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Home » Adoption Articles » FosterPlacement of Children with RelativesWhat You Need to Know In order for States to receive Federal payments for foster care and adoption assistance, Federal law requires that they "consider giving preference to an adult relative over a non-related caregiver when determining placement for a child, provided that the relative caregiver meets all relevant State child protection standards."1 (Placement refers to the placing of a child in the home of an individual other than a parent or guardian or in a facility other than a youth services center.) Approximately2 14 States use the word "preference" in their statutes. Approximately six States, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands make no reference to placement with relatives pending permanent placement of a child removed from his or her parents' home. The remaining States use statutory language such as "may consider" or "give priority to" placement with relatives. Foster Care Facts Nearly One Quarter of Foster Care Children Are Waiting for Adoptive Families Adopting a Child with Special Needs In the United States, more than 110,000 children with special needs are waiting for permanent homes. Traditionally, children with special needs have been considered harder to place for adoption than other children, but experience has shown that many children with special needs can be placed successfully with families who want them. The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-89) has focused more attention on finding homes for children with special needs and making sure they receive the post-adoption services they need. Congress enacted the law to ensure that children in foster care, who cannot be reunited with their birth parents, are freed for adoption and placed with permanent families as quickly as possible. Adopting Children with Developmental Disabilities Developmental Disabilities and Adoption The estimates of children who are awaiting adoption (legally free) indicate that anywhere between 30 - 50% have a developmental disability. However, these children are not a homogeneous group. Their physical, cognitive and social characteristics may differ considerably. Each child's diagnosis and/or classification are coupled with their individual uniqueness. Children with developmental disabilities, like all children, benefit from the love and stability that come from belonging to permanent families. Decision-Making for the Permanent Placement of Children The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-89) amended Title IV-E of the Social Security Act in an effort to provide added safety and permanency for children in foster placement. This legislation has served as the impetus to efforts to reform child welfare practices in most States. An emphasis is placed on the health and safety of children, as well as on expediting and improving planning and decision-making for the permanent placement of children in the child welfare system. Reasonable Efforts to Reunify Families What Are Reasonable Efforts? Reasonable efforts refers to efforts made by State social services agencies to provide the assistance and services needed to preserve and reunify families. Clergy as Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect Clergy's Responsibility to Report A mandatory reporter is a person who is required to report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect. Every State, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territories have statutes that identify mandatory reporters of child maltreatment and specify the circumstances under which they are to report. How Does the Child Welfare System Work? What is the child welfare system? The child welfare system is a group of services designed to promote the well-being of children by ensuring safety, achieving permanency, and strengthening families to successfully care for their children. Most families first become involved with the child welfare system due to a report of suspected child abuse or neglect (sometimes called "child maltreatment"). Child maltreatment is defined by Federal law1 as serious harm (neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse or neglect) caused to children by parents or primary caregivers, such as extended family members or babysitters. Child maltreatment can also include harm that a caregiver allows to happen (or does not prevent from happening) to a child. In general, child welfare agencies do not intervene in cases of harm to children caused by acquaintances or strangers. These cases are the responsibility of law enforcement.2 Disclosure of Confidential Records What You Need to Know Approximately1 41 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territories of American Samoa, Guam and Puerto Rico have statutes authorizing the establishment of a Statewide central registry. A central registry is a centralized database or listing of child maltreatment records. Several States only mandate by law that agencies, usually public social services agencies, collect and maintain child abuse and neglect records. Online Resources for State Child Welfare Law and Policy Child welfare professionals require ready access to State laws and regulations regarding child protection, foster care, and adoption. This publication provides web addresses for websites where State statutes can be accessed, and it also lists the parts of the code for each State and territory that contain the laws addressing child protection, adoption, and child welfare. Helping Children and Building Families Through Adoption Today's Presidential Action: President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush announced a new initiative to increase public awareness and encourage Americans to consider adoption of children in foster care. Pre-Placement Visits When adopting a waiting child, you usually will have several visits with the child before you bring him or her home to stay. If the child lives outside your community, perhaps even in another state, you probably will be expected to travel at least once and often several times to where the child is living. Although the child's agency may help with some of your costs of transportation, food, and lodging, you probably will have to pay some of the costs yourself. |
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