‘Partnership or Panic?’ A Survey of Adoption Agency Practice on Working with Birth Families in the Adoption Process

Lindley, Bridget

doi:10.1177/030857599702100405

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 12 publications

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“…Wells (1990) describes her own experience of losing a child to adoption and suggests that closed adoption is like bereavement but lacks the accompanying rituals appropriate to death. Lindley (1998) maintains that birth parents are progressively marginalized throughout the processes of adoption and social workers’ quests to find observable methods of assessing risk serve to further alienate parents and families from their support systems. Mullender (1991) argues that birth parents are left with a void in their own lives while their child is living and growing in someone else's life.…”

Section: Existing Literature On Non‐relinquishing Birth Parentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Birth parents’ perceptions of professional practice in child care and adoption proceedings: implications for practice

Smeeton

Boxall

2011

Child &Amp; Family Social Work

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This paper explores non-relinquishing birth parents' experiences of contested child care and adoption proceedings. It highlights the perceptions and voices of birth parents which are rarely prioritised in dominant discourses of professional practice in this area. The paper reviews previous related research and also discusses a small scale empirical study which elicited the perspectives of three birth parents whose children had been made subject to care proceedings and placed for adoption in England. Drawing on previous research and this study, the paper makes range of practice recommendations for sensitive professional practice with birth parents during contested child care and adoption proceedings. IntroductionThis paper reviews research related to non-relinquishing birth parents' experiences of child care and adoption proceedings. Whereas previous important work (for example, Charlton et al 1998) has looked at the emotional impact of losing a child to adoption, this paper extends that discussion by exploring the practice implications of previous research in this area and a small-scale empirical research project which explored birth parents' experiences of contested child care and adoption proceedings. The Children Act 1989 is clear that the welfare of the child is paramount. The corollary of this is that where there are concerns about a child's welfare, the needs of birth parents must always be secondary to those of their child; this does not mean however that birth parents' needs should be disregarded (GSCC 2010). Our aim in this paper is to highlight birth parents' perspectives on childcare and adoption proceedings and to consider the implications of those perspectives for professional practice; in doing this however we do not wish to suggest that birth parents' needs should ever take precedence over of those of their child(ren).

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Section: Existing Literature On Non‐relinquishing Birth Parentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Birth parents’ perceptions of professional practice in child care and adoption proceedings: implications for practice

Smeeton

Boxall

2011

Child &Amp; Family Social Work

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Emerging Voices – Reflections on Adoption from the Birth Mother's Perspective

Kelly¹,

Wrobel²,

Neil³

2009

International Advances in Adoption Research for Practice

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Christmas without the kids: Losing children through the child protection system

O’Neill¹

2005

Children Australia

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Longitudinal research in Victoria is exploring the experience and support needs of birth parents’ and grandparents, children, permanent parents, teachers, social workers and therapists in situations where the children have been permanently removed from their birth families by the child protection system. The research is now halfway through its second three-year phase.This paper details the findings for ten birth parents, most of whom have been involved in the study for at least three years. The findings are presented through themes of loss, role, boundary, power and support. The research provides clues as to how professionals can offer support to these parents. What the parents want is little enough–for their stories to be heard without blame; to be consulted about their children’s future; and to be offered the possibility of meeting up with parents who have similar experiences.

show abstract

‘Partnership or Panic?’ A Survey of Adoption Agency Practice on Working with Birth Families in the Adoption Process

Cited by 5 publications

References 12 publications

Birth parents’ perceptions of professional practice in child care and adoption proceedings: implications for practice

Birth parents’ perceptions of professional practice in child care and adoption proceedings: implications for practice

Emerging Voices – Reflections on Adoption from the Birth Mother's Perspective

Christmas without the kids: Losing children through the child protection system

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