Title

ÒYou Can't Run Into a Burning Building Without Getting Burned YourselfÓ: An Ecological Systems Perspective of Parents Choosing Out-Of-Home Care for an Intercountry Adopted Child

Publication Date

7-1-2017

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Increasingly, intercountry adopted children have special needs similar to children adopted from foster care in the United States. Out-of-home placement may be necessary when less restrictive services have not adequately addressed an adopted child's needs. The experiences of 19 adoptive parents who chose to place their intercountry adopted child in out-of-home care due to their child's disability were explored through qualitative interviews and family ecomaps. Themes emerging from interviews relate to adoptive parent definitions of adoption and disability, challenges identifying and accessing services, and the effects of placement on their family, within an ecological systems perspective. Findings show the need for service providers to better understand the impact of an intercountry adopted child's disability and preadoption history on family adjustment, as well as to support parents through the out-of-home placement process.

Publication Title

Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services

Volume

98

Issue

3

First Page

169

Last Page

177

DOI

10.1606/1044-3894.2017.98.28

Publisher Policy

pre-print, post-print

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