Research That Matters (January 17 - 20, 2008)

PURPOSE: Prospective adoptive families and adoption staff face numerous barriers in meeting the permanency needs of children in foster care waiting for adoption. Utilizing a nationwide sample of staff and families, this paper compares perspectives on systemic barriers to adoption. METHODS: Surveys were mailed to adoption staff from public and private agencies in 34 states and Washington, D.C. The survey included 50 items about systemic barriers to the adoption process. In a sample of 382, respondents rated on a scale of 1 to 5 the extent to which they believed each item was a “major barrier” to the adoption process. Scaled data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Over a four-year period, family perspectives were assessed through interviews and periodic surveys. The instruments were developed based on current literature and piloted. A codebook was developed and data were analyzed using a process of double coding and consensus. Based on this analysis, families were categorized according to how many phases of the adoption process they completed. Primary systemic barriers were analyzed in each category. Coded data were grouped into related factors and factor frequencies were run for each category of families. RESULTS: Overall, adoption staff and prospective adoptive families ranked different system factors as barriers to adoption. Sixty-seven percent of staff (N=255) rated inadequate pool of prospective adoptive families as a “major barrier”. Forty-eight percent (N=183) rated jurisdictional issues related to termination of parental rights as a major barrier. Full dockets, too few judges, and appeals were reported to cause court delays. Forty-six percent (N=176) cited barriers regarding Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children. Agency logistics, including excessive paperwork, bureaucratic red-tape, and process delays, created the greatest barriers in the adoption process for three categories of adoptive families in the study: families who discontinued the adoption process during their training/home-study phase (73%); families who were approved but discontinued the adoption process without ever receiving a child (100%); and families who finalized an adoption (100%). One area of agreement between staff and families was the lack of post-placement services. Forty-two percent (N=160) of staff believed that this was a major barrier. Thirty-six percent of families who experienced a disrupted adoptive placement and 21 percent of families who finalized an adoption reported lack of post-placement services as a major barrier. IMPLICATIONS: Study findings reveal significant barriers to the adoption process. Families are facing logistical barriers that might be minimized through changes in agency policy. Also, staff and families agreed that lack of post-placement services were significant barriers. There is a need for more empirically based agency practices and policies as well as legislation which addresses the barriers to adoption of children from foster care.