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Prospective adoptive parents and professionals in the adoptionprocess

Prospective adoptive parents and professionals in the adoptionprocess. Pia K Eriksson Researching socialworker, PhD student FSKC, Swedish Centre of Excellence on Social Welfare. Outline. Experiences of beeing a researching socialworker two projects ; 2005-2006 and 2008-2009

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Prospective adoptive parents and professionals in the adoptionprocess

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  1. Prospective adoptive parents and professionals in the adoptionprocess Pia K Eriksson Researching socialworker, PhD student FSKC, Swedish Centre of Excellence on Social Welfare

  2. Outline • Experiences of beeing a researching socialworker • twoprojects; 2005-2006 and 2008-2009 • City of Helsinki and the SwedishCentre of Excellence on Social Welfare • The adoption process from a userperspective

  3. Bakground • Social work with adoptive- and fosterfamilies • Adoption councelling: • Assessment of prospective adoptive parents • Preparation of prospective adoptive parents • Follow-up of adopted children • Post-adoption services • Support for adult adoptees and their relatives

  4. Background • Specialized area of social work • Knowledge and practice concentrated • Not in the education • Today few domestic adoptions • Not a part of knowledge in child welfare • International adoption, the adoptiontriangle is not complete

  5. Adoptiontriangle Adoptee Biological parents Adoptiveparents

  6. Adoption research • Concentrated on adopted persons outcomes • Mainly problemfocused • Adjustment, attachment • Physical and mental health • Broader perspectiv, exosystem of adoptivefamily (Palacios 2006) • The professionals involved in the process

  7. Practice research • Researcher part of the practice • Silent knowledge, experience • Make working methods and values visible, reflection • User perspective

  8. Practice research • Research questions and need for research arises from practical work • Motivation • Constant contact with practitioners • Valuable information for practitioners • Implication of results

  9. Practice research • Looking at the familiar • What is new here? • Conceptualise • Silent knowledge, documentation • Documentation opens up for critical reflection • Is this ”common-sense” or specific experience and knowledge?

  10. Research methods • Qualitative study, user perspective • How do prospective adoptive parents experience the international adoption process? • 11 Narrative interviews • Adoptive parents • Persons who pursued an adoption process • ”Tell me about your adoptionprocess” • Analysis of the narratives • Experiences; feelings, knowledge, intuition or belief

  11. The framework and roles of the adoptionprocess • A long bureaucratic process • Personal process (becoming an adoptiveparent) • Background often infertility • Normalizing adoption • Different parenthood

  12. The framework and roles of the adoptionprocess • Process of clienthood (becoming a client) • Usually not wanted role • Loss of control • Becoming an object • Personal matters become public • ”A number”

  13. The experiences of the prospectiveadoptiveparents • Long, unsure and heavy path to walk • Personal and emotional matter • Professionals and their actions play an important role in the process

  14. Experiences of the adoptionprocess • Difficult elements in the process: • Evaluation, assesment stage • Are we good enough? • This is unfair! • My life is in the hands of someone else • Waiting, state of insecurity • Unsure outcome • Unsure time-frame • Your life in the hands of someone else

  15. Emotional roller-coaster • Feelings of • Powerlessness • Uncertainty • Frustration • Hope and disappointment • Anticipation • Joy • Happiness

  16. The professionals in the process • Professionals • Middle-class, parenthood universal matter, emotional issues • Prospective adoptiveparents seen as ”capable”, powerful positions in society • Difficult task, predict the future, parental potential • Assesment is a process of getting to know the applicants

  17. Dialogue • Good experiences in the process are linked to • Dialogue with professionals • Emphatic, broad-minded, reflective • Openness –enough information in all stages • Clientsapproach • The journey • Possibility to personal growth • Goal-oriented • Pending, ”controlling”

  18. Outcomes of the adoptionprocess • No adoptive child • a miscarriage • in need of support • The wanted child • Always comes as a ”surprise” • Might need support

  19. Last words • My journey has only begun! • Thank you!

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