TY - JOUR
T1 - The journey to adopt a child who has special needs
T2 - Parents' perspectives
AU - Denby, Ramona W.
AU - Alford, Keith A.
AU - Ayala, Jessica
N1 - Funding Information:
We wish to thank all of the individuals who devoted their time and talent to the research efforts that supported the development of this article, including Constance Brooks, Susan Mears, Nancy Downey, Renee Brown, and Chris Kordus. Funding for this study was provided by the State of Nevada Division of Child and Family Services . A special thank you is extended to the parents who so graciously shared their stories with us.
Copyright:
Copyright 2011 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2011/9
Y1 - 2011/9
N2 - Many of the children eligible for adoption from the public child welfare system are considered to have special needs. Given the importance of securing adoptive families for these children, knowing more about the adoption process as it is experienced by prospective parents who complete (or are in the process of completing) their adoption pursuit and those who discontinue it are critical. Using qualitative inquiry, prospective adoptive parents in nine families were studied in an effort to learn more about their motivations, expectations, preparation, and experiences. Although the adoption outcome (continued versus discontinued) was different, the process, including negative experiences, was quite similar. Programming implications and suggestions for future research are offered.
AB - Many of the children eligible for adoption from the public child welfare system are considered to have special needs. Given the importance of securing adoptive families for these children, knowing more about the adoption process as it is experienced by prospective parents who complete (or are in the process of completing) their adoption pursuit and those who discontinue it are critical. Using qualitative inquiry, prospective adoptive parents in nine families were studied in an effort to learn more about their motivations, expectations, preparation, and experiences. Although the adoption outcome (continued versus discontinued) was different, the process, including negative experiences, was quite similar. Programming implications and suggestions for future research are offered.
KW - Adoption preparation
KW - Adoption process
KW - Adoptive parents
KW - Special needs adoption
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U2 - 10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.03.019
DO - 10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.03.019
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:79960441164
SN - 0190-7409
VL - 33
SP - 1543
EP - 1554
JO - Children and Youth Services Review
JF - Children and Youth Services Review
IS - 9
ER -