Introduction
It is common for adoptive families to need
support and services after adoption. Postadoption
services can help families with a wide range
of issues. They are available for everything
from learning how to explain adoption to
a preschooler, to helping a child who experienced
early childhood abuse, to helping with an
adopted teen's search for identity. Experience
with adoptive families has shown that all
family members can benefit from some type
of postadoption support. Families of children
who have experienced trauma, neglect, or
institutionalization may require more intensive
services.
This factsheet provides the following information
regarding postadoption services:
- Postadoption issues that most adoptive
families encounter
- Milestones (and developmental stages)
that may trigger a need for postadoption
support
- Types of postadoption services
- Finding postadoption services
- Paying for postadoption services
- Resources for adoptive families
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Postadoption Issues
That Most Adoptive Families Encounter
Because of the lifelong impact of adoption,
members of adoptive families may want or
need additional support, education, and other
services as their children grow. The following
are some issues for which families typically
seek postadoption support.
Loss and grief. All adopted
children experience loss at one or more points
in their lives, and they may grieve their
loss as they come to understand the role
that adoption has played in their lives.
They may struggle with understanding why
they were placed for adoption and how that
affects who they are. These feelings may
change and reappear at different stages of
life. Some adopted children may be confused
by conflicting emotions about their birth
parents—anger at having been placed
for adoption or having their birth parents'
rights terminated or worry about their birth
parents' circumstances. All of these feelings
may be acted out as hostility toward their
adoptive parents.
Adoptive parents also may experience loss
and grief issues of their own, often stemming
from infertility issues or the stresses of
the adoption experience itself. For some
adoptive parents, these issues may cause
strains in their marriages.1
Understanding adoption. Children's
understanding of adoption changes as they
mature and can begin to comprehend its complex
social and emotional foundations. Parents
need to know how to answer children's questions
at each stage of development.
Trust and attachment. Children
who have experienced abuse, neglect, or institutionalization
prior to joining their adoptive families
often have not known consistent love and
affection and may have difficulty trusting
and attaching to their new family. In fact,
any child separated from birth parents has
experienced a break in attachment. These
children may need help to begin to make sense
of their history and come to terms with what
has happened in their lives.
School problems. Children
adopted from foster care often have experienced
multiple placements among homes, as well
as multiple moves among schools. An educational
consultant or a child psychologist may be
able to test for educational status and work
with teachers from the child's school to
ensure an appropriate education. School problems
and the need for the services of an educational
consultant may also be helpful for older
children adopted through intercountry adoptions
who already have some school experience in
their former country.
Other school issues can arise around classroom
assignments that are insensitive or inappropriate
for adopted children, such as traditional "family
tree" assignments or basic genetics lessons
(e.g., identifying inherited family traits).
Additionally, school is where many adopted
children are first challenged to explain
adoption to their peers, often as they themselves
are just beginning to understand what it
means. Some materials have been developed
for adoptive parents and educators to use
in the classroom and to educate teachers
and other school personnel about adoption.
Support groups may be especially helpful
in pointing adoptive parents to appropriate
materials.
Post institutionalization issues
and behaviors. Children who have
spent more than a few months in an institutional
setting may have missed out on important
developmental activities due to a lack
of stimulation and suboptimal nutrition.
They may have difficulties with feeding,
sleeping, and speech, as well as difficulties
in forming healthy attachments.
Identity formation. Teenagers
who were adopted at any age may experience
identity confusion as they confront the primary
questions of adolescence—"Who am I?
How am I different from my parents? Which
of their values will I take as my own?" Young
people who joined their families through
adoption also must try to determine how these
questions relate to their birth parents,
who may be unknown and even unknowable. These
questions may be further complicated if the
child's race or birth culture differs from
that of the adoptive family.
Birth relative contact. During
the past decade or two, the professional
adoption community has learned that many
adopted children and adults desire or even
need information about their birth family
or to reconnect with birth relatives. This
desire in no way reflects upon adoptive family
relationships or the quality of parenting
that adopted children received. Agency staff
and private specialists can assist in providing
information about birth relatives or in initiating
contact, if desired, and mediating the relationships
that may form.
Medical concerns. Children
who have been in multiple placements may
not have received regular medical care. These
children, as well as children adopted through
intercountry adoptions, often have medical
information that is inaccurate and/or incomplete.
