Peter J. Pecora, Nicole S. Le Prohn, and John J. Nasuti
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195109405
- eISBN:
- 9780199865789
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195109405.003.0010
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
This chapter discusses the results of two related studies that examined the characteristics, role conceptions, agency involvement, and satisfaction of relative and nonrelative foster parents. The two ...
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This chapter discusses the results of two related studies that examined the characteristics, role conceptions, agency involvement, and satisfaction of relative and nonrelative foster parents. The two studies involved relative and nonrelative foster parents from the Casey Family Program and public and child welfare foster parents in Louisiana. It is shown the relative and nonrelative foster families have distinct differences. Relative foster families are likely to have lower family incomes, to be headed by older single women, have slightly younger foster children, and to be persons of color. These demographic differences and characteristics indicate the need for increased support the establishment of a plan for the child in the event of a death of one or both parents.Less
This chapter discusses the results of two related studies that examined the characteristics, role conceptions, agency involvement, and satisfaction of relative and nonrelative foster parents. The two studies involved relative and nonrelative foster parents from the Casey Family Program and public and child welfare foster parents in Louisiana. It is shown the relative and nonrelative foster families have distinct differences. Relative foster families are likely to have lower family incomes, to be headed by older single women, have slightly younger foster children, and to be persons of color. These demographic differences and characteristics indicate the need for increased support the establishment of a plan for the child in the event of a death of one or both parents.
Peter J. Pecora, Ronald C. Kessler, Jason Williams, A. Chris Downs, Diana J. English, James White, and Kirk O'Brien
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195175912
- eISBN:
- 9780199865628
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195175912.003.0009
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
Prior chapters have reported on alumni functioning in terms of physical and mental health; education; and employment and finances. This chapter focuses on the nature and quality of the relationships ...
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Prior chapters have reported on alumni functioning in terms of physical and mental health; education; and employment and finances. This chapter focuses on the nature and quality of the relationships that alumni have with key groups of people such as spouses or partners, birth family, and former foster parents. Sources and types of social support available to alumni are examined, as well as child-rearing status, parenting, and placement of children of alumni in foster care.Less
Prior chapters have reported on alumni functioning in terms of physical and mental health; education; and employment and finances. This chapter focuses on the nature and quality of the relationships that alumni have with key groups of people such as spouses or partners, birth family, and former foster parents. Sources and types of social support available to alumni are examined, as well as child-rearing status, parenting, and placement of children of alumni in foster care.
Marianne Takas and Rebecca L. Hegar
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195109405
- eISBN:
- 9780199865789
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195109405.003.0004
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
This chapter discusses the impact of the new status of “kinship adoption” on family relationships. It reviews how the law regulates parent/child relationships. It argues that kinship adoption could ...
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This chapter discusses the impact of the new status of “kinship adoption” on family relationships. It reviews how the law regulates parent/child relationships. It argues that kinship adoption could be an effective solution when it is desired by all parties that the child maintain some level of relationship with one or both birth parents after adoption by a relative, family friend, or foster parent.Less
This chapter discusses the impact of the new status of “kinship adoption” on family relationships. It reviews how the law regulates parent/child relationships. It argues that kinship adoption could be an effective solution when it is desired by all parties that the child maintain some level of relationship with one or both birth parents after adoption by a relative, family friend, or foster parent.
Catherine E. Rymph
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781469635644
- eISBN:
- 9781469635651
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469635644.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter examines the role of foster parents as workers, an idea rooted in the nineteenth century role of the “boarding mother.” Child Welfare professionals, foster parents, and the public ...
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This chapter examines the role of foster parents as workers, an idea rooted in the nineteenth century role of the “boarding mother.” Child Welfare professionals, foster parents, and the public struggled over the proper balance between paying adequate board to foster parents while ensuring that desire to nurture a child remained the paramount motivation. By the 1960s, foster parents began organizing themselves, culminating in the formation of the National Foster Parents Association in 1971.Less
This chapter examines the role of foster parents as workers, an idea rooted in the nineteenth century role of the “boarding mother.” Child Welfare professionals, foster parents, and the public struggled over the proper balance between paying adequate board to foster parents while ensuring that desire to nurture a child remained the paramount motivation. By the 1960s, foster parents began organizing themselves, culminating in the formation of the National Foster Parents Association in 1971.
Catherine E. Rymph
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781469635644
- eISBN:
- 9781469635651
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469635644.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter examines the ambiguity of the foster parent role in the post-World War II period, looking particularly at analogies to other kinds of parenting. It explores efforts by child welfare ...
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This chapter examines the ambiguity of the foster parent role in the post-World War II period, looking particularly at analogies to other kinds of parenting. It explores efforts by child welfare professionals to reconcile their ambivalent feelings about foster parents through the creation and promotion of national standards for foster care and foster parenting. The chapter looks closely at professional writings about the foster mother role and the reasons why foster fathers received so little attention. It also examines the ways in which foster parents resisted their proscribed role, notably through attempting to adopt children in their care.Less
This chapter examines the ambiguity of the foster parent role in the post-World War II period, looking particularly at analogies to other kinds of parenting. It explores efforts by child welfare professionals to reconcile their ambivalent feelings about foster parents through the creation and promotion of national standards for foster care and foster parenting. The chapter looks closely at professional writings about the foster mother role and the reasons why foster fathers received so little attention. It also examines the ways in which foster parents resisted their proscribed role, notably through attempting to adopt children in their care.
David M. Brodzinsky and Adam Pertman (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195322606
- eISBN:
- 9780199914555
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195322606.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
The practice of adoption has changed dramatically over the past century, with profound implications for children and families. One significant example is that many categories of adults who previously ...
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The practice of adoption has changed dramatically over the past century, with profound implications for children and families. One significant example is that many categories of adults who previously were prohibited (or at least discouraged) from adopting—such as single, lower income and foster parents—have been increasingly accepted as suitable adoption applicants. Perhaps the most remarkable and controversial transformation during this time has been the growing willingness of adoption professionals to place children with sexual-minority individuals and couples. Yes, despite considerable research showing that lesbians and gay men can make good parents, they continue to experience difficulties and barriers in many parts of the United States in their efforts to adopt and raise children. Indeed, while progress in this area has been significant, it has been impeded by the homophobia and heterosexist attitudes of adoption professionals and the judiciary; by numerous stereotypes and misconceptions about parenting by lesbians and gay men; and by a lack of adequate guidelines and training for establishing best practice standards in working with this rapidly growing group of adoptive parents. This book explores the gamut of historical, legal, sociological, psychological, social casework, and personal issues related to adoption by sexual-minorities. The book aims to provide insights and specific recommendations for establishing knowledge-based empirically validated best practices for working with an important sector of our society, for treating all prospective and current parents fairly and equally.Less
The practice of adoption has changed dramatically over the past century, with profound implications for children and families. One significant example is that many categories of adults who previously were prohibited (or at least discouraged) from adopting—such as single, lower income and foster parents—have been increasingly accepted as suitable adoption applicants. Perhaps the most remarkable and controversial transformation during this time has been the growing willingness of adoption professionals to place children with sexual-minority individuals and couples. Yes, despite considerable research showing that lesbians and gay men can make good parents, they continue to experience difficulties and barriers in many parts of the United States in their efforts to adopt and raise children. Indeed, while progress in this area has been significant, it has been impeded by the homophobia and heterosexist attitudes of adoption professionals and the judiciary; by numerous stereotypes and misconceptions about parenting by lesbians and gay men; and by a lack of adequate guidelines and training for establishing best practice standards in working with this rapidly growing group of adoptive parents. This book explores the gamut of historical, legal, sociological, psychological, social casework, and personal issues related to adoption by sexual-minorities. The book aims to provide insights and specific recommendations for establishing knowledge-based empirically validated best practices for working with an important sector of our society, for treating all prospective and current parents fairly and equally.
Carlos A. Ball
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814739303
- eISBN:
- 9780814739310
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814739303.003.0006
- Subject:
- Law, Family Law
This chapter profiles cases involving children of so-called planned lesbian and gay families. In particular, it looks at lesbian and gay litigants in foster care and adoption cases who have ...
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This chapter profiles cases involving children of so-called planned lesbian and gay families. In particular, it looks at lesbian and gay litigants in foster care and adoption cases who have sometimes found themselves in court battling government officials seeking to deny them the opportunity to become parents. It also considers the issue of gay teenagers who are placed under the care of gay foster parents and the contention of child welfare officials that lesbian and gay people are incapable of being good parents because of their same-sex sexual orientation and relationships. Finally, it examines how the courts have responded to adoption petitions, including those concerning joint adoptions and second-parent adoptions, brought by LGBT parents who were open about their sexual orientation.
Less
This chapter profiles cases involving children of so-called planned lesbian and gay families. In particular, it looks at lesbian and gay litigants in foster care and adoption cases who have sometimes found themselves in court battling government officials seeking to deny them the opportunity to become parents. It also considers the issue of gay teenagers who are placed under the care of gay foster parents and the contention of child welfare officials that lesbian and gay people are incapable of being good parents because of their same-sex sexual orientation and relationships. Finally, it examines how the courts have responded to adoption petitions, including those concerning joint adoptions and second-parent adoptions, brought by LGBT parents who were open about their sexual orientation.
Carlos A. Ball
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814739303
- eISBN:
- 9780814739310
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814739303.003.0006
- Subject:
- Law, Family Law
This chapter profiles cases involving children of so-called planned lesbian and gay families. In particular, it looks at lesbian and gay litigants in foster care and adoption cases who have sometimes ...
