Keeping the Promise:

The Critical Need for Post-Adoption Services to

Enable Children and Families to Succeed
 Decline in Infant Adoptions

 Since the early 1970s, infant

adoptions have declined about nine-
fold.
 During past 20 years, public foster
care & intercountry adoptions have
increased dramatically.
 These adoptions are best for the
children and cost-beneficial for
society.
 Numer 0f Adoptions with Public Agency Involvement
1988-2005

60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0
1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Proportion of Nonstepparent U.S. Adoptions/Type

Proportion of Non-stepparent U.S. Adoptions by Type

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How do adopted children fare after adoption?
The Good News
 Only 15% of adoptive parents (of all types) report their
relationship with their adopted child is “more difficult”
than they ever expected.

 Over 90% of adoptive parents in any type of adoption

are satisfied with their adoption experience

 Most adoptive parents report feeling very close to their

children across all types of adoptions

(National Survey of Adoptive Parents; Howard, Smith & Ryan, 2004)

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 The Challenges

 The utilization of clinical services by adoptive

families is triple the rate reported by birth families

 Over 1/3 of adopted children receive at least one

type of counseling or mental health service

 Behavior problems for many of these youth are

chronic

 Underlying emotional issues drive behaviors

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Risk Factors for Ongoing Challenges

 Prenatal malnutrition/  Physical, sexual &

low birth weight emotional abuse

 Prenatal substance  Multiple placements

exposure
 Emotional conflicts re:
 Older age at adoption loss & identity

 Early deprivation &  Genetic vulnerabilities

chronic neglect
Percentage of Children (6-17) Receiving Mental
Health Care (Nat’l Survey of Adoptive Parents)

46% Foster care adoptions

33% Private domestic adoptions

35% International adoptions

10% General population

(National Survey of Children’s Health)

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 Issues in School Performance by Family Type

Birth Infant Int’l CW

n=175 n=481 n=89 n=1340
Unmet educational needs 15% 18% 27% 39%

Special education services

for learning problems 9% 24% 32% 40%

Teacher complaints/behavior 18% 35% 34% 54%

On medication for behaviors 3% 28% 21% 31%

Repeated 1 or more grades 6% 4% 3% 26%

(Howard, Smith, & Ryan, 2004)

Families Need Post-Adoption Services

 Financial supports

 Education/information & referral

 Support: support groups, mentors

 Respite care for children with intense needs

 Therapeutic counseling services

 Service coordination, advocacy

 Barriers to Receiving Help
 Professionals lack adoption competence
 Effective treatments just now developing
 Complexity of problems & needs-hard to
get effective help in a timely way
 Inadequate funding of post-adopt services
 Some problems cannot be remediated and
need ongoing support
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When Can’t Find Help—
Common Family Dynamics
 Severe power struggles
 Mother takes brunt of child’s anger
 Marital tension
 Conflict thru family / sibs
 Isolation
 Running on empty/exhaustion
 Parents feel like failures/hopeless
 Difficulty connecting or empathizing

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We were lost, sinking, destroying our family rapidly
before these services. We spent thousands upon
thousands of dollars, not counting the time
involved in seeking help. This was the only place
we could find help, information, relief…an
understanding of how to try and cope …how to
deal with the emotions these kids stir up in us.
How to still love them…It’s so hard to try to put
into words the devastating effects on the family
these kids could have…the destruction, the
financial drain, the breakdown of the marriage, of
physical health…
 Recommendations
 Dedicated federal funding and assistance to
develop continuum of supports
 Identify high risk children & intervene early
 Research on interventions & educate
professionals about these
 Educate professionals to understand
adoptions & how to support families
 Intensive services needed for top level of
difficulty (advocacy, crisis, etc.)
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For more information:
Paper on Post-Adoption Services:
Keeping the Promise

http://www.adoptioninstitute.org/resear
ch/2010_10_promises.php