Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2003. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 211-224). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

<p>Istraživanje prikazano ovim radom imalo je za cilj da opi&scaron;e mentalno zdravlje<br />dece na hraniteljstvu ranog &scaron;kolskog uzrasta i da sagleda kakvu ulogu u aktuelnom<br />stepenu njihovog psihosocijalnog funkcionisanja ima kvalitet brige koji im je pružen u<br />hraniteljskoj porodici. Kvaliteta staranja o detetu je konceptualizovan iz okvira teorije<br />afektivne vezanosti kao posvećenost hranitelja detetu na sme&scaron;taju i podrazumeva nivo<br />emocionalne investiranosti i motivisanosti hranitelja da sa detetom uspostavi emotivno<br />blizak, stabilan i trajan odnos.<br />U uzorak istraživanja je uključeno 82 dece na sme&scaron;taju u hraniteljskim<br />porodicama, uzrasta od 5 do 11 godina, koji su &scaron;tićenici Centra za socijalni rad Grada<br />Novog Sada i vi&scaron;e op&scaron;tinskih centara na teritoriji Vojvodine (Novi Bečej, Bačka<br />Topola, Mali Iđo&scaron; i Vrbas), bez ozbiljnijih smetnji u psihomotornom razvoju i koja u<br />aktuelnoj hraniteljskoj porodici borave najmanje dva meseca. U uzorku je podjednak<br />broj dečaka i devojčica, pri čemu dominiraju deca koja su na sme&scaron;taju u standardnim<br />(nesrodničkim) hraniteljskim porodicama (90.2 %), u odnosu na srodničke.<br />Podaci o mentalnom zdravlju dece su prikupljani uz pomoć dve skale za procenu<br />dečije psihopatologije koje su popunjavale hraniteljice: Liste provere dečijeg pona&scaron;anja<br />za decu od 6-18 godina (Child Behavior Checklist for ages 6-18, CBCL/6-18,<br />Achenbah &amp; Reskorla, 2001) i Liste za procenu dece u socijalnoj za&scaron;titi uzrasta od 4-11<br />godina (Assessment Checklist for Children for ages 4-11, ACC, Tarren-Sweeney,<br />2007). Podaci o mentalnom zdravlju su prikupljani i za kontrolni uzorak dece koja<br />odrastaju u biolo&scaron;kim porodicama, ujednačenom po broju, polnoj i uzrasnoj strukturi sa<br />uzorkom dece na hraniteljstvu, kao i u odnosu na pol roditelja koji pruža podatke<br />(majke). Za operacionalizovanje i procenjivanje kvaliteta staranja o detetu od strane<br />hranitelja je kori&scaron;ćen polustrukturirani intervju &ldquo;To je moje čedo&rdquo; (&ldquo;This Is My Baby&rdquo;<br />interview&rdquo;, TIMB, Bates &amp; Dozier, 1998) koji se sastoji od standardizovanih pitanja u<br />vezi hraniteljicinih osećanja prema detetu i njihovog međusobnog odnosa i daje uvid u<br />tri dimenzije: prihvatanja deteta na sme&scaron;taju kao svog (eng. acceptance), posvećenosti u<br />podsticanju njegovog rasta i razvoja bez emotivne &ldquo;zadr&scaron;ke&rdquo; (eng. commitment) i<br />svesnosti o uticaju uspostavljenog odnosa sa detetom na detetov emocionalni i socijalni<br />razvoj, aktuelno i u budućnosti (eng. awareness of influence).<br />Rezultati istraživanja ukazuju da deca na hraniteljstvu u poređenju sa svojim<br />vr&scaron;njacima koji odrastaju u biolo&scaron;kim porodicama, ispoljavaju značajno vi&scaron;e problema<br />mentalnog zdravlja, pri čemu prednjače problemi sa pažnjom, smetnje afektivne<br />vezanosti u vidu nediskriminativnog, pseudozrelog i nesigurnog pona&scaron;anja u<br />5<br />interpersonalnim relacijama, eksternalizujući problemi (agresivno pona&scaron;anje, kr&scaron;enje<br />pravila), abnormalni obrasci ishrane (čuvanje, skladi&scaron;tenje i krađa hrane) i<br />samopovređivanje. Mentalno zdravlje dece je determinisano nepovoljnim razvojnim<br />okolnostima koje prethode sme&scaron;taju ali i kvalitetom brige koja im je pružena u<br />hraniteljskoj porodici, pa se kod dece o kojima brinu hraniteljice visokog nivoa<br />prihvatanja i posvećenosti beleži manje emocionalnih problema, problema u pona&scaron;anju i<br />odnosu sa drugima. Rezultati ukazuju i na moderirajuće efekte kvaliteta staranja, u<br />smislu da je stepen prihvatanja i posvećenosti od strane hraniteljica posebno značajan za<br />decu koja su pre sme&scaron;taja u hraniteljsku porodicu imala visoko rizično iskustvo, čineći<br />ih znatno vulnerabilnijim u okolnostima niskog kvaliteta brige, kao &scaron;to i okolnosti<br />visokog kvaliteta staranja u ovoj grupi dece ostvaruju najintenzivniji protektivni i<br />kompenzatorni efekat.