More
This chapter profiles cases involving children of so-called planned lesbian and gay families. In particular, it looks at lesbian and gay litigants in foster care and adoption cases who have sometimes found themselves in court battling government officials seeking to deny them the opportunity to become parents. It also considers the issue of gay teenagers who are placed under the care of gay foster parents and the contention of child welfare officials that lesbian and gay people are incapable of being good parents because of their same-sex sexual orientation and relationships. Finally, it examines how the courts have responded to adoption petitions, including those concerning joint adoptions and second-parent adoptions, brought by LGBT parents who were open about their sexual orientation.Less
This chapter profiles cases involving children of so-called planned lesbian and gay families. In particular, it looks at lesbian and gay litigants in foster care and adoption cases who have sometimes found themselves in court battling government officials seeking to deny them the opportunity to become parents. It also considers the issue of gay teenagers who are placed under the care of gay foster parents and the contention of child welfare officials that lesbian and gay people are incapable of being good parents because of their same-sex sexual orientation and relationships. Finally, it examines how the courts have responded to adoption petitions, including those concerning joint adoptions and second-parent adoptions, brought by LGBT parents who were open about their sexual orientation.
Catherine E. Rymph
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781469635644
- eISBN:
- 9781469635651
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469635644.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter examines the impact of World War II, which increased the need for foster care, decreased the supply of foster parents, and exacerbated tensions over women’s roles as workers, mothers, ...
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This chapter examines the impact of World War II, which increased the need for foster care, decreased the supply of foster parents, and exacerbated tensions over women’s roles as workers, mothers, and caregivers. In an effort to meet wartime needs for foster parents, child welfare professionals turned to the rhetoric of war service to recruit foster families, celebrating foster mothers’ caregiving as part of the war effort. As was also the case for other women working in war industries, however, champions celebrated foster mothers’ motivations in traditionally feminine terms while often downplaying the very real economic considerations at play. The chapter examines the role of a program to temporarily place British children in American homes (administered by the US Committee for the Care of European Children) in further developing the American child welfare infrastructure. It also explores child welfare professionals’ opposition to institutional day care.Less
This chapter examines the impact of World War II, which increased the need for foster care, decreased the supply of foster parents, and exacerbated tensions over women’s roles as workers, mothers, and caregivers. In an effort to meet wartime needs for foster parents, child welfare professionals turned to the rhetoric of war service to recruit foster families, celebrating foster mothers’ caregiving as part of the war effort. As was also the case for other women working in war industries, however, champions celebrated foster mothers’ motivations in traditionally feminine terms while often downplaying the very real economic considerations at play. The chapter examines the role of a program to temporarily place British children in American homes (administered by the US Committee for the Care of European Children) in further developing the American child welfare infrastructure. It also explores child welfare professionals’ opposition to institutional day care.
Catherine E. Rymph
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781469635644
- eISBN:
- 9781469635651
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469635644.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
In the 1930s, buoyed by the potential of the New Deal, child welfare reformers hoped to formalize and modernize their methods, partly through professional casework but more importantly through the ...
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In the 1930s, buoyed by the potential of the New Deal, child welfare reformers hoped to formalize and modernize their methods, partly through professional casework but more importantly through the loving care of temporary, substitute families. Today, however, the foster care system is widely criticized for failing the children and families it is intended to help. How did a vision of dignified services become virtually synonymous with the breakup of poor families and a disparaged form of "welfare" that stigmatizes the women who provide it, the children who receive it, and their families? Tracing the evolution of the modern American foster care system from its inception in the 1930s through the 1970s, this book argues that deeply gendered, domestic ideals, implicit assumptions about the relative value of poor children, and the complex public/private nature of American welfare provision fueled the cultural resistance to funding maternal and parental care. What emerged was a system of public social provision that was actually subsidized by foster families themselves, most of whom were concentrated toward the socioeconomic lower half, much like the children they served. Analyzing the ideas, debates, and policies surrounding foster care and foster parents' relationship to public welfare, Rymph reveals the framework for the building of the foster care system and draws out its implications for today's child support networks.Less
In the 1930s, buoyed by the potential of the New Deal, child welfare reformers hoped to formalize and modernize their methods, partly through professional casework but more importantly through the loving care of temporary, substitute families. Today, however, the foster care system is widely criticized for failing the children and families it is intended to help. How did a vision of dignified services become virtually synonymous with the breakup of poor families and a disparaged form of "welfare" that stigmatizes the women who provide it, the children who receive it, and their families? Tracing the evolution of the modern American foster care system from its inception in the 1930s through the 1970s, this book argues that deeply gendered, domestic ideals, implicit assumptions about the relative value of poor children, and the complex public/private nature of American welfare provision fueled the cultural resistance to funding maternal and parental care. What emerged was a system of public social provision that was actually subsidized by foster families themselves, most of whom were concentrated toward the socioeconomic lower half, much like the children they served. Analyzing the ideas, debates, and policies surrounding foster care and foster parents' relationship to public welfare, Rymph reveals the framework for the building of the foster care system and draws out its implications for today's child support networks.