It is important for all children to have
as complete and accurate a health history
as possible. Assessment by an adoption-competent
physician will provide a plan to update a
child's health and immunization status.
Racial issues. Adults who
parent children of different races or cultures
need skills to prepare their children to
function successfully in a race-conscious
society. A survey of adults who had been
adopted from Korea as infants or children
found that racial discrimination was one
of the most profound issues they faced.2 Parents
who do not have personal experience as a
target of racial prejudice must learn how
to prepare their children as much as possible.
(Information Gateway provides a factsheet
on this topic, Transracial
and Transcultural Adoption.)
|
Parenting the Adopted Child
Child Welfare Information Gateway
(Information Gateway) has a wealth
of material on parenting the adopted
child. To link to these resources,
visit the following Information Gateway
web page: Postadoption
Services
|
[back to top]
Milestones That
May Trigger a Need for Postadoption Support
Children understand, think, and feel differently
about their adoption at different developmental
stages. For most adopted children most of
the time, thinking about adoption and its
complexities does not occupy a large amount
of time and focus. They are busy with schoolwork
and sports activities, religious functions,
social events, family gatherings, and squabbling
with their siblings.
But there are times and events that predictably
trigger adoption issues. Parents should watch
for signs, such as changes in mood or eating
and sleeping habits, indicating that their
adopted child may need special support during
these times. Children can be prepared by
discussing the possibility that these triggers
will cause a reaction, which a child likely
cannot control. Parents should let their
children know that they understand what is
happening and will be there to help and find
other resources as needed.
Common adoption issue triggers:
- Birthdays (of the adopted child, siblings,
parents, birth parents)
- Anniversaries (of placement into foster
care, an orphanage, or into the adoptive
family, or the date of adoption finalization)
- Holidays (especially Mother's and Father's
Days, but any holiday that involves family
gatherings and sentiment, such as Christmas,
Passover, or Thanksgiving)
- Entering kindergarten and first grade
(which may be the first time an adopted
child must explain adoption to peers; it
can be the first time the child realizes
that most children were not adopted into
their families)
- Puberty (as children become sexually
mature and able to conceive or father a
baby themselves, thoughts of birth parents
may arise)
- Adoptive mother's pregnancy and birth
of child, or adoption of another child
(may trigger doubts about the adopted child's
place in the family)
- Adopted person's pregnancy and birth
of child or fathering of a child (often
a powerful trigger that may ignite interest
in reconnecting with birth relatives, if
only to obtain medical histories and updated
information)
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Types of Postadoption
Services
The extraordinarily wide range of issues
that can be addressed with postadoption services
means that the services themselves must be
diverse. Here are the most common types of
postadoption services, including those that
families have identified as most helpful.
Adoptive Parent Support Groups. In
an adoptive parent support group, adoptive
and prospective adoptive parents come together
to offer and receive information and support
from their peers. Parent groups offer their
members and other participants a support
system, friendships, educational programming,
social interactions with other adoptive families,
and advice from experienced adoptive parents.
Parent groups exist throughout the country
and vary extensively, from small playgroups
for toddlers adopted through intercountry
adoptions to large regional groups offering
a range of programs and services to their
members (who can number in the hundreds).
Most parent groups are organized and administered
by adoptive parent volunteers.
Parent groups may restrict their focus to
families with children who share certain
characteristics (such as having been adopted
from a specific country or having been adopted
through a public agency), or they may include
all adoptive families in their programming.
A number of national parent groups are organized
into local chapters. Local adoption agencies
and State adoption offices also may have
information on newly formed groups. Parent
groups can be located through Information
Gateway's National Foster
Care & Adoption Directory.
Programs and services commonly offered by
parent groups include:
- Telephone warm lines
- Buddy families
- Respite care
- Lending library
- Workshops/conferences
- Pre-adoption support
- Social activities
- Children's support groups
- Ethnic heritage activities
- Newsletter
- Legislative advocacy
- Information and referral
Online support groups. Available
24 hours a day, Internet support groups now
number in the thousands. Through participating
in these groups, parents will likely find
families who have experienced exactly what
they are going through and who will be able
to provide helpful suggestions. Parents should
remember, however, to use the same precautions
with online support groups that are used
for any Internet activity.
Psychological therapy/counseling. Members
of adoptive families may at times want or
need professional help as concerns or problems
arise. Timely intervention by a professional
skilled in adoption issues often can prevent
concerns from becoming more serious problems.