<br />Rezultati su diskutovani u svetlu teorije afektivne vezanosti, u smislu potvrde<br />kvaliteta staranja kao protektivnog činioca koji podstiče rezilijentnost dece i implikacija<br />relevantnih za praksu socijalnog rada u oblasti hraniteljstva.</p> / <p>The purpose of the research presented in this paper is to describe the mental<br />health of children in foster care at early school-age and to analyse the role that the<br />quality of care they receive in foster family plays in the current level of their<br />psychosocial functioning. The quality of child care has been conceptualized from the<br />framework of the attachment theory as the commitment of foster carers to the foster<br />children and it implies a level of emotional investment and motivation of the foster<br />carers to establish an emotionally close, stable and permanent relationship with the<br />child.<br />The research sample involved 82 foster children, aged 5 to 11, who are in the<br />care of the Centre for Social Work of the City of Novi Sad and several municipal<br />centres in the territory of Vojvodina (Novi Bečej, Bačka Topola, Mali Iđo&scaron; and Vrbas),<br />who are without serious difficulties in psychomotor development and who have been<br />with the current foster family for at least two months. The sample included the same<br />number of boys and girls, and the majority were children in standard (non-kinship)<br />foster families (90.2 %), as opposed to kinship foster families.<br />Information about the mental health of the children was collected using two<br />scales for the assessment of psychopathology in children, which were filled out by<br />foster mothers: Child Behaviour Checklist for ages 6-18 (CBCL/6-18, Achenbah &amp;<br />Reskorla, 2001) and Assessment Checklist for Children for ages 4-11 (ACC, Tarren-<br />Sweeney, 2007). Information about the mental health was also collected for the control<br />sample of children who live with biological families, identical in number, gender and<br />age structure with the sample of children in foster care, as well as in relation to the<br />gender of the parent providing the information (mother). In order to operationalize and<br />assess the quality of child care, the research used the semi structured interview &ldquo;This Is<br />My Baby&rdquo; (TIMB, Bates &amp; Dozier, 1998) which contains standardized questions in<br />relation to the foster mother&rsquo;s feelings towards the child and their mutual relationship<br />and it also provides insight into three dimensions: acceptance of foster child as her own,<br />commitment in encouraging their growth and development without emotional<br />&ldquo;reservations&rdquo; and the awareness of influence of the established relationship with the<br />child on the child&#39;s emotional and social development, now and in the future.<br />The results of the research indicate that the children in foster care, as compared<br />to their peers growing up with biological families, display significantly more mental<br />health problems, and the most frequent ones are attention problems, attachment related<br />difficulties in the form of indiscriminate, pseudo mature and insecure interpersonal<br />8<br />behaviours, externalising problems, aggressive and rule-breaking behaviour, eating<br />problems, food maintenance behaviour and self-injury. The mental health of the<br />children is determined by the unfavourable development circumstances prior to<br />placement in foster care, but also by the quality of care that they receive in foster<br />family, and so the children in the care of foster mothers with a high level of acceptance<br />and commitment display fewer emotional, behavioural and interpersonal problems. The<br />results also indicate the moderation effects of the quality of care, in the sense that the<br />level of acceptance and commitment by the foster mothers is of particular significance<br />for the children who had high-risk experience before they were placed in foster family,<br />which made them significantly more vulnerable in the circumstances of low-quality<br />care, just like the circumstances of high-quality care with this group of children<br />produced a more intensive protective and compensatory effect.<br />Results are discussed in the light of the attachment theory, in terms of<br />confirmation of the quality of care as a protective factor which encourages the resilience<br />of children, as well as the implications relevant to the social work practice in the field of<br />foster care.</p>

The statistics shows low quantity of custody transfer while it shows a high number of children in long-term foster care placement in Sweden. This qualitative study examines how social services work with custody transfer and the challenges that comes with it. Questions under study were; Which factors makes social services initiate a custody transfer? What argument stands for and against custody transfer after three years? Which dilemmas and difficulties are related to a custody transfer?   The aim of the study was to study what obstacles and possibilities a custody transfer contains according to social workers, and to try to understand the social workers process in working with custody transfer. The group under study consisted of five social workers with a variety of experience within the field. The material from the interviews was analysed by two steps using a phenomenological method. The result shows that many actors can make application of custody transfer difficult. The perspective of the placed children seemed to have a low value when deciding about the children’s staying and what’s best for them. Furthermore, the informants described social services today as in constant change, the staff has less experience and the guidelines is deficient. In accordance with earlier research, the result indicate however that custody transfer means many advantages for the children in foster care. Based on research and theoretical perspectives along with the findings of this study, the discussion is about the importance of children attachment, stability and participation in decisions about their own lives. Further, social services experiences of children worry and other emotions in foster care when custody transfer is discussed. There were also various dilemmas and difficulties according to the informants when assessments of custody transfer were made.

Skolfam is a school-improving intervention for children in foster care. This study aimed to explore the experiences of those who have been working in former Skolfam teams. A qualitative case study was done, and the data was gathered through semi-structured interviews. Nine former team members from Skolfam were interviewed from seven different Swedish municipalities. Theories of implementation and collaboration were used as the theoretical framework, as well as the concept of street-level bureaucracy. The case analysis of the data showed patterns and themes connected to the implementation, application and closure of Skolfam. One of the findings regarded the difficulty of working with a manual, despite it being vital from an evidence-based perspective. In addition, the results showed that the teams had good collaboration. However, there were deficiencies in other levels of the organizations. The reasons for the closure and the consequences for the children in foster care differ as some municipalities nowadays have a new school intervention for these children, while others do not. The main conclusion of this study is that children in foster care need, and have the right to get, school improving interventions.