Megan Birk
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252039249
- eISBN:
- 9780252097294
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252039249.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This epilogue examines how changes in child welfare policy were affected by the decline of the farm home as a symbol of American prosperity, the appropriate levels of work and education for children, ...
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This epilogue examines how changes in child welfare policy were affected by the decline of the farm home as a symbol of American prosperity, the appropriate levels of work and education for children, the expense of placement, the problems with supervision, and efforts at family preservation. It explains how the decisions made during the Progressive Era to rationalize, study, centralize, and professionalize institutionalization and placement permanently altered the methods of care for dependent children throughout the country. It suggests that the farm placement system changed in part because the farm itself was in transition, and that foster care was also unsuccessful in ways similar to the practice it was purported to replace. Finally, it considers problems with dependent child care policy that persist until today, in which foster children are trapped in a web of bureaucracy that undermines conscientious foster parents from being able to parent.Less
This epilogue examines how changes in child welfare policy were affected by the decline of the farm home as a symbol of American prosperity, the appropriate levels of work and education for children, the expense of placement, the problems with supervision, and efforts at family preservation. It explains how the decisions made during the Progressive Era to rationalize, study, centralize, and professionalize institutionalization and placement permanently altered the methods of care for dependent children throughout the country. It suggests that the farm placement system changed in part because the farm itself was in transition, and that foster care was also unsuccessful in ways similar to the practice it was purported to replace. Finally, it considers problems with dependent child care policy that persist until today, in which foster children are trapped in a web of bureaucracy that undermines conscientious foster parents from being able to parent.
Brian Pullan
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781784991296
- eISBN:
- 9781526115034
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9781784991296.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
This chapter traces the next steps in the progress of children under the care of foundling hospitals. Survivors of the nursery were sent out to wetnurses and foster parents who cared for them in the ...
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This chapter traces the next steps in the progress of children under the care of foundling hospitals. Survivors of the nursery were sent out to wetnurses and foster parents who cared for them in the city or (more often) in the supposedly healthier countryside. Some were eventually adopted and others returned to the hospital at ages which varied through time. Families, especially country families, valued the extra income from nurses’ wages, and both breast-feeding and adoption may have had roles in determining family size. Hospitals made some attempts at the systematic inspection of foster families, both to protect children’s wellbeing and to save themselves from fraud, though some miscreants succeeded in escaping their vigilance and even at one point in organising a black market in foundling children.Less
This chapter traces the next steps in the progress of children under the care of foundling hospitals. Survivors of the nursery were sent out to wetnurses and foster parents who cared for them in the city or (more often) in the supposedly healthier countryside. Some were eventually adopted and others returned to the hospital at ages which varied through time. Families, especially country families, valued the extra income from nurses’ wages, and both breast-feeding and adoption may have had roles in determining family size. Hospitals made some attempts at the systematic inspection of foster families, both to protect children’s wellbeing and to save themselves from fraud, though some miscreants succeeded in escaping their vigilance and even at one point in organising a black market in foundling children.
William Seraile
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780823234196
- eISBN:
- 9780823240838
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823234196.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Social History
This book is an examination of the effort of a group of white women who, aided sporadically by limited financial support from African Americans, labored for over a century to maintain a home for ...
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This book is an examination of the effort of a group of white women who, aided sporadically by limited financial support from African Americans, labored for over a century to maintain a home for black youth, first orphans and then also half-orphans and neglected, dependent, and delinquent children. The Colored Orphan Asylum (COA), the first in the nation for African American youth, was similar to other orphanages in the United States. Some orphanages cared for only Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish youth. In contrast, the COA housed blacks and occasionally American Indians until 1944, when a state law required them also to accept white applicants. The COA did not deviate from this pattern, although very few children were indentured to African American homes, and it was not until the early twentieth century when efforts were made to place them in the homes of black foster or adoptive parents.Less
This book is an examination of the effort of a group of white women who, aided sporadically by limited financial support from African Americans, labored for over a century to maintain a home for black youth, first orphans and then also half-orphans and neglected, dependent, and delinquent children. The Colored Orphan Asylum (COA), the first in the nation for African American youth, was similar to other orphanages in the United States. Some orphanages cared for only Protestant, Catholic, or Jewish youth. In contrast, the COA housed blacks and occasionally American Indians until 1944, when a state law required them also to accept white applicants. The COA did not deviate from this pattern, although very few children were indentured to African American homes, and it was not until the early twentieth century when efforts were made to place them in the homes of black foster or adoptive parents.
