What do Babe Ruth, Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, and Steve Jobs have in common? That’s right, they were all adopted. Babe Ruth was placed in an orphanage at seven years old; Marilyn Monroe spent much of her childhood in foster care, while John Lennon’s mother was not able to care for him after his dad went missing on a naval ship. Steve Jobs was the product of an unapproved relationship, so he was put up for adoption at birth. All of these well-known people struggled through the process of adoption, as well as many others. The adoption process should be shorter because the number of kids in foster care is likely to decrease, is financially taking, and takes a toll on the child and the adoptive family. The basic steps of adoption are to choose …show more content…
Not many families remain anxious throughout the whole process because it is so long. Nerves and stress are a huge factor in the well-being of the adoptive family, especially the parents. Important questions start for the family from the very first thought of adoption, until the child is finalized in the new family. The type of adoption, the race, and the age of the child are some beginning questions will add stress. They have to think about how they are going to pay for everything, as well as how to answer questions correctly in the home study. Also, they have many long waiting periods and uncertain outcomes within the process. The process alone is a long one that causes stress, but adopting has a lifelong struggle of unknown possibilities (Child Welfare Information Gateway). Adopted children already struggle mentally with the questions that will never go away, along with trying to find their identity. Also, the adopted people may feel out of place when they find out or when they are adopted because they are not often blood related. The long process may also affect the child being adopted because they may lose hope that everything will work out and think they will be stuck in foster care for a long time, and potentially forever. Twenty percent of children in foster homes for six to eleven months, but fifty five percent of kids in foster care are there for over a year (Adoption Statistics). David Cameron …show more content…
The type of adoption that is being desired to do is the first step, followed by contacting agencies and attending multiple orientations. An expensive, in depth home study is completed by a social worker, and finally the adoptive family can start to look for possible children to adopt. The family must meet the child and eventually be finalized to be able to adopt them. Next, whether the adoption is going to be an open or closed one is the next step. The cost of adoption can cost up to fifty thousand dollars because of the unnecessary steps and roadblocks that are put in place to stop the child from being put into a loving home. The stress and important questions asked effect the well-being of the adoptive family, especially the parents, over the long period to complete the process. Negative emotions and losing hope are possibilities for the children that need to find new homes to live in forever. In Britain, the Prime Minister stated that making the adoption process fairer and faster is the government’s main focus. He wants children placed in an effective home in three months or less, so that more children have social workers to help them find a forever home. He also stated that there were unneeded barriers set up within the system of adoption. Some believe that the adoption process should remain longer, or increase in length, because it helps protect the children from going into another negative environment.
Multiple visits are scheduled between the child and adoptive parents and, finally, the child can be placed in the home. Even though the adoption process seems extensive, there are still faults within the system.
Foster Care and Adoption are the most multi-faceted areas of child welfare. Foster care consists of placing children outside of the custody of their parents or legal guardians. This out-of-home placement can be temporary or long-term. Adoption on the other hand, consists of the legal and permanent process that establishes a parent/child relationship between individuals not related biologically (Downs, Moore, & McFadden, 2009). These two areas of child welfare are constantly evolving and the decisions made on a child’s behalf can affect many areas of their biological, spiritual, social, and emotional wellbeing.
The adoption process strives to serve the best interests of children should be the main focus in deciding all issues of adoption policies and practices. The adoption policy should always focus on finding the best parents for children who are in need of homes. This process helps someone join another’s family and should not be a defining characteristic or lifelong process. People who are adopted as infants grow up as healthy and productive as people who are raised in their own biological families. In November of each year, the President of the United States issues a proclamation to announce National Adoption Month. This is a time that is dedicated to raising awareness for the need of adoptive families and to encourage citizens to become involved in the lives of children and youth that are in the foster care system.
4). In the scope of adoption, it is evident that child welfare agencies use the majority of their available resources for placing children in foster families, investigating child-abuse cases, and providing other family services. “As a consequence, they do not possess adequate additional resources for efficiently placing children in adoptive homes once they are available for adoption, depriving many children of the benefits a stable, permanent home provides” (Snell, 2000, p. 2). The current government operated child welfare system is detrimental to the children involved due to its inability to ensure their safety and
The majority of the children awaiting adoption are not simply sitting in institutions with little human contact and no sense of family. Most children waiting to be adopted are in foster care. Foster care provides temporary placement in a family setting. "Over 500,000 children in the U.S. currently reside in some form of foster care" (Foster). This is not to say that there are over 500,000 children waiting for adoptive parents. Actually, the number needing to be adopted ends up being much lower. "Two out of three children who enter foster care are reunited with their birth parents within two years. A significant number, however, can spend long periods of time in care awaiting adoption or other permanent arrangement" (Foster).
