Outcomes of Open Adoption from Care

This Open Access book presents unique evidence from the first comprehensive study of the outcomes of open adoption from care in Australia. It contributes to the international debate concerning the advantages and disadvantages of face-to-face post adoption contact with birth families.

The chapters assess whether adoption provides a better chance of permanence and more positive outcomes than long-term foster care for abused and neglected children in care who cannot safely return to their birth families. They also explore whether open adoption can avoid some of the detrimental consequences of past policies in which adoption was shrouded in secrecy and children frequently grew up with a conflicted sense of identity. The book will appeal to policy makers, practitioners and students of social policy, social work, the law, psychology and psychiatry. It should also be of interest to adult adoptees and adoptive parents, whose experiences it reflects.

Presents new and vivid findings concerning the extensive vulnerability of this population of children at the point of entry to care Shows that there is much to learn at an international level from the experiences of those involved in mandatory face-to-face post adoption contact - a uniquely Australian policy Provides evidence which shows how continuing post-adoption contact was experienced by adoptees and their adoptive parents. This book is open access, which means that you have free and unlimited access

Autorentext
Harriet Ward is an Honorary Research Fellow at the Rees Centre, University of Oxford and Emeritus Professor of Child and Family Research at Loughborough University, UK.

Lynne Moggach was Executive Specialist of Adoption at Barnardos Australia until she retired in 2019.

Susan Tregeagle was Senior Manager of Research and Advocacy at Barnardos Australia and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney until she retired in 2019.

Helen Trivedi is a Research Assistant at the Rees Centre, University of Oxford, UK.

Klappentext

This Open Access book presents unique evidence from the first comprehensive study of the outcomes of open adoption from care in Australia. It contributes to the international debate concerning the advantages and disadvantages of face-to-face post adoption contact with birth families.
The chapters assess whether adoption provides a better chance of permanence and more positive outcomes than long-term foster care for abused and neglected children in care who cannot safely return to their birth families. They also explore whether open adoption can avoid some of the detrimental consequences of past policies in which adoption was shrouded in secrecy and children frequently grew up with a conflicted sense of identity. The book will appeal to policy makers, practitioners and students of social policy, social work, the law, psychology and psychiatry. It should also be of interest to adult adoptees and adoptive parents, whose experiences it reflects.

Inhalt

Chapter 1. Introduction. Part One: Birth Parents, Adoptive Parents and Children When They Entered their Adoptive Homes.- Chapter 2. Issues Facing the Birth Parents and their Implications for Open Adoption. - Chapter 3. The Children.- Chapter 4. The Adoptive Parents.- Part 2: Outcomes of Open Adoption From Care.- Chapter 5. Permanence.- Chapter 6. Post-Adoption Contact and Relationships with Birth Family Members.- Chapter 7. Progress After Placement.- Chapter 8. Adult Outcomes.- Chapter 9. Conclusion: Implications for Policy and Practice.