Topic for week 4: Adoption Policy Bing, Theresa, Tyler, Yuri 1. Reading List Required Readings: Explore the following websites: *Wulczyn, Fred H. (2002). Adoption Dynamics: The Impact of the Adoption and Safe Families Act. Issue Papers on Foster Care and Adoption, http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/fostercare-issues02/ASFA/index.htm *Hollingsworth, Leslie Doty (2000). Adoption Policy in the United States: A Word of Caution, Social Work, v45 n2 (March 2000): 183-186. http://www.fcs.utah.edu/~fan/fcs5400-6400/studentpresentation2006fall/HollingsworthLeslie.pdf *Website for Summary of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: http://library.adoption.com/.../Summary-of-The-Adoption-And-Safe-Families-Act-of-1997/article/3522/1.html *Website for Legislative History of Adoption: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/sec11gb/history.htm Additional readings: *Website for 1998 State Legislative Responses to the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: http://www.ncsl.org/programs/cyf/asfaslr.htm *Kahan, Michelle (2006). “Put Up” on Platforms: A History of Twentieth Century Adoption Policy in the United States, Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare v32, n 3 (Sept. 2006): 51-71. http://www.fcs.utah.edu/~fan/fcs5400-6400/studentpresentation2006fall/KahanMichelle%20-%20put%20up%20on%20platforms.pdf *Website for Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980: http://darkwing/uoregon.edu/~adoption/archive/AACWAexcerpt.htm *Website for The Indian Child Welfare Act and the States: http://www.ncsl.org/programs/statetribe/ICWA.htm *Johnson, Kay (2002). Politics of International and Domestic Adoption in China, Law and Society Review, v36, n2 (2002): 379-396. http://www.fcs.utah.edu/~fan/fcs5400-6400/studentpresentation2006fall/JohnsonKay.pdf *Website for the Utah State Adoption Subsidy Profile: http://www.nacac.org/stateprofiles/utah.html 2. The history of the policy and a description of the policy and/or any alternative Proposals PowerPoint presentation of an overview of international and domestic adoption policies, specifically the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. http://www.fcs.utah.edu/~fan/fcs5400-6400/studentpresentation2006fall/adoption.pdf 3. The intended purpose of the policy To improve the safety of children to promote adoption and other permanent homes for children who need them and to support families. Expedite the process of placing children with permanent families when they cannot return to their birth parents and clarify the “reasonable efforts” requirements.4. Identification of economic concepts related to this policy. Adoption Incentive Payments Health Insurance and Medicaid Funding for Technical Assistance Gross income vs. net income 5. Reasons (including theoretical reasoning if applicable) as to why this policy would achieve its purpose. Promotes adoption because it assists the states in protecting and caring for abused and neglected children. Offers bonuses to the states for each foster care child and special needs child adopted. Continues and expands the family preservation and support services program. Increase the percentage of foster care placements that end in adoption. Speed up the adoption process allowing for more children to be adopted in a given time frame. 6. Possible side effects of the policy and interest-group conflicts Parent’s rights and reunification rate Foster parents Decline in international and non-foster care adoptions Pre- and post-ASFA effects 7. Possible ways to evaluate the policy Number of adoptions before and after the Act Rate of adoption during the Act 8. A summary assessment as to whether the policy serves its purpose It is too soon to say whether the act had a significant impact. The time to adoption was not slowing down before the law changed. The post-ASFA data are still limited, and side effects such as slower rate of reunification may have had an unintended consequence. 9. 20 multiple choice questions regarding all aspects of this policy, submitted to the instructor at the end of the topic coverage