Adoption and Kafala

Adoption is the formal, permanent transfer of parental rights to a family other than a child’s own and the formal assumption by that family of all parenting duties for the child. Where a child’s parents are living and their parental rights have not been terminated, they must provide informed consent for adoption. In some countries it is not culturally acceptable to give the parental rights to a non-family member, and therefore alternative long-term care options must be pursued e.g. kinship care. In some Islamic countries, the term ‘Kafala’ in Islamic law is used to describe a situation similar to adoption, but without the severing of family ties, the transference of inheritance rights, or the change of the child’s family name.

Given the permanency of adoption, it should be used very carefully and only when it is in a child’s best interests. In some cases difficult choices must be made between keeping a child in a temporary care situation in the hope of eventual family reunification, and a child’s developmental need for permanent attachment and care within a family environment. Adoption should not be considered an option in an emergency context. In the case of family separation in an emergency all tracing activities must be exhausted before adoption can be considered.

The long term care of a child requires thorough assessment and planning, and should include the participation of all those affected, especially the child in question. The choice for adoption must meet the child’s long term needs and wishes, and enable their healthy development into adulthood. Wherever possible, children should remain with siblings and encouraged to maintain contact with relatives. All adoptive placements should be in keeping with applicable national law and international standards.

Ideally adoptive parents should come from a similar cultural and religious background to the child, so that the child can retain her heritage and sense of identity. This will be more likely when the adoption is within the country of the child’s origin. The child care policies of a country must therefore provide mechanisms for formal state adoption procedures, and provide workers to support this process. Intercountry or cross border adoptions should be used with caution since the child is likely to grow up in unfamiliar surroundings, and may therefore be more isolated and exposed to risk. When intercountry adoption is in the best interests of a child, international protection agencies should ensure standards are met and procedures should be in keeping with the Hague Convention on intercountry adoption.

This section of papers includes country and policy examples of the use of adoption and guidance on practice.

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Late-adoptions in adolescence: Can attachment and emotion regulation influence behaviour problems? A controlled study using a moderation approach

Cecilia Serena Pace, Simona Di Folco, Viviana Guerriero - Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 28 Nov 2017

The current study explores (a) a moderation model of adoption status on the association between attachment representations (secure, dismissing, preoccupied, and disorganized) and behavioural problems and (b) a moderation model of adoption status on the association between emotion regulation processes (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and behavioural problems.

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Do children adopted from British foster care show difficulties in executive functioning and social communication?

Alexandra E Wretham, Matt Woolgar, Alexandra E Wretham - Adoption & Fostering, 24 Nov 2017

In this study, 30 primary school aged UK adoptees without a history of institutionalisation completed an assessment of their intellectual, executive functioning and social communication abilities.

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Key factors and characteristics of successful resource parents who care for older youth: A systematic review of research

Angelique Day, Tamarie Willis, Lori Vanderwill, Stella Resko, Debra Patterson, Kris Henneman, Sue Cohick - Children and Youth Services Review, 23 Nov 2017

This study implemented a systematic review process to identify the personal characteristics, skills and abilities of successful resource families that maximize foster and adoptive parent retention and maximize placement permanency of teens placed in out of home care.

Traumatic Separation in Children and Adolescents

National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 14 Nov 2017

This webinar, from the U.S. National Child Traumatic Stress Network, as part of its Childhood Traumatic Grief e-learning series, describes the impact of traumatic separation, attachment, and attachment disruption on children and adolescents.

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Resetting the pendulum: Balanced, effective, accountable child protection systems and adoption reform In Australia

Jeremy Sammut - The Centre for Independent Studies, 01 Nov 2017

This research report reviews the child protection and adoption policies in Australia and the long-term plan of the New South Wales (NSW) government "to restructure the operation of the child protection system to increase sustainability and improve performance by achieving permanency for more children."

Number of children in foster care continues to increase

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau, 20 Oct 2017

This report provides preliminary estimates of Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) data for FY 2016 in the United States.

Adoption for Hard to Place Children

Better Care Network & Child's i Foundation, 10 Oct 2017

In this video, social worker Evelyn Nateza describes the process used by Child's i Foundation to find Ugandan adoptive families for hard-to-place children.

Kinship care and issues in permanency planning

Deborah J. Monahan, Katie Kietzmann, Carrie Jefferson Smith & Vernon L. Greene - Journal of Intergenerational Relationships , 05 Oct 2017

This article examines whether and how felt caregiver burden influences the reported propensity of caregivers to want to adopt the children in their care.

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Uganda Practitioner Learning Video Series

Better Care Network & Child's i Foundation, 01 Oct 2017

This video series from Better Care Network, in partnership with Child's i Foundation, highlights promising practices in children's care in Uganda.

Improving Outcomes for Older Youth Adopted From Foster Care

Jeanne Miranda - Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 01 Oct 2017

The goal of this presentation is to describe a unique manualized Adoption-Specific Intervention (ADAPT) intervention, developed specifically for families adopting older foster care youth. Important lessons for mental health clinicians working with families of adopted youth will be discussed.

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