The anti-discrimination law governing placement of children in foster care and adoption was intended to speed the adoption of Black children who could not be reunited with their families of origin. Only recently have two states been fined for violating this decade-old law. Based on our analysis of administrative data collected by the Children's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, we conclude that more vigorous enforcement of the anti-discrimination law in adoption could result in significant gains to Black children. We find that Black children spend more time as legal orphans than children of other races and that transracial placement speeds their adoptions.
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Apparently the writers did not read the recent findings of a study released by CWLA, NABSW, etc. that Black children in transracial adoptions do not fare as well as those placed with in Black homes. Permanency is a particular concern. Of the population, children placed with extended family members do best. I suggest you read the study. The culture of a group should be an important consideration for the placement of children. The current law (MEPA), while well-intended, is based on false assumptions.
ReplyDeleteI saw most of this transpire. One of the diseases of child welfare is the tendency to go to extremes, and that always hurts kids.
ReplyDeleteCurrently about ten % of black adult males are in prison. (about half the prison population has been in foster care) It would be an interesting study, if difficult, to learn how many had been adopted and if they were within-race or interracial. I wonder if imprisonment of interracially adopted men is less.
When Metzenbaum got the second law passed, saying that race could not be taken into consideration, at ALL, many distraut people in states called me asking how they could do that without hurting many kids. I sympathized, and reminded them that that law also specified "in the best interests of the child" and suggested that they develop skils in creative writing.
Jake,
ReplyDeleteImprisonment rates have nothing to do with race. Crime is associated with economic class. People who adopt children are usually more financially well off in the first place. The problem is a lack of a substantial black middle class that can adopt black children.
A better resolution than seeking out white families to adopt black children is more effort by states to help children stay with own their families in the first place. Black families are on the average poorer than white families and poor families are more likely to be charged with neglect, much of it driven by poverty. Thus there is a disproportionate number of black children in foster care compared to white children. The National Coalition for Child Protection Reform has a lot of information on this. nccpr.org.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe it is correct that adoptions through the foster care system are by more financially well off people. The more affluent do private adoptions.
ReplyDelete