Transcript Forging Family Connections - American Adoption Congress

Forging Family Connections
Strengthening Adoptions
• This workshop will provide an overview of
the Family Finding process and will focus
on principles that assist in moving children
toward permanency in safe and supportive
adoptive placements.
Objectives
• Youth and Family Alternatives (YFA) strives to
support positive family connections before and
after adoption finalization.
• YFA works with children and adoptive caregivers
to develop support systems that will ensure
successful adoptive outcomes.
• YFA strives to place siblings together for adoption
whenever safe and achievable.
Objectives continued…
• We emphasize and support ongoing sibling
visitation even when siblings are not placed
together.
• We utilize recruitment strategies that promote
positive biological family contact.
What is Family Finding?
• National program that locates relatives of
children in foster care and non-relative care that
encourages development of emotional support
systems or permanent homes for these children.
• Developed by Kevin Campbell, internationally
known youth permanency expert and founder of
the Center for Family Finding and Youth
Connectedness.
Overview continued…
• Mr. Campbell developed Family Finding, a set of strategies
that are geared toward developing lifelong supports and
connections for children in foster care.
• In 2008, when Family Finding was introduced in Florida’s 5th
Judicial Circuit, Kevin Campbell was hired as a consultant to
assist with implementation and training of case
management staff .
• Also in 2008, President Bush signed into law the Fostering
Connection to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act, which
placed a further emphasis on increasing family connections
for children in foster care.
Fostering Connection to Success and
Increasing Adoptions Act
• Promotes permanency through adoption and relative
guardianship
• Ensures proper notice provided to relatives when children
placed in foster care
• Supports programs designed to connect youth to relatives
• Stresses the importance of keeping siblings together
• Initiated family connection grant process to support family
finding related activities
• Kids Central Inc., one of 24 organizations in the United
States awarded a three year grant in September 2009 to
implement activities geared toward promoting family
connections for children involved with or at risk of entering
the child welfare system.
Family Finding Principles
• Family Finding’s approach to connecting and
reconnecting youth with their families includes an
extensive search and discovery process to identify
and engage family members.
• Internet-based search tools are used to identify and
locate family members we may not know.
• Strong efforts are made to connect/reconnect youth
with family members or relative resources who live
as close as next door or across the country.
Benefits of initiating the Family Finding
process early on in a case
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Assists with emotional improvement
Results in decreased loneliness
Promotes a greater sense of belonging
Promotes improved family connections
Helps generate lifelong connections
Results in more successful placements
Possible emotional investment of family members
Leads to improved support systems
What could occur when Family Finding
is not timely initiated?
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Weaker emotional support systems
Less stable placements
Poor self esteem
Loss of contact with biological family
Lesser sense of belonging
Possible identity issues
How can Family Finding help children
during the adoption process?
• Leads to improved support systems for children and
adoptive families
• Results in more relative adoptions
• Possible increased investment in ensuring a
successful adoption
• Promotes positive lifelong biological connections
• Helps maintain and strengthen sibling relationships
Recruitment Strategies
• Family Centered
• Focused on the needs of the child, not the
needs of the adoptive applicants
• Emphasis placed on recruiting adoptive
families that are supportive of positive
biological family connections before and after
adoption finalization.
• Geared toward promoting and strengthening
sibling connections.
Siblings Adopted Separately
• Siblings who are separated in care and placed or
adopted separately often reveal how important birth
connections are.
• They value chances to visit and talk with birth
siblings.
• While separated siblings may wonder and speculate
about why they couldn’t be placed together, they
rarely voice concerns for fear of upsetting their
adoptive parents or losing the chance to maintain
birth family ties.
Siblings Adopted Together
• Siblings who are adopted together usually talk
about how great it is to have one another.
• They may be the only recorders of specific
chapters in their history.
• They rely on each other and depend on each
for emotional support .
Adoption Trends
• Nationally, children have historically been
adopted by their foster parents, with other
types of adoptions lagging far behind.
• Due to family finding efforts and a family
centered approach toward recruitment, this
trend has been reversed in Circuit 5.
Adoption Trends
• As a result of Family Finding efforts, we have
seen a stark decline in the number of foster
care adoptions in Circuit 5, not because foster
parents are unwilling to adopt, but because
biological family members are being engaged
early on in our cases to provide support to our
children, and many have ended up adopting
these children.
Adoptions by Type
Adoptions by Type
Adoptions by Type Comparison
National Average
The AFCARS Report
June 2011
Circuit 5 Adoptions
July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011
Non Relative
15%
15%
Foster Parent
53%
23%
Other Relative
32%
62%
Average Length of Stay
Circuit 5 Adoptions
Family Finders in Action
Family Finding in Action
• Chris (17) and Kayla (15)
• Removed from biological mother in 2001 for
allegations of substance abuse.
• Their older ½ sibling was placed with her
biological father and the children lost contact.
• Biological mother’s rights were terminated in
2009.
• Both children were adopted together in October
2010 in Georgia.
Family Finding in Action
• After finalization, the family moved to Florida.
• Children were removed from their adoptive
parents in July 2011 for allegations of physical
and sexual abuse.
• Adoptive parents’ rights were terminated in
November 2011.
• Children were separated in foster care and
stated they did not want to be adopted again.
Family Finding in Action
• On March 10, 2012 Chris was taken out of
state to be reunited with his biological family.
• He also met with his previous foster parents
(prior to his adoption).
• He attended church with the foster family and
reunited with his church family.
Outcome of the Family Meeting
• The children reunited with 25 family members
and 25 church members as well as previous foster
parents.
• There are 8 families interested in providing a
home for both children were they can maintain
relationships with family and friends.
• 5 relatives to the children and 3 non relatives are
interested in providing permanency for the
children.
• Another visit is already planned and ICPC home
studies have been requested.
Family Finding in Action
• Angelica (16), Kurtis (14), Alexis (7).
• Removed from biological mother originally in
February 2005, reunified in June 2006, then
removed again in September 2007.
• 2 failed relative placements.
• Children were separated and placed in foster
care.
• Parental rights were terminated in July 2009.
Family Finding in Action
• Youngest child was adopted first by her foster
parents.
• The older children did not want to be adopted
and felt loyal to the biological family.
• Biological mother and grandmother made a
video message for the children.
• Angelica and Kurtis were shown their video
messages separately with the help of their
case manager, foster parents, and therapists.
Outcome of Family Finding Activities
• After seeing the video, Angelica decided she
did want to be adopted.
• She was matched with a family, adopted, and
continues to do very well.
• Kurtis also decided he wanted to be adopted.
• He is in the process of being adopted by his
foster parents.
Family Finding In Action
• Devon (16) removed from biological mother
as an infant and placed in foster care.
• Adopted as a toddler by foster mother.
• Arrested at age 14 and placed in DJJ.
• Adoptive Mother refused to pick him up when
he was released.
• He was sheltered August 2010 and placed in
foster care.
Family Finding in Action
• Adoptive mother signed surrenders and her
rights were terminated November 2010.
• Family Finding activities were initiated for
Devon.
• A Family Finding Chronicle was completed
with Devon.
Family Finding for Devon
• Biological family was located.
• Devon’s Biological mother, maternal aunt and
uncle, and adult sister were located.
• Devon was reunited with his biological family and
spent the Christmas break with them.
• He was unable to be placed with his biological
mother or sister.
• His aunt and uncle were seeking placement for
him, however they had difficulty with their
homestudy.
Family Finding Outcomes for Devon
• Devon has decided that his biological family
would not be the best placement for him.
• He does remain in contact with them.
• When he has a bad day he does turn to them
for support.
Conclusion
• Family Finding does not stop at TPR.
• Family Finding is shifting the adoption trends
from foster parent adoption to relative adoption.
• Identifying family support systems for adoptive
parents and children helps children reach
permanency faster.
• Studies have shown that adoption by families not
previously know to the child increase the risk of
adoption disruption.
Questions
Contact Information
• Richard Manuel, Operations Specialist
Youth and Family Alternatives, Inc.
[email protected]
(352) 277-5860
• Keri Seroski, Quality Improvement Coordinator
Youth and Family Alternatives, Inc.
[email protected]
(352) 277-5860