TY - JOUR
T1 - Post-adoption service needs of families with special needs children
T2 - Use, helpfulness, and unmet needs
AU - Reilly, Thom
AU - Platz, Laune
N1 - Funding Information:
Thom Reilly, PhD, is Associate Professor, School of Social Work, and Laurie Platz is Doctoral Student, Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Address correspondence to: Thom Reilly, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Social Work, 4505 Maryland Parkway, P.O. Box 5032, Las Vegas, NV 89154-5032 (E-mail: treilly@ccmail.nevada.edu). The authors wish to express their appreciation to all the adoptive families who participated in the study. Funding for this project was provided by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the Nevada Division of Child & Family Services.
PY - 2004
Y1 - 2004
N2 - This study was conducted to explore post-adoptive service needs of families adopting special needs children. In addition, the research examined the relationship of post-adoption service utilization to positive adoption outcomes. Two hundred forty-nine (N = 249) special needs adoptive families representing 373 children responded to a mailed survey as part of this study. Financial, medical, and dental supports, and subsidies emerged as the most frequently cited service needs. Reports of unmet needs included: counseling services and in-home supports (respite care, daycare and babysitting services). The receipt of financial supports, other supports such as social work coordination and legal services and informal supports (support groups for parents and children) were significantly associated with higher satisfaction with parenting. Unmet service needs in the form of counseling, informal supports, other supports, out of home placement needs, financial supports, and in-home supports were associated with a lower perceived quality of relationship between the adoptive parent and child and a more negative impact on the family and marriage. No differences were found between former foster parents to the adoptive child and new parents to the child or on primary caregiver's characteristics such as race/ethnicity, age, marital status, and religious practice. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.
AB - This study was conducted to explore post-adoptive service needs of families adopting special needs children. In addition, the research examined the relationship of post-adoption service utilization to positive adoption outcomes. Two hundred forty-nine (N = 249) special needs adoptive families representing 373 children responded to a mailed survey as part of this study. Financial, medical, and dental supports, and subsidies emerged as the most frequently cited service needs. Reports of unmet needs included: counseling services and in-home supports (respite care, daycare and babysitting services). The receipt of financial supports, other supports such as social work coordination and legal services and informal supports (support groups for parents and children) were significantly associated with higher satisfaction with parenting. Unmet service needs in the form of counseling, informal supports, other supports, out of home placement needs, financial supports, and in-home supports were associated with a lower perceived quality of relationship between the adoptive parent and child and a more negative impact on the family and marriage. No differences were found between former foster parents to the adoptive child and new parents to the child or on primary caregiver's characteristics such as race/ethnicity, age, marital status, and religious practice. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.
KW - Post-adoption services
KW - Special needs
KW - Unmet needs
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U2 - 10.1300/J079v30n04_03
DO - 10.1300/J079v30n04_03
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:3142673583
SN - 0148-8376
VL - 30
SP - 51
EP - 67
JO - Journal of Social Service Research
JF - Journal of Social Service Research
IS - 4
ER -