Redefining Family Relationships Following Adoption: Adoptive Parents' Perspectives on the Changing Nature of Kinship between Adoptees and Birth Relatives

Abstract

This is a pre-copy-editing author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in British journal of social work following peer review. The de nitive publisher-authenticated version Jones, C. and Hackett, S. (2012) 'Rede ning family relationships following adoption : adoptive parents' perspectives on the changing nature of kinship between adoptees and birth relatives.', British journal of social work., 42 (2). pp. 283-299 is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcr060Additional information: Use policyThe full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-pro t purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. ABSTRACTContemporary child adoption in the UK and USA has been conceptualised as an extended kinship network of adopted children, birth relatives and adopters (Reitz and Watson, 1992;Grotevant and McRoy, 1998). This contrasts sharply with the traditional model of adoption as a form of family substitution. Yet, such a reconceptualisation raises many questions about the meaning of kinship for those involved. This paper draws on data from a series of biographical interviews with 22 parents who adopted children within the UK over a 24-year period in order to explore post adoption "family relationships" from the perspective of adoptive parents. It develops an analysis of definitions of "kinship" created by adoptive parents in order to shape family relationships following adoption, in particular, the processes through which birth relatives are rendered marginal or integral to adoptive family life. The relevance of current adoption policy and professional practices to these processes is explored.

Contact Between Birth and Adoptive Families During the First Year Post-Placement: Perspectives of Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Parents

“…Goldberg et al (2011) found that in some cases, LG and heterosexual adoptive parents who had less contact with the birth mother than they expected or hoped attributed this to her substance use. Perhaps adoptive parents have a difficult time relating to or developing a strong relationship with birth parents whom they see as having made choices that negatively affect the health and development of their children (Jones & Hackett, 2012; Logan, 2010). Future qualitative work can explicitly probe for this possibility.…”

“…In contrast, contact may have been facilitative in some ways – challenging some adoptive parents’ “worst fears” that contact with birth parents will somehow undermine the success and stability of the placement (Goldberg, 2012; Goldberg et al, 2011; Jones & Hackett, 2012). This notion has also been debunked in other studies: birth family contact does not destabilize adoptive couples’ sense of entitlement, nor does it increase fears that birth mothers might try to reclaim the child (e.g., Grotevant et al, 1994).…”

“…For instance, adoptive parents have reported concerns that contact might confuse the child or hinder the process of settling into their adoptive family, as well as worries that contact may undermine their sense of entitlement as parents to their child (Goldberg et al, 2011; Jones & Hackett, 2012). In instances where abuse and neglect occurred in children’s previous placements (often for children adopted via foster care), adoptive parents commonly report fears of exposing their child to further harm (Jones & Hackett, 2012). …”

“When You’re Sitting on the Fence, Hope's the Hardest Part”: Challenges and Experiences of Heterosexual and Same-Sex Couples Adopting Through the Child Welfare System

“…In some cases contact may be maladaptive, as in cases where birth parents were abusive of the child. Thus, while the general consensus is that openness is desirable, there is “uncertainty about how this should be achieved and the degree to which this should be a private or public matter” (Jones & Hackett, 2011, p. 8). Indeed, uncertainties over how to navigate relationships with birth family members are exacerbated by broad scale legal ambiguities regarding who may decide what is in a child’s best interest.…”

Significados Ambivalentes No Processo De Adoção: Um Estudo De Caso

“…O tema adoção, do ponto da dinâmica psicológica do sujeito que adota e da sociedade tal como está organizada no momento presente, particularmente no mundo ocidental, tem despertado interesse crescente tanto no Brasil como internacionalmente (Jones & Hackett, 2011;Palacios & Brodzinsky, 2010;Queiroz & Passos, 2012;Riley & Van Vleet, 2012). O presente texto analisa a adoção, procurando desvendar e discutir os significados diversos que coexistem para a pessoa que adota, assim como para as diferentes instâncias do sistema social e cultural que constitui nossa sociedade -famílias, Judiciário, Ministério Público, equipes multidisciplinares, instituições acolhedoras, Conselho Tutelar e entidades de defesa e apoio à adoção.…”