Re: Adoption Readiness

[rbarth@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (Rick Barth)]

I know of no such instrument nor would I expect that such an instrument could be
developed.  There is too little that we know about what makes adoptions work to be
able to structure a predictive instrument.  If we could, the instrument would need
to include information from the parent and child (not just the child) because the
success of adoptions, like all parenting endeavors, involves an interactions. 
There is a very interesting paper in the latest issue of American Psychologist
about the genetic and parental contributions to child well-being and the evidence
that a luminous group of authors presents clarifies that there are no parent or
child main effects!  The important effects are in the interactions.

I would think it very ill advised to ever trust an assessment based on an
instrument to decide that a child should not be adopted.  Becoming adopted is a
process negotiated over time.  I'm not sure how a snapshot would help.  


-- Begin original message --

From: "Jodi Moore" <jmoore@cwla.org>
Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2000 17:03:16 -0500
Subject: Adoption Readiness
To: Child Maltreatment Researchers   <CHILD-MALTREATMENT-RESEARCH-L@cornell.edu>
Reply-To: CHILD-MALTREATMENT-RESEARCH-L@cornell.edu

I am interested in measuring the adoption readiness of children and
adolescents who are in the child welfare system due to abuse or neglect
and are in the process of being adopted by their kinship caregiver. 
Does anyone know of any instruments pertaining to adoption that might be
useful with this population?  

Jodi Moore
Child Welfare League of America
jmoore@cwla.org



-- End original message --


Richard P. Barth, Ph.D.
Frank A Daniels Professor 
Jordan Institute for Families
School of Social Work
301 Pittsboro Rd
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC  27599-3550
(v) 919 962 6516
(f)        962 1486