Ideally, the adopted child should be placed with parents and in a home that offers a reasonable guarantee for health and happiness. If this goal is not achieved, or is threatened, it is important to determine what factors in the placement procedure have been influential, or overlooked. With this theme in mind, this thesis makes an exploratory study of the cases of twenty-eight adopted children who attended the Vancouver Child Guidance Clinic in a period of two years (1953-1955). The social work foundations and principles of adoption practice are discussed in a preliminary chapter. Following this, the Child Guidance Clinic case records of twenty-eight adopted children are analysed, and the pertinent statistical material found therein is tabulated. Less tangible factors such as parental attitudes and feelings about the adopted child are dealt with descriptively. Case studies attempt an over-all picture of the adopted child's life experiences. The findings reveal (a) that in many of the cases studied, one parent had not been in favour of the spouse's plan to adopt a child, or that, one or both of the parents were disappointed in the child they received; (b) that many of the parents in the study group seemed to be over-demanding of the child; (c) that each adopted child presented a combination of behavious problems to the Clinic. The study underlines, for social workers responsible for placing adoptable children (1) the need for thorough investigation of the home and the prospective parents' attitudes about children as well as adults generally; (2) the responsibilities for helping prospective adoptive parents with their uncertainties about the whole adoption process; and (3) the need for supervision of the adoptive home during the adoption probation period. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Of all the children who are placed for adoption the legitimate children who are voluntarily placed make up the smallest group. Since voluntary adoption placement of legitimate children differs from the normal cultural pattern cases of this nature present a challenge to the social agencies. The purpose of the present study is the examination of such a group of cases. All cases of this nature which have been known to the public and private child-caring social agencies and family social agencies in the Burnaby, New Westminster and Vancouver areas during the year 1951 were examined. The criteria of selection were: (a) the parents were married, (b) the husband was the natural father of the child in question. Only seventeen cases were known to the designated social agencies during the year 1951. A schedule was drawn up for the purpose of analyzing the case records. Besides information such as name, age, occupation of father, the schedule tried to distinguish four main "areas": (a) the attitude of the parents towards the child, (b) the parents' psycho-socio situations, (c) the parents' own childhood experiences, and (d) the parents' contacts with the social agency. The parents' religious affiliations were varied including the Protestant, Roman Catholic and Jewish faiths. In almost one-quarter of the cases the woman was pregnant at the time of marriage; also almost one-third of the total number of parents came from homes broken by death, desertion or divorce. In five of the cases the child in (question was the first child in the family; the remaining twelve families had, on the average, 2.8 children. In eleven of the cases the parents followed through their request for adoption and placed the child with another family; in the remaining six cases the parents decided against adoption placement and kept the child. The distribution of parental attitudes included rejection, indifference, ambivalence and only two cases of mature love. When the distribution of parental attitudes in the larger group of cases (where the child was placed for adoption) was compared with the distribution in the smaller group of cases (where the child was not placed for adoption) two main differences were revealed: (a) the manifestations of ambivalence expressed by the parents in the "retained" group were weighed in favour of the more positive aspects, and (b) the predominant parental attitude in the "placed" group was one of rejection followed by attitudes of "negative" ambivalence and indifference. No one causative factor leading the parents to consider adoption placement "was apparent, but rather a multiplicity of factors, including the following: refusal to assume further responsibilities; marital disharmony between the parents; inability to provide for the child financially; inadequacies of the parents to meet their responsibilities; doubts and anxieties about the family's future economic position; interference by in-laws. In the majority of the cases the children in question were not regarded by the parents as objects with individuality but appeared to be regarded as "problem objects." This may account for the fact that in none of the cases was there any change in parental attitudes because of the sex of the child. It is impossible to generalize from such a small selection of cases but if later studies bear out these findings then there is no need for delay in making plans for the expected child because the sex is unknown. Both groups of parents, those who placed their children, and those who decided against placement, are in need of help from the social agency in sorting out their confused feelings. The agency's main resource in working with this type of case lies in the professional worker-client relationship. However, in this type of case the social worker experiences special difficulty because of the dual responsibility of helping to work out a plan which appears to be in the best interest of the parents, and also one in the best interest of the baby. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This paper describes a study of the adoptions of 82 "special needs" children placed for adoption in British Columbia between 1985 and 1989. The adoptions of 41 of these children were not completed. This study examines variables related to the children placed for adoption to determine those factors which appear to be related to disrupted adoptive placements. The paper traces the development of adoption through history and reviews the findings of major research studies in special needs adoption disruption. Using the findings from the review and adding hypotheses that appeared to be missing from other studies, a file review schedule was developed. With permission from the B.C. Superintendent of Family and Child Service, the schedule was used to review the children's adoption files. Analysis of the data obtained indicated that the age of the child at the time of adoption placement was a significant factor in adoption disruption. In addition, the age when the child was legally free for adoption was found to be significant. In both cases, the younger the child, the lower the risk of disruption. An additional important finding of this study is that children who are members of a sibling group are more likely to have their adoptions completed than children without siblings and children placed alone. The pre-care experiences of children were thought to be an important factor in adoption disruption. The study shows that some experiences have a significant effect, notably those in which the extent of the biological parents' disability is clear to the child prior to the adoption placement. The presence of multiple special needs was not significantly associated with disruption except in the case of boys identified as having emotional/behavioural problems. The paper links the findings to those of other researchers, identifying implications for policy and practice. The resilience of the children studied and their ability to withstand serious trauma in their early years is an unanticipated finding of the study. Recommendations for addressing the findings suggest greater emphasis on maintaining sibling attachment for children in care, increased emphasis on assisting children to understand their family and personal history, and broad public education to eliminate myths about special needs adoption. