My last blog talked about adoption loss, meaning the grief experienced when an anticipated adoption does not happen.
Some adoptions are known as “legal-risk placements” from the start. Often called foster-adopt or fost-adopt programs, these are not voluntary placements by the birthparent, but situations where the birthparents are at risk of having their parental rights terminated. For example, a mother who has illegal drugs in her system when she gives birth may have the child removed from her care by the state, but may be given a certain amount of time in which to go through addiction treatment, participate in recovery programs, address any mental health issues, etc. Parents who have their children removed for neglect or abuse may be given a certain amount of time to show that they have found safe housing and a job, broken off a violent relationship, taken parenting classes.
Recent laws require most states to have a plan for permanency, and to give the parents no longer than 18 months to improve their situation. This attempts to ensure that fewer children will be in foster care long-term, as it is harder to find people wishing to adopt older children.
Even more stability can be provided to the child with a foster-adoption situation, where the foster family agrees to adopt the baby if the birth parent’s rights are terminated. This spares a toddler the trauma of moving between families. However, it is obviously hard on the adoptive (at first foster) parents, who must simultaneously remember that people are working toward the goal of restoring the child to his family of origin while at the same time bonding to a newborn as if he or she was to be in their family permanently. Sometimes the adoptive family must participate in supervised visits with the birth parent or parents. Sometimes they are asked to keep in contact with other birth family members, such as siblings or grandparents, who care about the child but are not in a position to physically raise him or her.
Please see these related blogs: