Foster Care and Adoptive Parents in the Latino Community...

Policy Brief: Foster Care Adoptive Parents in the Latino Community Foster Care Adoptive Parents in the Latino Community Foster Care and Adoption are the most multi-faceted areas of child welfare. Foster care consists of placing children outside of the custody of their parents or legal guardians. This out-of-home placement can be temporary or long-term. Adoption on the other hand, consists of the legal and permanent process that establishes a parent/child relationship between individuals not related biologically (Downs, Moore, McFadden, 2009). These two areas of child welfare are constantly evolving and the decisions made on a child’s behalf can affect many areas of their biological, spiritual, social, and emotional wellbeing.†¦show more content†¦Unfortunately, many Latino children fall through the cracks of finding some sense of normalcy after protective services have been implemented. Once in the system, the average timeframe of Latino children in foster care is two years; six months longer than their Caucasian counterparts. (Pichardo, 2003). Latinos Barriers in Foster Care Adoption While the number of Latino children in foster care continues to increase, there is a shortage of Latino foster care/adoptive parents to take children in when they are placed in the system. Although it is not required that a Latino child be matched with a Latino family, it can be of great benefit for the child to be placed within their racial/ethnic group (Bausch, 1999). Reasons for the lack of available foster/adoptive parents in this community are greatly affected by Latino perceptions of foster care and adoption, cultural beliefs, and organizational barriers (Quintanilla, 2002). Many Latinos already provide their own type of informal kinship/foster care to those in their families and communities. In Latino culture, family is highly valued. Being an active part of the family structure is seen as an essential piece to an individual’s identity (Olsen Skogrand, 2009). Family members typically provide support for each other when needed and stress the importance of close relationships in overcoming obstacles (Olsen Skogrand, 2009). Latinos also place importance on connections with extended family and communityShow MoreRelatedThe Goal Of Healing Homes1621 Words   |  7 Pagesdevelop and foster nurturing Hispanic adoptive and foster homes that responds to the cultural, emotional, and behavioral needs of at-risk Hispanic youths in the foster care system. Rooted in the belief that every child walks their own path and has the ability to reach full potential, Healing Homes focuses on a curriculum that teaches parents and caregivers how to be better listeners and supportive parents and enables children to improve. According to Dettlaf Rycraft (2010), â€Å"immigrant Latino childrenRead MoreAdoptive Families : An Early Childhood Educator953 Words   |  4 PagesDescription of Adoptive Families. Adoptive families are becoming a very common thing in today’s society and it is not uncommon to run into adoptive families while working in the teaching field as an early childhood educator. â€Å"Adoption is the legal process whereby a person or persons become a child’s legal parent or parents.† (Gov.nl.ca, 2016) Adoption can be done locally or internationally, â€Å"Many Canadians are choosing to start or expand their family through international adoption. Canadians adoptedRead MoreI Had Never Heard Of Foster Care1754 Words   |  8 PagesPersonal Statement Essay Tara Fisher Boersma, BSW Metropolitan State University of Denver MSW Advanced Standing Applicant Fall 2015 Growing up, I had never heard of foster care. I did not know anyone who had been in foster care and I only knew of one person in high school who lived in a home with abusive parents. I was friends with a handful of people who had been adopted, but was ignorant to the fact that their adoption potentially impacted them on a daily basis and in every area of theirRead More A Social Injustice: the effects of social inequalities in foster care and child welfare3164 Words   |  13 Pagesunderstanding, open-minded individual who does not look down upon anyone that is less fortunate than I am and who does not look to â€Å"more† fortunate individuals as role models. When I am asked how I got to be so understanding, I answer giving credit to my parents’ value system they instilled in me as well as acknowledging their duties as public servants in the City of New York. My father was a police officer who worked in a number of precincts in some of the worst, crime ridden areas of B rooklyn and my motherRead MoreThe Family Of A Single Parent Family2262 Words   |  10 PagesIn the United States, two-parent families were considered the norm. Historically, the myth of the perfect family unit consisted of a two-parent heterosexual home. The family unit has evolved though, and it is far more complex, diverse, dimensional and varies in ethnicity and family members than the status quo. Today, families are made up of same sex parents, adopted children,extended families, children raised by their grandparents, and a growing percentage of women, choosing to be single mothersRead MoreChildren And Children1754 Words   |  8 Pages2001; Rà ¼beling, Keller, Yovsi, Lenk, Schwarzer, Kà ¼hne, 2001) Other studies use children’s drawing of their family to understand how they interact with them (Bannon, Tirella, Miller, 2016). Some studies also look at children’s drawings of their community to learn about what places impact them the most (Quiroz, Milam-Brook s, Adams-Romena, 2014). Researchers also use children photography as a way to engage the children and learn about their environments as well (Alaca, Rocca, Maggi, 2017; QuirozRead MoreBlack Lesbian And Gay Families7002 Words   |  29 Pagesthese families negotiate. Focusing on the resources Black lesbian and gay families provide to the Black community, such as foster parenting and adopting Black children, mentoring runaway and throwaway Black youth and leadership on Black social justice issues, this article will demonstrate the value of Black lesbian gay families towards the larger goal of strengthening all Black families and communities. Keywords: African-American, Marriage Equality, gay, lesbian, youth, family, What is Marriage