Syftet med studien är att belysa socialsekreterarnas perspektiv på det stöd de kan ge till familjehem samt om de ansåg att det finns stöd som kan motverka sammanbrott. Tidigare forskning vi belyser tar upp familjehemmens perspektiv på stöd. Forskningen visar att de ibland upplever socialsekreterarna som otillgängliga och att de saknar stöd för att klara sitt uppdrag. De centrala frågorna i denna studie är vilket stöd som socialsekreterare kan ge familjehem samt om det finns något specifikt stöd som kan minska risken för sammanbrott. I studien intervjuades tio stycken socialsekreterare från olika arbetsplatser i Stockholmsområdet. Detta är en kvalitativ studie som analyserats med hjälp utifrån Bronfenbrenners utvecklingsekologiska teori. Studiens resultat visar att respondenterna upplever att det stöd som finns är tillräckligt, att de har gott om handlingsutrymme och även att stöd till familjehem går att individanpassa. Enligt respondenterna är det flera saker som behövs för att minska risken för sammanbrott, exempelvis är det viktigt med väl genomförda utredningar av familjehemmen och att en god matchning mellan barnet och det tilltänkta familjehemmet sker. Studien uppmärksammar vikten av att se till helheten för att lyckas med hållbara placeringar. / The purpose of the study is to highlight social workers' perspectives on the support they can provide to foster families and whether they believed that there is support that can prevent breakdown. Previous research highlighted the foster family's perspective on support, showing that they sometimes experience social workers as inaccessible and lack of support to manage their responsibilities. The central questions in this study are what kind of support social workers can provide to foster families and whether there is specific support that can reduce the risk of breakdown. Ten social workers from various workplaces in the Stockholm area were interviewed in the study. This is a qualitative study that has been analyzed using Bronfenbrenner's ecological development theory. The study's results show that the respondents believe that the available support is sufficient, that they have plenty of room for action, and that support to foster families can be tailored to individual needs. According to the respondents, several things are needed to reduce the risk of breakdown, such as well-conducted investigations of the foster family and a good matching between the child and the intended foster family. The study highlights the importance of considering the overall situation to succeed with sustainable placements.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka om och i så fall hur, socialsekreterarnas handlingsutrymme i familjehemsprocessen påverkar inkluderingen av de biologiska barnen i familjehemmen. Barns bästa är ett centralt begrepp i familjehemsvården, men det inkluderar inte de biologiska barnens bästa utan fokuserar på de placerade barnens bästa.  Genom en kvalitativ metod som metodval har vi med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfört nio intervjuer med barn-och familjehemssekreterare. Urvalsgruppen arbetar inom och på uppdrag av tre olika kommuner inom familjehemsvården. Tidigare forskning om de biologiska barnen i familjehem är ytterst begränsad. Forskning om familjehemsvården som utgår från ett barnperspektiv har fokuserat på de placerade barnen, inte de biologiska barnen i familjehemmen. Forskning om familjehem har främst haft ett vuxenperspektiv och utgått i från föräldrarnas upplevelser av uppdraget. De biologiska barnen i familjehem ses som en helhet med familjen och inte som subjektiva aktörer.  Socialsekreterarnas handlingsutrymme inom familjehemsprocessen bidrar till skillnader för de biologiska barnen i hur mycket och under vilka delar av familjehemprocessen de inkluderas.  Studiens resultat visar på att det finns behov av att göra de biologiska barnen mer inkluderade i familjehemsprocessen och lyssna på deras upplevelser av familjehemsvården. Det finns behov av mer forskning om och med de biologiska barnen i familjehem som utgår i från deras perspektiv. / This essay focuses on the lack of inclusion of biological children in the foster care process, based on the discretion of social workers. The study aims to investigate whether and how the discretion of social workers in the foster care process affects the inclusion of biological children. While the best interest of the child is a central concept in foster care, it does not encompass the best interest of biological children but rather focuses on the best interest of the placed children.  Title: "Part of a Whole". A qualitative study on how social workers include the biological children in various stage of the foster care process.  Using a qualitative approach, nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with child and family welfare social workers. The sample group works within and on behalf of three different municipalities involved in foster care. Previous research on biological children in foster care is extremely limited. Research on foster care from a child's perspective has focused on placed children rather than biological children in foster care. Research on foster care has primarily taken an adult perspective and relied on parents' experiences of the assignment. Biological children in foster care are seen as part of the family as a whole and not as subjective actors.  The discretion of social workers in the foster care process contributes to differences for biological children in how much and during which parts of the foster care process they are included.  The results of the study indicate the need to include biological children more in the foster care process and to listen to their experiences of foster care. There is a need for more research about and involving biological children in foster care that is based on their perspective as children.

