Single_Parent_Adoptions

Single Parent Adoptions It is the 21st century and modern family structures are not the same as they were 100 years ago. Just as the public's general perception of adoptions is always a newborn, Caucasian baby when there are many older, ethnic, and disabled children waiting to be adopted. Not all decent, loving parents for these children should be limited to only couples and families. The criteria for potential parents should be broadened to include more realistic modern families. Single parent adoptions should be obtainable to any qualified person. A person's sexual orientation should not be a criteria especially with a large population of special needs children waiting to be adopted.   When it comes to adoptions a typical perception of an adoption is a married couple or a household that contains both a mother and father. People tend to think when a couple or family is wanting to adopt a child he or she are looking for a healthy baby to bring into their homes. "However, there are many children whom this 'ideal' is not possible and many single people who feel that such bias is unfair." (National,1994). People who are single and want to adopt a child do not just adopt out of loneliness like many people think. There are many reasons why single men and women adopt. One woman's reason for adopting is "because I continually saw children in my special education classes who lived in institutions or went from foster home to foster home, I decided that even as a single parent I could do more for that child." (National,1994). With information like that it goes to show that if adoption agencies and state regulators broadened who is accepted to adopt a child there would be less special needs children in institutes and foster care.    According to the National Data Analysis System in 2006 there were only 50,705 children adopted out (NDAS, 2006), and 137,873 children remained waiting to be adopted (NDAS, 2006). 69,447 of those children still waiting to be adopted fell under the category of special needs (NDAS, 2006). The statistics given are of children only in the United States that are in the Foster Care system. That does not count for the children that need to be adopted or are being adopted out by private adoption agencies, orphanages, or National adoptions from other countries. Most children that are in need of a home from third world countries either are disabled in some way or have health problems. Another case that is known is China’s one child rule because of that rule there are many female babies in China that are either abandoned or given up for adoption because the family wants a boy who can carry on the family name or the family business. They also think that boys will amount to something more than a female would, so that is another reason why they give up baby girls. There are more special needs children who are available for adoption due to the shortage of newborn Caucasian babies because of legalized abortion and birth control. "Almost all children who meet the special needs guidelines and who are available for adoption are currently in the public foster care system". (Child, 2000). With so many special needs children in foster care, why would adoption agencies and state regulators discriminate against a qualified single, prospective parent who has passed already standard financial, criminal, and background checks' Without lowering the qualifying standards for an adoptive parent, why not embrace single parenting' Many of these children would have loving homes to go to if the state agencies did not restrict who could and could not adopt a child. Just because a person has a simple fall back such as being single, gay, or lesbian does not mean they are not fit to be a parent. There are many single parents that have raised wonderful products of the environment. It has been going on for years and just because it is their flesh and blood it is allowed.   Single parents can devote more time to a child because he or she does not have a spouse or partner to share his or her attention. A child does not have to choose sides if there is a conflict in the relationship when there is only one parent in the house. "Single parent homes may be particularly suited for children who need intense and close relationships and thus particularly appropriate for many of the older children in foster care who are now being prepared for permanent homes. For some children, such a close bond may meet a need and be a path to normal development". (National,1994). An individual who meets the criteria to be a qualified parent experiences an exhaustive investigation of his or her financial status, criminal background, medical records, employment stability, use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, and any mandatory legal criteria, preferred agency criteria, criteria by birthparents- for an open adoption. Just because a person is single, gay, or lesbian does not mean that he or she will not meet the obligations that are needed to be a parent. Any qualified person who is willing to open his or her heart and home to give a child a home should be considered.   Just because the typical perception of an adoption is a married couple or a household with both a mother and father does not mean that a single parent cannot teach a child morals or how to be a productive member of society. "The single parent-family appears capable of producing a product that in very many instances is as good as the product of the two-parent family". ( Kadushin,1970). Single parents are more accepting when it comes to adopting a child, which makes the chance of adoption for children of different ages, with mental disabilities, with physical disabilities, and ethnic backgrounds so appealing. "Approximately one-third of children adopted from the public foster care system and one-quarter of all children with special needs are adopted by single individuals today, but many fewer singles adopt healthy infants domestically or internationally. This strongly suggests that single parents offer families of last resort for desperate children who have no other choices. They are as unwanted as the children they take in". (Single Parent Adoptions, The Adoption History Project).    Many questions that arise are concerning how a single parent would afford to take care of a child. There are subsidies that a person can apply for when they are trying to adopt a child to make the adoption process more affordable. An adoption subsidy is a monthly payment that is paid to the parent who is looking to adopt a child. Subsidies are not taxable because it is not a monthly income.  When a person is adopting a special needs child he or she can apply for subsidies such as Medicaid that covers mental, counseling, and physical health benefits. There are some employers who offer information resources, parental leave policies, and financial benefits of lump sums between $1,000 and $15,000 for adopting a child. "A growing number of employers offer benefits to adoptive parents. In 1990, a survey by Hewitt Associates found that only 12 percent of employers surveyed offered some kind of adoption benefits; by 1995, the proportion had climbed to 23 percent. In the 2004 Hewitt survey of 936 major U.S. employers, the percentage grew to 39 percent, with an average maximum reimbursement of $3,879 for adoption expenses". (Child, 2000 to present). There are many support systems that a person can go to if they come across any hurdles with the adoption process. There are support groups that a parent could go to and get the help that is needed for them to get through the rough patch they are having. Whether it is online or it is a resource that the adoption agency has given the parent. Adopting a child can be a stressful situation for anyone single, gay, lesbian, or married.     With so many special needs children out there that are in need of a home, the adoption regulations should be modernized to include atypical parenting possibilities. The foster care cycle for special needs children usually runs into adulthood. Having a 21st century approach, this cycle may be broken by a 21st type of family. References Child Welfare Information Gateway (2000 to present). Adoption Assistance. Retrieved on 8/30/2010 from http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/postadoption/assistance/ Child Welfare League of America (1998-2003). National Data Analysis System. Retrieved on 8/30/2010 from http://ndas.cwla.org/data_stats/access/predefined/home.asp'MainTopicID=4 Kadushin, A. (1970). "Single-Parent Adoptions: An Overview and Some Relevant Research." Retrieved on 8/05/2010 from http://www.uoregon.edu/~adoption/archive/KadushinSPA.htm Laws, R. & Ashe, N. (2003). Adoption Subsidy FAQ. Retrieved on 8/05/2010 from http://www.adopting.org/adoptions/adoption-subsidy-negotiating-and- renegotiating-your-childs-contract-2.html. Mady, P. (1990). Revised by: Smith, D. (1994). Single Parent Adoption: What You Need to Know.  National Adoption Information Clearing house. Retrieved on 8/05/2010 from http://www.uoregon.edu/~adoption/archive/NAICSPA.PDF Q & A on Special Needs Adoption (2002 - 2010). Retrieved on 8/05/2010 from http://www.adoptuskids.org/resourceCenter/specialNeeds.aspx The Adoption History Project, Single Parent adoptions. Retrieved on 8/05/2010 from http://www.uoregon.edu/~adoption/topics/singleparentadoptions.htm