. aboriginal person................................................................................. 7 eligible Categories................................................................................ 7 exclusion ..................................................................................................... 7 the stolen generations fund..................................................... 7 timeframes............................................................................................... 8 the stolen generations assessor............................................ 8 The assessment process..........................................9 Overview of applications.......................................11 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 6. source of applications..................................
Words: 12418 - Pages: 50
...Laws and Policies that Address Children’s Exposure to Domestic Violence Laws and Policies that address children’s exposure to domestic violence Despite the high rates of violence against women and the recent attention to the physical and emotional consequences of this abuse, until recently relatively little attention had been given to the unseen victims—the children. More than half the female victims of domestic violence live in a household with children under the age of 12.Greenfield (1998). Research suggests that between 3.3 million and 10 million children in the United States are exposed to domestic violence each year and more than a decade of empirical studies indicates that exposure to domestic violence can have serious negative effects on children. These effects may include behavioral problems such as aggression, phobias, insomnia, low self-esteem, and depression. Children exposed to domestic violence may demonstrate poor academic performance and problem-solving skills, and low levels of empathy. Exposure to chronic or extreme domestic violence may result in symptoms consistent with posttraumatic stress disorder, such as emotional numbing, increased arousal, avoidance of any reminders of the violent event, or obsessive and repeated focus on the event. Retrospective studies indicate that there may also be negative effects in adulthood, including depression, low self-esteem, violent practices in the home, and criminal behavior. Carlson (1992). Families affected...
Words: 2714 - Pages: 11
...Management Table of Contents Marketing Situation 4 SWOT Analysis 5 Objectives and Issues 6 Marketing Strategy 7 Value Proposition 7 Segmentation 7 Targeting 7 Positioning 8 Actions 9 Website 9 Outbound Media Messaging 9 Social Media Promotion 9 Specific Initiatives 9 Budgets, Assumptions, & Risks 10 Controls 11 Appendices 12 References 14 Introduction The Marketing Plan to launch the new Gerrarrom service to new users, is summarised below for January to June 2014. UK based early adopter academics at three specific universities, fit the high knowledge, heavy digital usage profile most likely to value a cutting edge internet experience given their collaborative digital enterprise, and likelihood to rapidly grow usage. Viral marketing is used to secure digital word-of-mouth recommendations from the targeted influencers by competing for attention, referals, and useage activity. The service is positioned for digitally productive academics needing a superior layer of compartmentalised internet, a less intrusive interface and an evolved content feed that provides the one stop shop for all public and private Social Media (SM) productivity. The plan covers the logical flow of considerations, goals and actions defined by Armstrong and Kotler (2012), for creation, definition and communication of value to the target segment. Marketing Situation Gerraroom will drive adoption via unforeseen modes of web interaction but launches to existing...
Words: 3010 - Pages: 13
...Reactive Attachment Disorder in Children and Adolescents in Institutionalized and in Foster Care, and Adoptive Families Lisa W. Marshall Liberty University Abstract It is believed children exposed to early institutional rearing are at risk for developing psychopathology (McGoron, et. al., 2012). Comparisons were made to discover if Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) was more prevalent in children raised institutions, foster care or adoptive families. Measurements included the Observational Record of the Caregiving Environment, Strange Situation Procedure, Disturbances of Attachment Interview, and the Preschool Aged Psychiatric Assessment (Smyke, et. al. 2012), the Reynolds Adolescent Adjustment Screening Interview (Cone, et. al., 2009) in addition to the Reactive Affective Disorder Checklist (RAD-C) and the Relationships Problem Questionnaire (RPQ), in the diagnosis of Reactive Attachment Disorder (Thrall, et al., 2009). These measurements were not only utilized to discover the existence of RAD, but to test the validity of the methods. Additionally, treatment studies including holding, narrative therapy, parenting skills training, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, psychodrama, and/or neurofeedback (Wimmer, et. al.,2009) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (Cone, et. al.,2009) are examined. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) lists Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) as a serious, directly linked...
Words: 3238 - Pages: 13