Bakgrund: Valet av uppsatsämne grundar sig i att det skett en förändring i synen på betydelsen av en relation mellan föräldrar och barn under senaste århundradet. Att föräldrarna har fått en större betydelse i barnens liv gör det därför intressant att studera hur föräldrar som har sina barn placerade i familjehem görs delaktiga i barnens liv utifrån socialsekreterares uppfattningar om delaktighetsfrämjande arbete och sitt handlingsutrymme i detta arbete. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att utifrån ett symboliskt interaktionistiskt perspektiv beskriva och analysera socialsekreterares uppfattningar om sitt handlingsutrymme och delaktighetsfrämjande arbete med föräldrar till familjehemsplacerade barn. Metod: Denna studie har en kvalitativ ansats där materialet har skapats genom halvstrukturerade intervjuer och empirin utgörs av fyra stycken transkriberade intervjuer. Urvalet har skett genom att socialsekreterare som har arbetsuppgifter som innefattar att arbeta med föräldrar till familjehemsplacerade barn kontaktades. Empirin har sedan bearbetats och analyserats utifrån en tematisk analysmodell. Resultatet presenteras sedan i relation till studiens teoretiska ram samt tidigare forskning. Resultat: Denna studie visar på att tillgänglighet och kontinuitet är enligt socialsekreterarna av betydelse för skapandet av en relation mellan socialsekreterare och föräldrar, vilket i sin tur främjar föräldrarnas delaktighet samt att det kan vara av betydelse för barnets bästa. I detta arbete så upplever socialsekreterarna att deras handlingsutrymme är stort och att det har en frihet i hur de kan lägga upp ett delaktighetsfrämjande arbete med föräldrar till familjehemsplacerade barn. Men samtidigt beskriver de även aspekter som de upplever begränsa deras handlingsutrymme. / Background: The choice of subject in this study is based on the altered perception of the importance of a relation between parents and children the last century. The enlarged importance of parent's involvement in their children's lives makes it interesting to study how these parents are made participated by the social worker and their perspectives of a work that promotes participation among these parents and how the social worker perceive their discretion in this work. Purpose: This study aims to describe and analyse, from a symbolic interactionistic perspective, the perspective of social workers about their discretion and the work of promoting participation among parents with children in foster care. Method: This study has a qualitative approach where the material was made by semi-structured interviews and the empirics consists of four transcribed interviews. We contacted social worker who is working with parents that have children placed in foster care to make our selection. The empirics have then been processed and analysed with a thematic analyse model. The result is then presented in relation to this study's theoretical frame and previous research. Result: The results of this study shows that availability and continuity are, according to the social worker, of importance in the making of a relation between the social worker and these parents, which in turn can promote the parent's participation and it can also be for the child's best. In this work the social worker experiencing that they have a wide discretion which enables them to scheduled their own time which they spend in the work of promoting participation among parents with children in foster care. At the same time, they also describe aspects that they feel is limiting their discretion.