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This study concerns itself with the pros and cons of placing children whose adoptability is questioned on a boarding or foster-home basis. Because of the growing recognition that early, continuous and warm parental relationships offer the most security for a child, it is important that children should reach their permanent homes early, and that the home be well chosen. This is of particular consequence for children those adoptability is obscure in infancy. For exploratory purposes, fourteen wards of the Vancouver Children's Aid Society were selected for study. Each child was in good health when taken into agency care at the age of a few weeks, and each was eventually adopted. The child's file, the relevant foster home files, and the adoption file were studied in every case; and the material was considered in the light of child welfare standards and principles. An attempt was made to distinguish systematically the pros and cons of the procedure and its effects on all the parties to the situation--natural parents; foster parents and/or adoptive parents; the agency and the workers and, above all, the child. The assessment indicates clearly the hazards involved when decision for adoption is delayed. The natural parents (many of whom are unmarried mothers) may react by trying to plan for the child themselves. If these plans do not materialize, the result is unnecessary moves for the child. The refusal of the parents' request for adoption may lead to difficulties later in obtaining consent to the adoption. The child's uncertain status may prejudice the development of enduring affection for him. Lack of decision about adoption makes the social workers' tasks more difficult in interpreting the child's needs to substitute parents, supervising the home, and planning consistently. What stands out as significant from the point of view of the children's development, is that finding a suitable final home can be more critical than the generally-disapproved fact of several foster-home placements. Implications for policy and practice are considered in a final chapter. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

In the past, the Ministry of Social Services and Housing has placed many native children from the Seabird Island Band, a Salish band in the Sta’lo Nation, in permanent placement or adoption off the reserve. Government agencies imposed a system of child welfare that superseded Seabird Island adoption practices. The Seabird Island Band members would prefer to see these children placed within the band through ‘custom’ adoption. In apprehension and placement court cases, the band social worker has needed documented information defining ‘custom’ adoption, and data regarding the benefits of this Seabird Island process. This thesis investigates and documents the process and results of adoption on the Seabird Island Indian Reserve. This thesis begins with a brief history of Canadian adoption policy as it applies to First Nations people. The thesis is based on detailed taped interviews with Seabird Island Band members who had experienced foster care and/or adoption. This fieldwork was the result of negotiation with the Seabird Island Band to discover the type of research that they needed. The thesis documents four kinds of adoption experience of the Seabird Island members: foster care, closed legal adoption, open adoption, and ‘custom’ adoption. In my analysis of these adoption experiences, three main themes occur: (1) issues of ethnic identity, (2) power and the child welfare system, and (3) the definition and functions of ‘custom’ adoption. The thesis concludes that the imposed system of child welfare based on Euro-western ideas of appropriate child care may have destroyed or seriously damaged some Seabird Island Band members’ sense of ethnic identity. As well, it may be a factor in the break-up of the extended family. ‘Custom’ adoption, as defined by Seabird Island Band members, offers an alternate model for keeping apprehended Seabird Island children within the band. Open adoption, as defined by the pilot project documented, is an alternative for those children who cannot be returned to the band. I have made several recommendations in the conclusion for the Seabird Island Band’s consideration.

In the past, the Ministry of Social Services and Housing has placed many native children from the Seabird Island Band, a Salish band in the Sta’lo Nation, in permanent placement or adoption off the reserve. Government agencies imposed a system of child welfare that superseded Seabird Island adoption practices. The Seabird Island Band members would prefer to see these children placed within the band through ‘custom’ adoption. In apprehension and placement court cases, the band social worker has needed documented information defining ‘custom’ adoption, and data regarding the benefits of this Seabird Island process. This thesis investigates and documents the process and results of adoption on the Seabird Island Indian Reserve. This thesis begins with a brief history of Canadian adoption policy as it applies to First Nations people. The thesis is based on detailed taped interviews with Seabird Island Band members who had experienced foster care and/or adoption. This fieldwork was the result of negotiation with the Seabird Island Band to discover the type of research that they needed. The thesis documents four kinds of adoption experience of the Seabird Island members: foster care, closed legal adoption, open adoption, and ‘custom’ adoption. In my analysis of these adoption experiences, three main themes occur: (1) issues of ethnic identity, (2) power and the child welfare system, and (3) the definition and functions of ‘custom’ adoption. The thesis concludes that the imposed system of child welfare based on Euro-western ideas of appropriate child care may have destroyed or seriously damaged some Seabird Island Band members’ sense of ethnic identity. As well, it may be a factor in the break-up of the extended family. ‘Custom’ adoption, as defined by Seabird Island Band members, offers an alternate model for keeping apprehended Seabird Island children within the band. Open adoption, as defined by the pilot project documented, is an alternative for those children who cannot be returned to the band. I have made several recommendations in the conclusion for the Seabird Island Band’s consideration. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate