Product Description

Adoption and foster care is a new and burgeoning area of historical and interdisciplinary research. Too often, however, birth parents, adoptive parents, foster parents, social workers, and the children themselves have either been ignored or demonized. This comprehensive introductory resource provides an authoritative, yet accessible, examination of adoption and foster care as it has been practiced in the United States.

Within the pages of this volume, the reader will find a complete view of the many individuals and groups involved, as well as a thorough understanding of the various social and economic forces that have contributed to the perceptions of what children are in need of care. Also discussed is the role of orphanages, once the primary institution for children without parents as well as a stopgap measure for poor children needing temporary care. Divided into three major sections, original essays review the practice of adoption, orphanage placement and foster care from the colonial period to the present day. Selected primary documents, including materials by children, as well as an in-depth bibliographic section, provide crucial information and insight for high school and college students. Social workers, journalists, and others will also find much value in this historical overview and guide. Contributors include Elizabeth Bartholet, Marilyn Irvin Holt, Martha Satz, and Claudia Nelson.

Adoption and foster care is a new and burgeoning area of historical and interdisciplinary research. Too often, however, birth parents, adoptive parents and foster parents, social workers, and the children themselves have been either ignored or demonized. This authoritative and accessible work is the first comprehensive introductory resource that gives a fuller portrait of the many individuals and groups that have contributed to the perceptions of what children are in need of care. Also discussed is the role of orphanages, the primary institution for children without parents as well as a stopgap measure for poor children needing temporary care. Divided into three sections, original essays review the practice of adoption, orphanage placement, and foster care from the colonial period to the present day. Selected primary documents, including materials by children, as well as an in-depth bibliography section, provide crucial information and insight for high school and college students. Social workers, journalists, and others will also find much value in this historical overview and guide. Star contributors include Elizabeth Bartholet, Marilyn Irvin Holt, Martha Satz, and Claudia Nelson.

Customer Reviews (1)

A `must' for any involved in children's social work, and for college-level specialty holdings.
Lori Aqskeland edits Children And Youth In Adoption, Orphanages And Foster Care: A Historical Handbook And Guide an outstanding and unusual survey providing the first comprehensive introductory resource on individuals and groups which have contributed to ideas of what children need temporary care. Three sections of original essays survey the practice of adoption, foster care and orphanages from colonial to modern times, using primary documents by adults and children alike to round out the historical review. A `must' for any involved in children's social work, and for college-level specialty holdings. ... Read more

Product Description

One night after midnight social workers brought a baby girl to the author's home, and her life as a foster mother began. A social worker herself, Gerstenzang discovered that raising Cecilia, deespite all the personal joys, would be a complex and frustrating process of "co-parenting" with the foster care system in New York City. Foster parents are in great demand, but they are not necessarily treated well. We follow the author through the home visits, the Early Intervention evaluation, the WIC program that (with much bureaucratic hassle) provides free formula and cereal, and the mandatory parenting training sessions.She comments, "When Michael and I became foster parents, we learned how stigmatizing, demoralizing, and just plain inconvenient and time-consuming being part of the 'unentitled' population can be.With the exception of Early Intervention, we often felt that the programs were more concerned with regulating our behavior than with providing services."

Regular meetings with the birth family were also part of the process.Not only were they awkward for all concerned, but each visit involved a commute of several hours. One social worker admitted that she preferred a foster parent who didn't work because that person could more easily comply with the time-consuming regulations.Sarah and her husband Michael also agonize over complying with special regulations about hiring babysitters or traveling ("anytime we left New York State we needed to ask the agency's permission, which in turn had to get the signed consent from the birth mother").

Central to Another Mother is the issue of transracial placement.Sarah remembers, "That first day the contrast between my pale skin and Cecilia's brown skin seemed glaring.Not only did I feel that I had someone else's child, I felt that I had a child from another culture.Would I owe someone an explanation?" (Gerstenzang is recalling the 1972 opposition of the National Association of Black Social Workers.)Her account is full of anecdotes and reflections about race:acceptance and prejudice from others; the feelings of her two children about having a sibling of a different race; and culture keeping, beginning with skin and hair care.

Customer Reviews (2)

Balanced and helpful
Having been through a very similar experience to that of the author, I was intrigued to read her perspective. I agree that the foster care system can be a frustrating, dis-empowering place for foster parents, whose hard work and sacrifice often go unrewarded. I enjoyed her explorations of all aspects of adopting and raising a child of a different race than one's own. I found her support of the birthmother to be particularly moving. Not many of us can bring such an open heart and mind to interactions with birth parents, truly one of the great challenges of fostering. Gerstanzang remained deeply committed to her foster daughter's best good, whatever that might be, while at the same time attaching to her deeply and giving from the very deepest places in her heart. The author's family as portrayed in this true story comes across as incredibly devoted yet unselfish at the same time. She does not shy away from difficult topics: the politics of race, enduring the indignities of the foster care system in a large urban area, stress on other children in the family,and her own ambivalence about what might be best for her foster daughter and the rest of the family. In all it is a fair and balanced look at the emotionally bumpy road of fostering a child and deeply loving that child. The joyous conclusion is very affirming. I wish I had read it when we were going through our own fostering process, as it would have been very supportive and instructive.

Insightful and (a bit too) Honest
This book is insightful and honest and I enjoyed it.I passed it on to my sister (an adoptive mom)and she loved it to.If you are considering fostering a child, this is a must-read.

However, it bothered me how she seemed more concerned about her birth children that about her adoptive child.And how she made disparaging remarks about the name the birthmother had given the child.In some parts I wondered how her adoptive daughter would feel reading this when she was grown. ... Read more

Product Description
"Do I have to tell my adopted child the truth?" This is a question that faces every adoptive parent. Filling a much-needed gap in the adoption literature regarding communication with adopted children, Telling the Truth to Your Adopted-Foster Child provides parents with the important knowledge of why adopted children need to know the truth about their past. The authors offer practical guidelines and tools that parents can use in communicating with their children the circumstances of their past. This book presents the developmental stages of how children understand adoption and what needs to be said to a child age appropriately. The authors suggest how to share with children the painful and difficult issues regarding their circumstances, birth family and background. The goal is to provide a gateway into life as emotionally and psychologically healthy adults, with solid foundations for identity and self-esteem. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Helpful - not stressful
I've been in the adoption process for more than two years now. My children will be home very soon - finally! I've read many books on adoption and on loss, attachment issues, and helping toddler-aged and older kids settle into their new family life and address the issues of difference, of birth family, etc. Most of those books I put down without finishing. They were such tales of dread, seemingly meant to convince adoptive parents that they would have more problems than successes in their family lives. I've heard many adoptive parents of happy kids say the same thing about many of the standard books on adoption issues.

I liked this book because it recounted the experiences of real families. The families who shared their stories experienced a broad range of joys and challenges. This is far more reflective of the reality of the adoptive families I am close to. But I do know some adoptive parents who take the doom and gloom books as the God's truth and subject their kids to various therapies that I think only establish that being adopted is inherently problematic. Families are families, whether they are formed through birth, adoption, or some of each. They are imperfect. Kids are individuals. Yes, there are issues to anticipate and address with adoption, and this book deals with those. But adoptive families are real families, and I much prefer this balanced approach to the topic of relating to and understanding the needs of adopted children over the books that suggest that there is more pathology than simply individuality and normality in adoptive families.

I would recommend this book to parents who are adopting and to those who have adopted. It serves as a good reality check and antidote to those that dwell on the traumas of adoption.

some good info.seems a bit outdated
I read through the entire book.There were some sections that were a little politically correct for my stomache.Some sections that I really didn't agree with.Some sections were a bit out dated.They didn't agree with my training. However the several chapters that wen't through what to say, and the mediums with which to say them make the book worth the price 2 times over.

Excellent
When starting out on a search for birth parents, particularly with international adoptions where one has no idea of who (or what circumstances) one will find, this is a superb guide.

They key point here, something most psychiatrists apparently have yet to learn, is that adopted children from the youngest ages frequently and actively wonder about their birth parents, and often conceptualize circumstances that cause serious acting out. During their teen years especially--a time of emotional upheaval even for kids raised in their biological families--adopted children experience a wide range of feelings that must be dealt with. There is no way for parents to successfully take their children "around"their natural grief, the authors note. The only way to handle it is to help them "through."

This, of course, is contrary to traditional thinking. "Oh just forget the past," relatives may say. Don't listen to them. Adopted children need to find out who they are, and even though they most likely never met them, they have love and concerns for their birth parents, feelings that the best adoptive parents will help them digest and manage.

Schooler describes the various levels at which adopted children may conceptualize their origins, depending on their age. And anger can be a big factor particularly during the middle school and high school years. Not dealing with these fantasies and feelings is a prescription for disaster. So is dealing with them in an insensitive or unthinking way.

The message is plain: share everything you know with your adopted child, as soon as you know, with as much respect for the child's feelings as you can. You cannot erase their pain. You can only help them cope with it. And in this way, help them grow into productive young men and women in their own rights.

A fabulous resource, which all adoptive parents, all pediatricians, and all mental health professionals, should study.

AVery Important Resource
All parents who have adopted a child with a difficult birth family history should read this book.Parents natural tendency is to protect their child from information that they fear will hurt the child or damage their self-esteem.The authors do a great job of explaining why children need to be told the truth, in an age-appropriate manner at the appropriate time.This book helped to resolve doubts I had on this issue.

Christine Mitchell, author and illustrator of:
Family Day: Celebrating Ethan's Adoption Anniversary and Welcome Home, Forever Child: A Celebration of Children Adopted as Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Beyond

Very specific and helpful resource
I am so pleased that I found this book. I have already recommended it to several people I know. If you are not sure IF or HOW you should talk to your child about being a foster or adopted child, then you need to read this book. If you don't know how much to tell the child and what information is age-appropriate, then you need to read this book. Great practical advice broken down by age groups and situations so your situation is addressed. As with all books giving advice, it is helpful to read a variety and see what feels best for you. I know for me, this book answered the questions that other books only brought up as problems. ... Read more

Product Description
Love and Logic Parenting for Early Childhood Six Months to Five Years written and read by Jim Fay and Foster W. Cline, M.D. Has your sweet, innocent baby turned into a terrorizing toddler? Learn practical and loving methods that not only apply to the very young child, but to four- and five-year-olds as well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Great resource if you want a jumpstart to raising responsible, safe kids without all the power struggles.
Not sure what B. Beaux was talking about.I am an agnostic so I am pretty aware of that kind of thing.I was also a teacher.Not only does Love and Logic work in the classroom but it does amazing things with my kids.I have 2 toddlers and I think the Love and Logic books and videos are an indespensible resource.It seems to me that the previous reviewer was just looking for a forum to rant about something totally unrelated to these books.He also wasn't reviewing this book - I guess some people will actually mislead people to try and get their voice heard.If click on "see my other reviews" under his name you will see that he has reviewed every book in the Love and Logic series with this rhetoric that is based on complete ignorance.Charles Fay and Foster Cline (founders of Love and Logic) are from Evergreen Colorado - not Colorado Springs and have nothing to do with the whole "family first" thing.There is no affiliation whatsoever.Again, not sure what the other reviewer was talking about - but it is a shame that he may turn people away from a resource that is the most effective tool I have come across to raise children who are responsible, able to make choices effectively, have great self-esteem, and to avoid all the arguments and power struggles that come with parenting.

Doesn't work for everyone
Evaluate your child's personality before buying this. I have heard that it works like a charm for other kids, but my daughter is just too active and direct intervention works better than time-outs. I do like its main message--don't let your kids walk all over you and don't be afraid to discipline (positively, not spanking). If you feel your child will respond to time-outs, this is a good resource. However, I found the Positive Discipline series to be more effective for my child.

Great common-sense approach to child-rearing.
This audio cassette is a wonderful, no-nonsense approach to child-rearing.The narrators have soothing, pleasant voices and know what they are talking about.There is no better way to deal with children than this way:I have 2 children that strike awe in others because of how well-behaved they are (ages 3 years and 16 months).I also have a 14 year old step-daughter who is wonderful and mindful, and who has been raised the "love and logic" way.The only way you are going to be "insulted" by this audio cassette (as another reviewer implied) is if you recognize yourself in the anecdotes and are defensive about it.If this is so, perhaps some therapy of your own will help you learn why you waste energy being defensive of parenting practices that don't work, instead of being open enough to try common-sense stategies that will help you be the best parent you can be.

Love and Logic for Toddlers
This cassette seems mostly to reiterate the strategies in the Parenting with Love and Logic book.It gave minimum strategies and often made fun of common parenting mistakes.This cassette could be quite insulting if you have a difficult toddler.

If You Have a Toddler You Need These Tapes
If you find yourself becoming frustrated with your little one, these tapes are for you.As a teacher I know Cline and Fay's methods work, I have no doublt they will also help me raise my son. These first years are criticaland I want to do everything I can to help him be a responsible person and adelight to be around.I know you want the same for your child.I trulythink you will be pleased if you listen to these tapes and give their ideasa try. ... Read more

Product Description
You may be a foster or adoptive parent of a child who was sexually abused before coming to your homme. In some cases, you will not be certain that abuse has occurred, but you may suspect it.
You may even be exploring becoming a foster parent to a child in the foster care system; for safety and privacy many of these children have been abused or neglected—physically, emotionally, or sexually— before coming into care. ... Read more

Product Description
Over 200,000 children live in foster homes in Americatoday. 40-60% of these children have been severely and permanentlydamaged by their pasts, resulting in behavioral, psychiatric,emotional and neurological disorders. Large numbers of previouslyadopted children (both domestic and international) suffer from similarproblems.In the past, these children would have been cared for inspecialized facilities staffed 24 hours a day by professionals. Todaythey are placed in inadequately prepared adoptive or foster homeswhere they often become uncontrollable, and forcefully reject thosewho want only to love and help them. Yet, in the past when familiessought understanding and help, they found that there was little ornone available. Now there is.

Can This Child Be Saved? Solutions for Adoptive and Foster Families...Offers parents help and hope, encouragement and support. It examineswhat causes children to act and react the way they do, and whyconventional strategies and approaches often fail to reach them. Itexplores and validates parents feelings and offers struggling familiesclearly detailed and easy to understand parenting techniques andtherapeutic approaches that DO succeed with disturbed children. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Can this child be Saved
If you have a child with attachment issues, or an adopted older child, read everything you can!This is a good book.

This book saved my life!
If I would have had this book soon after I adopted two older children, who had been in foster care their whole lives, I would have been better prepared to deal with the difficulties I faced. The book helped me realize that these behaviors are not my fault. It spelled out the steps that these children go through. Thank God I had read it right as the first one was beginning to self destruct. By the time the second one started, I was well armed. I felt like I had someone "on my side." I recommend it to anyone and everyone involved in the adoption of foster children.

Saw his work
I observed Dr. Cline work with abused children in a treatment center I used to work in. He works magic with children -I am in total awe of him and his style.

Cost of used book
This book can be purchased from the publisher for $24.95.It is put out through the Love and Logic Institute.

Good book, but not rare
This is a highly recommended book in the field of Foster Care and Adoption, and for dealing with the stresses and special needs of children who have lived with and seen things no child should. Reactive Attachment Disorder is a serious situation that is frequently surprising to the parents who expect a sweet child who only wants to be loved.

This book is available new and is not particularly expensive. I don't understand the ridiculously high prices being asked here for used copies. This is not a rare book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

For adopted children who miss their foster parents
This is a very simple book, written and illustrated by a child.Stefon was a foster child who was adopted and then missed the foster parents.May be nice to read to young children who are adopted out of foster homes so they know they are not alone, and they will be OK.-Cynthia Miller Lovell, author of The Star: A story to help young children understand foster care, and Questions & Activities for The Star: A handbook for foster parents ... Read more

Product Description
Foster homes are a critical resource within the child welfare
system, with more than 260,000 children in non-relative foster
care at the end of FY 2001. Child welfare agencies are
continually challenged to provide adequate numbers of foster
homes that are stable, can accommodate sibling groups, and
are located in proximity to family members. However, research
on foster parent retention is surprisingly slender, with little
known about the length of time served by foster parents and
the characteristics associated with varying lengths of service.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND METHODS

This study was designed to extend current understanding of
foster parent retention by producing unbiased estimates of
length of service and examining factors associated with
licensure, provision of care, and length of service. The study
used administrative data, applying data management and
analytic methods that have been used to describe the length of
stay for children in foster care. Principal research questions
include:

How have the characteristics of foster parents changed
over time?
How can variations in activity levels be described, and
what foster parent characteristics are associated with
varying activity levels?
What is the typical length of service for foster parents?
What characteristics are associated with variations in
length of foster parent careers?

Child welfare agencies in three statesNew Mexico, Oklahoma,
and Oregoncontributed data for these analyses. Selection of
these states was based on data quality and states’ willingness
to provide ongoing consultation to the study team. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Here is the first systematic attempt to explore a rapidly growing child welfare service--specialist foster family care--as a viable and vital form of community care for children and youth experiencing a range of problems and needs. The authors explore and clarify the therapeutic potential of the foster family, the resources necessary to implement and maintain successful programs, the diversity of program models and strategies, the establishment of specialized foster care services in public child welfare agencies, and the application to a range of clients, including autistic, handicapped, and sexually abused children.

Organized into three sections, this major new volume identifies program perspectives and principles, addresses program issues, and describes practical approaches for delivering services. Contributors highlight a number of issues that will require further attention as specialist foster family care develops.

An indispensable guide for a broad range of professionals, including practitioners and managers employed in child welfare agencies and social work educators interested in child welfare policy and practice, Specialist Foster Family Care will also be valuable for undergraduate and graduate social work students and other persons interested in noninstitutional methods of dealing with troubled children and youth.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Like Cliff Notes for foster parents and social workers
Just 50 pages long, this handy reference orients adults responsible for the health care of dependent children in the social services or foster care system on the needs of the child and the resources available. Well organized and formatted. ... Read more

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A thousand miles above Earth's surface the great space platform sped from daylight into darkness. Once every two hours it circled the earth completely, spinning along through space like a mighty wheel of steel and plastic. ... Read more

Product Description
Doctors say that healthy eating habits should start at an early age, but planning a healthy diet that children will eat and enjoy can be a challenging task for parents. In this handy pocket guide, the world's leading experts on the glycemic index (GI)-a ranking of foods according to the rate at which their carbohydrate contents are digested and absorbed-clearly explain how parents can use it to improve and maintain the overall nutrition and health of their children. These authors of the New York Times bestseller The New Glucose Revolution describe which types of carbohydrates are best for children, shows how foods with low GI values can help guide important dieting decisions, and provides menus that even the pickiest eaters will love. With an accessible alphabetical listing of the glycemic index values, fat, and carbohydrate content of over 800 foods and drinks addressed to parents of children of all ages, The New Glucose Revolution Pocket Guide to Healthy Kids will help them lay the foundation for a healthy future. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not much more than the original
This book didn't have much more info than the original book. Not really worth buying if you have the original already.

Repeating to get more profits
I found the book to be very informative regarding healthy eating and maintaining glucose levels but it is a repeat from other books this author wrote. Just buy one and forget the rest of her books, they are all same because I bought four of her books, all said the same thing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

what matters when you're a foster parent
As I tried to sort through what matters when raising a foster child, this book is one of the few research summaries I found.I am not a researcher, so I only read the summaries/results. It is not written for the lay reader; and I am a lay reader.

I was sad that foster kids don't do so well as a group, and relieved that there are good individual results for some children.

Here are two tidbits that I found interesting as I formulate my strategy in coping with the chaos that is foster care:

Like everywhere else in our socieity, socio-econmic security increases the chances for better outcomes, which makes sense as foster kids need a lot of support and resources. Prevailing wisdom is that kinship matters most (current policy is to place the child with a familymember as the first priority). Of course, if we placed the child with a kinship family and invested in getting them the resources they needed, the results might be very different.

Birth family contact in one study did not improve well-being outcomes. Again, the prevailing wisdom is that birth family contact matters a lot. And, again, the whole birth family contact thing is poorly understood and poorly handled; so while this is interesting in the here and now as parents try to make decisions, the results may have little meaning when considering how to set up a system that is in the best interest of the child.

Keep muddlng thorugh foster families!While we may want a list of "this works better" it isn't yet available.


... Read more

Product Description
The book, "Foster Parenting: A Road Less Traveled" is an actual account of Howard and Geneva Coleman and their experience in fostering over 24 children in their home from 2000 to 2007.This is also a book with strong religious overview that uses scripture to explain the unique role of a care giver.Everyone has a gift.Some have the gift of giving and sharing their home with children who are in desperate need of love and attention."Foster Parenting: A Road Less Traveled" is also a training book for perspective and adoptive parents who are interented in becoming foster parents or adopting a child. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

TERRIBLE EDITING
I had a VERY difficult time getting through this book mainly due to the fact that I believe this author used spell-check as his editor.I found "it" where there should have been "in", "an" where there should have been "and" and "he" where there should have been a "she".On top of that, there was even a point where the author referenced the name of his own book and spelled the word "Less" without the second "s".Not to mention the punctuation!End quotes without beginning quotes...same with parenthesis...a comma, then a period right after it.Did they even read their own book!?!?!I am no editor, but basic English skills made it hard for me to overlook the way this book was written.The content of the book was not bad, but gave us no emotional ties to the experiences that this couple went through.I also, as a foster parent, do not agree with the fact that this couple's answer to difficulty with a foster child was to contact DSS and terminate placement without giving it more time and effort to make it work.I would not recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Columbia Journal of Gender and Law, published by Columbia Journal of Gender and Law on January 1, 2009. The length of the article is 27642 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Redefining the baseline: reasonable efforts, family preservation, and parenting foster children in New York.
Author: Rebecca Bonagura
Publication: Columbia Journal of Gender and Law (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2009
Publisher: Columbia Journal of Gender and Law
Volume: 18Issue: 1Page: 175(59)

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more