The type and duration of therapy will vary
depending on the kinds of problems being
addressed. Some families build a relationship
with a therapist over years, "checking in" for
help as needed. Others find they need a therapist's
help only occasionally.
There are many types of therapeutic interventions
and many kinds of clinicians offering adoption
therapy. For information about adoption therapy,
the kinds of issues that it can address,
and how to find the right mental health professional,
see Selecting
and Working with an Adoption Therapist.
Respite care. Sometimes
parents just need to get away for a while,
reframe their problems, and get some rest.
Respite care is a service that offers parents
a temporary break from their parenting responsibilities.
It is meant for families with children who
require more skilled care than babysitters
can provide or for parents going through
a crisis of their own. Respite care can be
in-home, meaning the respite worker comes
to the house and stays with the children
while the parents go out. With out-of-home
respite, the parents take the children to
a designated site.
Respite care may be available on a regularly
scheduled or crisis basis from a State postadoption
unit or local adoption agencies, or through
a local adoptive parent group.
Seminars/conferences. Many
adoptive parent support groups, adoption
agencies, and postadoption service organizations
offer education in adoption issues through
workshops and conferences that range in length
from a few hours to a few days. At an adoption
conference, parents can learn about the adoption
topics that are most important to them, have
questions answered by the experts, socialize
with other adoptive family members, and have
the opportunity to purchase adoption-related
books and other informative materials. Topics
covered at these trainings may include how
to discuss adoption with children, strategies
for building attachment, parenting challenging
children, dealing with adoption at school,
parenting children who have been adopted
transracially, search and reunion issues,
supporting cultural heritage in international
adoption, and much more. Adoption agencies
will often offer seminars on such topics
as specific types of child behavior, child
development, and talking to children about
adoption. (Search the Information Gateway conference
calendar.)
Scholarships are sometimes available to
help with the cost of attending adoption
education conferences and seminars. State
postadoption funding may be available for
families who adopted through public agencies.
Parents can check with conference organizers
regarding scholarship opportunities.
Books and magazines. There
are many helpful books on adoption for children
and adults. Many of the children's books
explain the "whys" of adoption and describe
the process by which children are adopted.
Some may help as children begin to question
and discuss their own adoption story. Some
of the books help parents look at the unique
aspects of adoptive parenting. Others are
written specifically for those who have adopted
children with particular needs or who are
parenting children from other cultures.
There also are a number of magazines for
adoptive families, available by subscription
or online. Each provides parenting information
and support specifically for families formed
through adoption.
Camps/recreational opportunities/heritage
camps. Overnight camps or retreats
are a powerful way for members of adoptive
families to connect not only with others
like themselves, but also with their own
family members. Such events, typically
weeklong, often combine adoption and ethnic
heritage education and support with traditional
camping activities. Family camps offer
activities for all members of the family.
Other camps serve children of certain ages
and/or ethnicities. Often siblings of children
who have been adopted internationally are
also included in heritage camp and find it
enlightening to be among the minority, as
their siblings frequently are. Heritage camp
counselors are frequently older adopted youth,
who provide critical role models for their
younger counterparts. Frequently, camp attendees
form powerful friendships with other adopted
children, and they provide each other ongoing
support all year long. In recent years, highly
specialized camping experiences have become
available for siblings separated by adoption
to establish, reestablish, or strengthen
their relationships with each other.
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Finding Postadoption
Services
Details about postadoption services in a
particular area are available from local,
State, and national information resources.
Parents should call the public and private
adoption agencies in their area and ask to
be placed on their mailing lists for postadoption
events. While some of these may be restricted
to families who adopted through the agency,
many postadoption services offered by agencies
will be open to all adoptive families. Adoptive
parent support groups also will have information
about local agencies and organizations that
provide postadoption services and their upcoming
events.
The following is a listing of resources
for information about local postadoption
services.
Public and private adoption agencies. Many
adoption agencies have a postadoption specialist
on staff, and many larger agencies have complete
postadoption services departments. Agencies
may offer counseling by on-staff clinicians,
or they can refer parents to adoption-competent
therapists. Among the postadoption services
offered by agencies are support groups for
parents and children, educational workshops
and events, cultural heritage events, respite
care, and support with birth family relationships.
Specialized postadoption services
organizations. Agencies offering
postadoption services exclusively are becoming
more prevalent throughout the country.
They typically offer the same kinds of
postadoption services as do adoption agencies,
but they do not place children for adoption
and may not be affiliated with any specific
adoption agency.
Adoptive parent support groups. Parent
groups offer information about local postadoption
service providers and referrals to adoption-competent
therapists. Educational events, respite care,
and cultural events are among the many kinds
of support a parent group may offer.
State and county adoption offices
and postadoption specialists. Most
State and county adoption offices have
identified staff who are responsible for
adoption and postadoption services or adoption
subsidies. Larger jurisdictions may offer
services themselves, but all will have
information about local postadoption services
and providers.
Adoptive parents can find out if their child
is eligible for these services by contacting
the adoption specialist for that jurisdiction.
To find contact information for all of the
State Adoption Specialists, search the National
Foster Care & Adoption Directory.
State postadoption resource centers. Some
States now provide a resource center specifically
for postadoption services. Some of these
resource centers serve only those families
who have adopted children through domestic
foster care, while other centers may have
no restrictions on who is eligible to use
their services. Most offer programs and all
provide information about local postadoption
services and providers.
Public and private mental health
service providers. Mental health
service providers will offer counseling
on issues affecting adoptive families.
Parents should be sure that the provider
is adoption competent (has experience and
is skilled in working with adoptive families)
or willing to learn about the special issues
and dynamics of adoptive families. (See Selecting
and Working With an Adoption Therapist.)
Community health organizations. Local
public health organizations provide mental
health services and referrals to local clinicians.
Parents should check to find out if the provider
has experience with adoptive families.
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Paying for Postadoption
Services
While many postadoption services are not
free of charge to adoptive families, there
may be Federal and State funding to support
services for families who have adopted children
from a public agency. Many children adopted
from public agencies qualify for adoption
assistance (subsidies) and Medicaid. These
benefits are often used to purchase postadoption
services. An adoption assistance agreement
should spell out the types of postadoption
services that will be reimbursed (such as
respite care or counseling). To find out
about postadoption services that are paid
for by adoption assistance programs in a
particular State, parents can access Information
Gateway's webpage on Adoption
Assistance by State.
If adoption assistance programs are not
available, parents can check with their health
insurance company or health maintenance organization
regarding mental health benefits that may
be applicable.
Some States may have additional funding
to support families in attending seminars,
conferences, and other educational events,
or for other postadoption services. Parents
can contact their State postadoption specialist
for information on State postadoption funding,
programs, and services that may be available.
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Conclusion
Seeking out postadoption services is a common
way for adoptive parents to find information
or someone to talk to; for adoptive families
who need more intensive or specialized services,
there are places for them to turn. Such activities
have become normal and expected for adoptive
families. Clearly, there is nothing wrong
(and everything right!) with a family that
seeks postadoption support at any time throughout
the lifelong process of adoption.
[back to top]
Resources
Child
Welfare Information Gateway offers
resources for adoptive families, including
the following:
The North
American Council on Adoptable Children provides
resources for transracial families, a
database of parent groups, and information
on starting an adoptive parent support
group.
The American
Academy of Pediatrics offers
a listing
of pediatricians who specialize in
adoption and foster care medicine, including
international adoption clinics.
ARCH
National Respite Network provides
information about respite care and a searchable
database of respite care providers.
National Adoption Magazines
Acknowledgment: This
factsheet was developed by Child Welfare
Information Gateway, in partnership with
Susan Freivalds. This document is made
possible by the Children's Bureau, Administration
on Children, Youth and Families, Administration
for Children and Families, U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services. The conclusions
discussed here are solely the responsibility
of the authors and do not represent the
official views or policies of the funding
agency.
Suggested Citation: Child
Welfare Information Gateway. (2005). Postadoption
Services: A Factsheet for Families. Washington,
DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
1 The Federal government
currently funds demonstration projects in postadoption
services and marriage education in seven
States, as well as the Healthy
Marriage Initiative; both of these efforts
may help couples with the stresses associated
with these losses.
2 Freundlich, M., & Lieberthal,
J. A. (2000) A gathering of the first
generation of adult Korean adoptees: Adoptees'
perceptions of international adoption.
The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute.
Retrieved August 2005 from http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/proed/korfindings.html
This material may be
freely reproduced and distributed.
However, when doing so, please credit Child
Welfare Information Gateway.
Enhancements for the web
and links updated and maintained by Adoptions.com 2008