<p>Sammanfattning</p><p>Syftet med studien var att belysa hur familjehemsföräldrar uppfattar sina biologiska barns behov av stöd från socialtjänsten i familjehemsprocessen. De frågeställningar som legat till grund för studien är vilket stöd familjernas egna barn blir erbjudna från socialtjänsten och vilken form av stöd föräldrarna önskar för de egna barnen. Vidare på vilket sätt de egna barnen i ett familjehem är delaktiga i familjehemsprocessen.</p><p>Metoden som använts i studien är kvalitativ. Via information från familjehemsföräldrar har de biologiska barnens behov av stöd från socialtjänsten undersökts. Det skedde genom att intervjua fem familjehem som hade haft hemmaboende egna barn, under en period av minst tre till fem år, samtidigt som en fosterbarnsplacering. För att kunna besvara uppsatsens frågeställningar studerades tidigare forskning som till viss del belyser hur de biologiska barnen upplever sin situation.</p><p>Studiens teoretiska tolkningsram är förutom tidigare forskning också systemteori som visar på hur man i familjesystemets relationer påverkar varandra, samt utvecklingsteori som belyser barns behov och utveckling i olika åldrar.</p><p>Resultaten som framkommit i studien visar att de biologiska barnen bör synliggöras på ett tydligare sätt genom hela familjehemsprocessen. Vidare bör socialtjänsten se de biologiska barnen som en del av familjehemmet och erbjuda dem samma stöd, handledning och information som föräldrarna erbjuds.</p> / <p>“They are used to share us with others” - Biological children’s participation in the foster care process</p><p>Abstract</p><p>The purpose of this study was to enlighten how foster parents consider their biological children’s need of support from the Social services in the foster care process. The questions on which the study is based has been “Which support is actually offered from the Social services?” and “What form of support do the foster parents wish for their biological children?” Also “In which ways are the biological children part of the foster care process?”</p><p>The method used in the study is qualitative. Through information gathered from foster care parents, the biological children’s need of support has been examined. One of the criteria was that the five interviewed foster care homes had had biological children living at home, during a period of at least three to five years, coinciding with a foster care placement.</p><p>In order to answer the questions, raised for the study, previous research has been examined, which enlightens the situation of biological children in foster care families.</p><p>The studies theoretical frame of interpretation is, besides previous research, also system theory which shows how you, within the family systems relations affect each other, and development theory which enlightens children needs and development during various ages.</p><p>Results from the study shows the importance of making the biological children more visible during the entire foster care process.</p><p>Furthermore the Social service should see the biological course as part of the foster home, and offer them the same amount of support, guidance and information offered to the parents.</p>

Sammanfattning Syftet med studien var att belysa hur familjehemsföräldrar uppfattar sina biologiska barns behov av stöd från socialtjänsten i familjehemsprocessen. De frågeställningar som legat till grund för studien är vilket stöd familjernas egna barn blir erbjudna från socialtjänsten och vilken form av stöd föräldrarna önskar för de egna barnen. Vidare på vilket sätt de egna barnen i ett familjehem är delaktiga i familjehemsprocessen. Metoden som använts i studien är kvalitativ. Via information från familjehemsföräldrar har de biologiska barnens behov av stöd från socialtjänsten undersökts. Det skedde genom att intervjua fem familjehem som hade haft hemmaboende egna barn, under en period av minst tre till fem år, samtidigt som en fosterbarnsplacering. För att kunna besvara uppsatsens frågeställningar studerades tidigare forskning som till viss del belyser hur de biologiska barnen upplever sin situation. Studiens teoretiska tolkningsram är förutom tidigare forskning också systemteori som visar på hur man i familjesystemets relationer påverkar varandra, samt utvecklingsteori som belyser barns behov och utveckling i olika åldrar. Resultaten som framkommit i studien visar att de biologiska barnen bör synliggöras på ett tydligare sätt genom hela familjehemsprocessen. Vidare bör socialtjänsten se de biologiska barnen som en del av familjehemmet och erbjuda dem samma stöd, handledning och information som föräldrarna erbjuds. / “They are used to share us with others” - Biological children’s participation in the foster care process Abstract The purpose of this study was to enlighten how foster parents consider their biological children’s need of support from the Social services in the foster care process. The questions on which the study is based has been “Which support is actually offered from the Social services?” and “What form of support do the foster parents wish for their biological children?” Also “In which ways are the biological children part of the foster care process?” The method used in the study is qualitative. Through information gathered from foster care parents, the biological children’s need of support has been examined. One of the criteria was that the five interviewed foster care homes had had biological children living at home, during a period of at least three to five years, coinciding with a foster care placement. In order to answer the questions, raised for the study, previous research has been examined, which enlightens the situation of biological children in foster care families. The studies theoretical frame of interpretation is, besides previous research, also system theory which shows how you, within the family systems relations affect each other, and development theory which enlightens children needs and development during various ages. Results from the study shows the importance of making the biological children more visible during the entire foster care process. Furthermore the Social service should see the biological course as part of the foster home, and offer them the same amount of support, guidance and information offered to the parents.

