Contemporary adoptive kinship: a contribution to new kinship studies

Logan, Janette

doi:10.1111/cfs.12042

Cited by 18 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Bilson (2017) argues that 'children's services is increasingly investigative' and increasingly separates children from parents; the increased use of adoption is part of 'net widening' and has not resulted in a reduction in the looked after children population. Whilst a 'child rescue' narrative fits with the current aim to increase the number of adoptions, it is arguably enhanced by the historical legacy of children from poor families being adopted by middle class adopters in the 1950s (Kirton 2013;Dey 2005), and the role which adoption plays in regulating wider constructions of the 'family' and its role within the state (Lewis 2004;Logan 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parenting under Adversity: Birth Parents’ Accounts of Inequality and Adoption

Lewis

Brady

2018

Social Sciences

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This paper aims to highlight inequality in current adoption processes and procedures in England and Wales. Whilst inequality has been recognised in adoption research, the role of social structures is often neglected. Inequality within social structures plays a role in the process of the permanent removal of children to be adopted and is worthy of further attention. Birth parent voices can contribute to a wider understanding of adoption, but often remain hidden. Empirical research findings highlight how birth parents may find that their adverse experiences are exacerbated by the adoption process, the emotional impact causing existing problems to increase, and through the impact of the adoption process on birth parent’s socio-economic status. Findings also illustrate how birth parents’ experiences were influenced by ideals of motherhood and ideas about ‘risk’ to children. The paper contributes to the growing area of research which illuminates the intersection of poverty, deprivation and child protection services and the wider contemporaneous debate concerning adoption in England and Wales.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parenting under Adversity: Birth Parents’ Accounts of Inequality and Adoption

Lewis

Brady

2018

Social Sciences

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“…So, as discussed, we can surmise from the literature that whilst our knowledge of the reunion experience is growing, less research has explored the long-term outcomes of reunions, and very little research on reunion outcomes has focussed on what kind of kinship has developed, if any (Logan 2013).…”

Section: Primary or Secondary Family?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Close Relations? The Long-Term Outcomes of Adoption Reunions

Clapton

2018

Genealogy

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There has been a number of studies on the outcomes of adoption reunions, most of which have focussed on relatively 'fresh' reunions. Very few studies have looked at long-term outcomes. Fewer still have discussed reunions and kinship with controversy over firstly, the longevity of reunions, and secondly, what such reunions might engender regarding the relative kinship statuses of adoptive and birth families. This paper critically discusses the existing literature on reunions and kinship, and then reports on the long-term outcomes of 200 'matches' on the Adoption Contact Register for Scotland between 1996-2006, presenting qualitative detail from the 75 respondents who completed questionnaires and sent in stories. The paper invites us to think about how adoption can form an adoptive family and deform a birth family, and how adoption reunions re-form both and everyone included. However, it will especially focus on what a coming together of two people separated by adoption means for the way that they frame their relationship with each other and those around them.The word 'reunion' will be used here for ease of flow; however, its usage is discussed later. Secondly, the adoption reunions that are referred to in this paper are those that have involved the 'closed', mostly infant, adoptions of the 20th century, and are not related to the contemporary adoptions of children from state care.Genealogy 2018, 2, 41 2 of 14 by biology, nor more deficient than the latter (Kirk 1964), has been lastingly influential. With the rise of studies of adoption reunions, the meaning of adoption has come to the fore again. Is the adoption of a child a legal change of kinship relations (Jones and Hackett 2012)? Is it a temporary occlusion of birth relations, a question concretely posed when adoption reunions occur (Robinson 2002)? Does adoptive family life create indissolvable kinship ties that suggest a hierarchy of kinship relations with some families that are deemed to be 'primary' (the adoptive family) and others (birth family) secondary (Browning and Duncan 2005)? Do the emotions released in some reunions indicate the strength of a persistence of biological ties (Verrier 1993)? Are these complementary emotions (Verrier 1993)? Adoption reunions raise these issues (Leinaweaver 2018). This paper offers a contribution to the debates by reviewing the literature with a specific eye on kinship discussions, and shares the relevant insights from a study of long-term outcomes of adoption reunions. Adoption Reunions: An OverviewThe reunion of birth parent and adoptee constructs an unparalleled relationship, and is truly, sui generis, a totally unique emotional experience (Bailey and Giddens 2001, p. viii).A first thing to be noted is that most writings have come out of the experiences of 'first flushes', the early days after adopted people and birth mothers have met (Browning and Duncan 2005). Another observation is that there are considerable disagreements about reunions, some of which relate to the first point, that it might be too early to asse...

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“…Their kinship systems were often diverse and included friends, families of origin, and support systems built around fostering or parenting. Wider authors suggest that shifts in modern adoption practices means the potential for increased “openness,” including ongoing contact with birth families (Jones & Hackett, ; Logan, ). These “nonnormative” (Riggs, : 433) connections sometimes transpired as a result of the different individuals involved in a child's life, including social workers, birth family members, children's siblings, and other foster carers.…”

Section: Families Beyond Boundariesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, this work will contribute to those calls for us to re-examine the ways in which practitioners theorise familial relationships and kinship practices within adoption and fostering, and beyond (Hicks, 2014;Logan, 2013;Morris, 2013;Saltiel, 2013;Tarrant, Featherstone, O 0 Dell, & Fraser, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Families beyond boundaries: Conceptualising kinship in gay and lesbian adoption and fostering

Wood

2017

Child & Family Social Work

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This paper discusses some key findings taken from a qualitative study conducted with gay and lesbian adopters and foster carers in England and Wales. The study examined the experiences of 24 self‐identified lesbians and gay men, who had been involved in adoption or fostering processes since the introduction of the Adoption and Children Act, 2002. This article will explore why participants chose to adopt or foster and their approach to relationships generated through these routes. Findings indicate that gay and lesbian applicants troubled dominant conceptualisations of family and kinship and revealed both heteronormative and nuclear constructions of parenting within adoption and fostering social work. In contrast, participants often demonstrated a reflexive and creative approach to caring for looked after children. This paper will therefore consider how professionals can recognise nuanced or complex relationships, situated beyond traditional frameworks, through drawing upon wider concepts within sociological literature.

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Contemporary adoptive kinship: a contribution to new kinship studies

Cited by 18 publications

References 29 publications

Parenting under Adversity: Birth Parents’ Accounts of Inequality and Adoption

Parenting under Adversity: Birth Parents’ Accounts of Inequality and Adoption

Close Relations? The Long-Term Outcomes of Adoption Reunions

Families beyond boundaries: Conceptualising kinship in gay and lesbian adoption and fostering

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