CHILD CARING SERVICES

IN SOCIAL WORK
1. ADOPTION
Adoption:
• Adoption is the legal and permanent transfer of parental rights from
a person or couple to another person or couple. Adoptive parents
have the same responsibilities and legal rights as biological parents.
• Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act
– Adoption Regulation
– Province of Alberta
• Provincially regulated
– That means the qualifications and regulations around adoption may change
slightly depending upon where you live.
– They may also differ depending upon whether you adopt privately, through
the public system, or internationally.
 5 Types of Adoption:

1. Adopting an infant, child, or youth from the Canadian

child welfare system (Public)
2. Adopting an infant or child (Private)
3. Adopting a child from another country (International)
4. Adopting a stepchild/children
5. Adopting a birth relative (Kinship adoption)
Types of Adoption :
• Agency Adoptions: placement of child is up to agencies, either public/private
agencies, public = place children from orphanage’s, abandonment, or abuse, private =
place children who have been brought by parents who want their child up for adoption
• Independent Adoptions: no agencies involved, some direct arrangement between
birth parents and adoptive parents, others use middle man such as attorney, doctor,
clergyperson, attorney most likely hired to deal with court paperwork, independent
adoptions are not allowed in Connecticut, Delaware, or Massachusetts
• Identified Adoptions: adopting parents and birth mother are in contact at first and then
turn to adoption agency to take over process, hybrid of independent and agency
adoptions, prospective adoptive parents dodge waiting lists of agencies by finding birth
parents themselves, but loose benefits of agencies, available to states that ban
independent adoptions
• International Adoptions: new parents adopt child whose citizen of a foreign country,
parents must obtain immigrant visa for child through U.S citizenship and immigration
services
 Types of Adoption:
• Stepparent Adoptions: parents new spouse adopts a child the parent had with
previous partner, less inconvenient than agency or independent adoptions, simple
process, especially if birth parents consent to adoption, if birth parents aren’t
reachable, attorney may be needed
• Same-sex Adoptions: rules vary according to state, states that recognize same sex
relationships are allowed to adopt children, one partner can adopt other partner’s child
too, some states use stepparent adoption procedures
• Relative (Kinship) Adoptions: member of child’s family steps in to adopt,
grandparents often adopt grandchildren if parents are dead or unable to take care of
the child, these adoptions are usually easier in most states, if there are siblings that
aren’t all adopted at once, kinship adoption procedures usually allow for contact
between them
• Adult Adoptions: in most states, an adult can legally adopt another adult if there is a
10 year age difference, must show why the adoption is wanted in the interest of both
parties, often these adoptions are stepparent adoptions that wasn’t done when person
was a minor but done to ensure inheritance rights
Associated Costs
• The cost of adoption depends on a number of variables:
the type of adoption you undertake, whether you work
with an agency, the province you reside in and any
associated travel costs. It costs very little to adopt
through the public child welfare system in Canada.
• Range of Adoption Costs
– Public (foster care): $0 - $3,000
– Licensed Private Agency: $10,000 - $20,000
– International: $20,000 - $30,000
How long does the process take?
• The process of adopting can range from 9 months to 9
years, depending upon what type of adoption you
undertake.
• If you are adopting internationally, the process varies
according to the other country involved. One way to help
speed up an adoption is to be educated, informed and as
proactive as possible.
How long does the process take?
• The process of adopting can range from 9 months to 9
years, depending upon what type of adoption you
undertake.
• If you are adopting internationally, the process varies
according to the other country involved. One way to help
speed up an adoption is to be educated, informed and as
proactive as possible.
Eligibility
• No matter what province you live in, all potential adoptive
parents must complete a home study that has been
conducted by a qualified social worker.
• Most provinces require some type of adoption readiness
training or preparation before parents are permitted to
adopt.
Placement
• A child with a family background containing risk factors for future
problems, such as drug and alcohol abuse, as well as mental
illness, creates special placement consideration when locating a
potential family
• Special consideration is also called for during the placement of a
child with one or more siblings who need to remain together
• Appropriate cultural and racial match between child and family
• The placement of a child into an adoptive home begins the adoption
probation period which usually lasts six months. Adoption probation
is essential for the child to integrate with the family
• Once probation is over, the adoption is finalized
2. FOSTER CARE
FOSTER CARE
It refers to a substitute temporary parental care
provided ta child by a licensed foster family under the
supervision of a social worker. the ultimate aims of foster
family is to reunite the child with the biological family or to
prepare the child for adoption or, in the case of older
children, to prepare them for independent living.
 WHO IS A CHILD IN FOSTER CARE?
. Foster care means 24-hour substitute care for children placed
away from their parents or guardians and for whom the child welfare
agency has placement and care responsibility.

• Includes placements in foster family homes, foster homes of

relatives, group homes, emergency shelters, residential facilities,
child care institutions, and preadoptive homes.
• A child is in foster care regardless of whether the foster care
facility is license and payments are made by the State, Tribal, or
local agency for the care of the child, whether adoption subsidy
payments are being made prior to the finalization of an adoption, or
whether there is Federal matching of any payments that are made.
3. LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP
 LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP

A process undertaken to provide substitute

parental care through the appointment of a
legal guardian for the child, including his
property, until the child reaches the age of
maturity.
4. RESIDENTIAL/INSTITUTIONAL CARE
4. RESIDENTIAL/INSTITUTIONAL CARE

This provides temporary 24-hour residential group

care to children whose needs cannot, at the time, be
adequately met by their bilogical parents and other
alternative family care arrangements. Residential facilities
provide an approximation of family life under the guidance
of trained staff, but it is used as a last resource, resorted to
in the absence of foster families.