In Brazil, more than 80 000 children live into foster care, but only 10% of this total are available for adoption - the others are awaiting if their status: return to parents, adoption or continued foster care. Children removed from the biological family that have more than three years old, are black, male, or have special needs are not desired by those who wish to adopt. In 2009, was enacted the Law of Adoption Law n. 12.010/09, which is proposed to bring effectiveness to the right to family of institutionalized children and adolescents. After the movement of the new constitutionalism into the civil law, it is important verify if the current model of adoption has compatibility with the current paradigm of positive law in Brazil, especially in the legal recognition of affection and care for the protection of fundamental rights. Also, this study proposes to investigate how the state can or should interfere with regard to adoptions of children and adolescents, considering the different types of adoption admitted in Brazil and in other countries. From this perspective the questions are: how to make Brazilian s adoption model appropriate to new constitutionalism? The adoption, after the enactment of Law 12.010/09, attends the fundamental rights printed in the Federal Constitution and other laws? The right of familiar living and other principles and rights are being protected by law operators? To find the answers, this work elected to theoretical research, with compiling and review of bibliography on the themes proposed. Also, was adopted the documentary research, with analysis of relevant legislation, jurisprudence, foreign law, and statistical analysis. It is expected, with the study of the theme proposed, bring proposals for improving the posture of the law operator facing the issues of child adoption. Finally, it is expected that this research encourage public policies that promote the effective access of the child and adolescent's rights. / No Brasil, mais de 80 mil crianças estão acolhidas em instituições, mas apenas 10% desse total estão totalmente aptas à adoção as demais aguardam a finalização dos processos de destituição do poder familiar. Crianças retiradas da família biológica que possuam mais de três anos de idade, negras, do sexo masculino, ou portadoras de necessidades especiais não são desejadas por aqueles que pretendem adotar, crescendo e se desenvolvendo em situação de abrigamento. Em 2009, entrou em vigor a chamada Lei de Adoção Lei n. 12.010/09, a qual se propôs trazer efetividade ao direito à convivência familiar de crianças e adolescentes institucionalizados. Após o movimento de constitucionalização do direito civil, cumpre verificar se o atual modelo de adoção vigente no país está em conformidade com os atuais paradigmas do direito positivo brasileiro, sobretudo no reconhecimento do valor jurídico do afeto e do cuidado pela tutela dos direitos fundamentais. Destarte, este estudo propõe-se a investigar de que forma o Estado pode ou deve interferir no tocante às adoções de crianças e adolescentes, em razão das modalidades de adoção existentes e aquelas admitidas pela legislação brasileira. Nessa perspectiva questiona-se: como tornar a adoção adequada aos contornos do neoconstitucionalismo? A adoção, após a vigência da Lei 12.010/09, está em conformidade com os direitos fundamentais estampados na Constituição Federal e demais normas infraconstitucionais? O direito à convivência familiar e seus corolários estão sendo adequadamente tutelados pelos operadores do direito? Para cumprir o mister proposto neste trabalho, elegeu-se a pesquisa teórica, com compilação e revisão de material bibliográfico acerca dos temas propostos. Paralelamente, adotou-se a pesquisa documental, com análise da legislação pertinente, jurisprudência, direito estrangeiro e análise estatística. Espera-se, com o estudo do tema proposto, trazer propostas e embasamentos doutrinários para uma melhoria da postura do jurista frente à questão da adoção de crianças e adolescentes. Anseia-se, por fim, que essa pesquisa frutifique em políticas públicas que propiciem o efetivo acesso da criança e do adolescente aos direitos e garantias fundamentais de que são titulares. / Mestre em Direito Público