The issue with adoption is the financial challenges with orphanages, foster homes and parents who want to adopt but cannot. Many changes need to be made when it comes to the adoption system. Adoption is a social justice issue because so much money is going to orphanages and foster parents when it could be used for other things, such as helping people who want to adopt but cannot. The cost of adopting should be lowered to have more adoptions and fewer people to pay. Adoption regulations should be changed considering the long process and money it takes to adopt and the process doesn’t always let people become parents.
Adoption is a beautiful system that allows for families to raise a child that could have otherwise been in bad situations. These children are taken in by a family and are given a fresh start. Children can be adopted from birth until they are eighteen years old, but thousands of these children in need are not given the opportunity of adoption because of the extravagant cost. An adoption ranges anywhere from $6,000 to $50,000 and because of this Adopt Together says, “Cost is the number one reason families don’t adopt.” There is a long list of fees that rack up the price that include legal fees, home studies, agency cost, and many more. The extravagant cost of adoption can and should be lowered in order that more families can provide a loving home to children in need.
When the average American citizen today thinks about the concept of adoption, what images are typically the first that come to mind? Although different people are sure to have equally as different experiences in this field, one picture continues to remain the most commonly-accepted. This image consists of a man and a woman who cannot have children of their own, a newborn baby, and a single mother who will certainly be unable to provide for the infant due to her young age, lack of financial support, or another variety of unfortunate circumstances. Making the decision to adopt a child is without a doubt one of the best options available for couples who are unable to conceive, but by thinking of adoption as nothing more than the fallback
The necessity of adoption in the world is astounding. Currently, there is an estimated 143 million orphans worldwide (Wingert, vol.151). As of 2007, there were 513,000 children living in foster care within the United States alone (Rousseau 21:14). International adoption in the United States was jumpstarted post World War II as a way of helping those children who were left homeless, after war had taken their parents. Although there are thousands of healthy children awaiting adoption in the United States, several American couples still turn to foreign adoption when seeking potential children. Americans often fail to realize the need for intervention within their own country and their duty to take care of domestic affairs before venturing to
Moreover, there is a strategic interview and background check on those who wish to adopt. We do not let just anyone adopt a child, nor do we go without checking up on his or her history to predict the likelihood of that person being a good candidate for a parent. There are forms to be filled out, house inspection, and an overview of their income to make sure they are suitable to take in and care for this child. According to a study published by the Child Welfare League of America, despite
In the last four decades, the concept of the American family has undergone a radical transformation, reflecting society¡¯s growing openness. Among all segments of society, there is a greater acceptance of a variety of family structures ¨C from single parenting to blended families to same sex parenting of children. The introduction of openness into the process of adoption offers new opportunities for children in need of a parent or parents and prospective parents wishing to create or expand their families. Meeting the requirements to become eligible to adopt no longer means being constrained by the conventions of an earlier generation.
When a couple or individual decides to adopt a child, they know they are going to take on the responsibility of taking care of someone else’s child. Due to the biological parent(s) who can’t take care of that child anymore, because of either drug abuse, alcohol abuse, abuse to the child or if the parent(s) had died and there is no other care for the child. So that’s why this gives other couples who cannot have kids, the opportunity to promise themselves to be a great parent to a child in need. Though there are some bad things about adoption as well. Like adopting a child from another country of another race, because once that child is adopted into an American family, he or she will be cut off from their culture and never know about their
Adoption is metamorphosing into a radical new process that is both sweeping the nation and changing it. But this process is not an easy one, there are many steps to go through. Through research it is made a lot easier. Adoption is a also a highly visible example of a social institution that has benefits from and been reshaped by both the Internet and the exponential growth of alternative lifestyles, from single to transracial to gay. It is accelerating our transformation into a more multicultural society; even as it helps redefine out understanding of “family.” The process includes three main steps including a type of adoption, the techniques for location a baby for adoption, arranging
Further, applicants for adoption should be accepted on the basis of an individual assessment of their capacity to understand and meet the needs of a particular available child at the point of adoption and in the future (Rosario, 2006, p.8). The United States is facing a critical shortage of adoptive and foster parents. As a result, hundreds of thousands of children in this country are without permanent homes. These children deteriorate for months, even years, within state foster care systems that lack qualified foster parents and are frequently faced with other problems.
Since 1776, the United States of America has had a growing problem with orphans and childhood adoption. Orphanages become overpopulated while foster homes shelter up to 3 children on average. The foster care system has been viewed as positive reinforcement for American homes; yet the point of fostering children is consistently overlooked. Adoption is necessary for orphans, foster children, or children in abusive homes. The act of adopting a child comes with positive benefits and fiscal responsibility, such as government assistance and wiser spending. Children obtain a healthy childhood with a familiar sense of belonging. The drawback of this is the long governmental process of petitioning for adoption. Seeking the birthparents, if they are alive, retrieving consent, being fiscally responsible, and having a safe environment for the child to grow up in are all responsibilities to look forward to when adopting a child. The adoption rate in the United States of America needs to increase dramatically, as there are social benefits, mental health improvements, and economical advantages for families who adopt.