Where does the support money go?

In Adoptionland, there is this magical-thinking theory that suggests there is no profit making in adoption.  Fortunately, many PPL followers know much much better than to believe this adoption-myth.

For a while I have known about the financial incentive/reward given to the person/group that can not only meet, but exceed, a given adoption target. 

Simple logic dictates, if a non-profit brings in a lot of money in one given year, the directors of that organization will have to find ways to spend the money it received from fees/donations.  The better an adoption agency does, the better the salaries for key members of a given non-profit org.  private adoption agency.

So, after much time has passed since I last added an article about cash prizes for hitting adoption targets in the UK, I finally found the information I wanted/needed about the USA.

In my never-ending need to dig and see how the adoption industry does what it does, without much federal government intervention or oversight, I found a great little informational tid-bit, written by the good folks at NACAC (North American Council on Adoptable Children).

Successful Older Child Adoption:  Lessons From the Field

by Mary Boo, Assistant Director, NACAC

Published in the Summer 2010 issue of Adoptalk

In fall 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rewarded 38 states for increasing foster care adoptions. Some states were particularly adept at finding families for older youth—in 2008, adoptions of children nine and up rose 39 percent in Florida, 25 percent in Texas, and 91 percent in Wyoming. We asked state leaders in these and other states how they were so successful at placing older children. Each state’s story is unique, but several themes emerge.

The article features key factors needed for good quality permanent family/home-placement for adoptable foster kids. Boxed remarks are from the original article.  Comments made italics refer to one or two infant foster/adoption-stories that put these key concepts into a real-life story for an adopted child.

1)  Have specialists do case mining. 

Searching for people—past and present—in an older child’s life is a great way to find adoptive families. It can also require special skills and be time-consuming. Every state we surveyed says that case file mining was a factor in their success, and most note that specialists do the work.

Read:  Abuse clues in Fla. twins case put spotlight on child services

2) Involve children and youth.

The best source of information about possible resources is often youth themselves,

Later in the paragraph:

But working with youth takes time. In Florida, workers may build a relationship with a youth for months before having conversations about whom the worker should contact.

Working with foster-kids on prescription medication may be difficult, as well....

3) Stick with the adoption plan.

Although youth are empowered in permanency planning, several adoption managers state that youth cannot just opt out of adoption. Kathy Waters, Florida Department of Children and Families adoption program and policy manager, quotes a youth on an advisory board: “The only time the worker listened is when I said I didn’t want to be adopted. Now I have no one.”

Florida now trains workers how to respond to a youth’s fears and concerns. “When a child says ‘I don’t want to be adopted,’ it’s the beginning of casework not a change to APPLA [Another Planned Permanent Living Arrangement].”

The case of Logan Marr illustrates what can happen when a child protective service-provider tries to stick to an adoption-plan

4)  Rely on birth and foster families.

A key outcome of case mining is adoptions by birth family members.

However, later the following example reflects how far a state will go to look for birth-family members who would in fact, be willing to adopt:

A few years ago, senior adoption staff from around Florida helped Miami increase adoptions by meeting with foster parents to discuss how they could make adoption possible. As Bob Rooks, director of Florida’s Adoption Information Center, explains, “The state never lost sight of foster parents as a valuable resource.”

Re-read:  Abuse clues in Fla. twins case put spotlight on child services

5)  Provide leadership.

 Staff in each state emphasize the critical role of high-level support for children’s services and adoption. In Florida, for example, Governor Crist identified adoption as priority during his election campaign and appointed a state chief child advocate when he took office.

I bet Governor Crist had NO IDEA how bad the drug-problem was, before he got into office.

6)  Partner with private agencies.

States have varying relationships with private agencies. All of Florida’s child welfare services are contracted to Community Based Care (CBC) agencies, and those agencies typically subcontract adoption-related services.

Perhaps this will be the first place Amici dei Bambini will look to find children for their clients in Europe...

7)  Focus on teamwork.

Each state also cites teamwork as a key factor in its success. In small states, like New Hampshire and Wyoming, collaboration is easier. All 12 district offices in New Hampshire meet at least monthly to work on permanency plans and assign tasks to keep the plans moving ahead.

8)  Improve court performance.

In Tennessee, several private agencies identified court delays as a barrier to timely adoptions. The agencies reduced adoption delays by training court staff; one even housed a staff member at the court to improve collaboration.
Florida recently held a statewide dependency summit for judges and attorneys at which judges trained their peers on how to expedite TPR. In New Hampshire, a committee of judges, administrators, and social workers is establishing new protocols to enhance court practice.

TPR = Termination of Parental Rights.

9)  Expand post-adoption services.

Through the program, families can access support groups, be referred to services, and receive more intensive, short-term, home-based services.

Well, this might explain why so many AP's show a growing interest in Attachment Therapy... and maybe why some foster kids don't WANT to live with an agency-approved family.

Conclusion:

Finding families for youth takes leadership, collaboration, creativity, and commitment.

So what does the state get as a reward for increasing foster care adoptions?

<drum roll>

Additional Funding Available - Title IV-E Adoption Assistance and Foster Care Programs

The Department of Health and Human Services announced the release of $187 million authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support adoption assistance and foster care programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly $98 million will support adoption assistance programs, while nearly $89 million will go to foster care programs.

Find information about funding for your state.

See funding for all states.

I can rest, knowing I found what I was looking for...