Trans-racial Placements

Hi Folks,

Just wondering what people's thoughts are on this topic as I'm currently researching it. How do people feel about placing black or ethnic minority children in white families? What problems may this lead to for children in the future? Personally I am of the opinion that it is unfair to force minority children to remain in care longer than white children simply because there is a shortage of ethnic minority adopters. I think it goes against a child's human rights regardless of issues of identity which may arise.

I've no idea what the stats are on this practice in relation to adoption, but have been told that black children wait on average a year longer in care than white children, (if this is true I find it completely unacceptable)

All opinions welcome, and also, if anyone has any idea where to get these statistics it would be really helpful!

 

I'm pretty opposed to 'trans-racial' adoptions. Adopted children often end up with serious issues with their identities due to their past experiences. I really can not see how adding to this by inappropriate matching can help. I'm white and no matter how many books I read, places I visit or people I talk to I'll never have the lived experience of being from an ethnic minority, even though many of my relatives friends and collegues are. The very obvious question in this is why there aren't adopters available who are an appropriate ethnic match and what we can do about that.

But by being opposed to these types of adoptions it inevitably means that more and more ethnic minority children remain in institutional care, simply because of the fact that there are more white adoptee applicants.

While having a sense of identity is important, it is essentially a social construct. I would argue that a child's right to a family, to be happy, and to grow up in a loving environment outweighs being placed with someone who looks the same and has a similar background, especially if it means they see white children being placed in foster and adoptive placements much quicker than they are...this has to have a knock on effect 'what's wrong with me?' etc etc

Why are there fewer minority adults willing to adopt?

Proportionally are there fewer BME adults willing to adopt?

 

I don't know the exact stats but  there are more black and mixed  hertiage children in the care system that  white  childrens.  Reasearch has shown that trans-racial adoption is not alway in the child best interest. As a black woman  born and bred in the UK during the 70's and earlyy 80's it was important to me to have an understanding of my history and culture.  Literature was scarce at the time and was wholly dependent on American magazaines such as Ebony to find something positive about my race. But being with my family and extended family here and in Caribbean gave me the greatest lesson about who I am.

Things have moved on but books and magazines are not going to make a major difference in helping you know who you are.  Being  around and experiencing being with your own makes you as a person feel postive about  yourself.  I remeber being the only black child in school and feeling less of a person  because I did not look like everyone else. I felt more positive with myself when I was on the school bus going home meeting and interacting with   people who looked at me. I am very proud of my race and cultures and the various mixes that makes me me. 

Within my family and extend family, I have mixed hertiage siblings and nephew and nieces who have a special relationship with their black family members because regarding of what .When people see them, they see Black first and white afterwards. I'v lost count the number of times when white people say "i didn't know they had white in them".  Identity is a important issue for a child and work needs to be done to address this issue .  Black and Mixed hertiage families still do not trust Social Care in putting themselves forward for fostering and adoption for fear of assumptaiton and stero typing of their race and culture.  The resources are there just speak to your Black and Ethnic workers but remeber to value their opinon.You might not like what you here .

These experience had helped me while working in a children and families team. to become a resource to my fellow team members.   I 've actually place a child of mixed hertiage with a white family but this needs time to explain my reasons.

It took me two years to place her with a adoptive family but I was given two years to work around issues related to her identity and finding the approppriate family to meet her  holistic needs. Having two years just shows you how long it took to find a family and it was never easy.

 

I always remember listening to a young man at Community Care Live telling the audience that he had experienced abuse in a placement that met his ethnic background but none of his other needs were appropriately taken into account!

I feel very strongly that an individual approach with each child and prospective adopters is essential to ensure children have the chance to grow up in a loving home that nutures them and promotes their feelings of self worh, to do this we look past the colour of someone's skin when matching children and adopters.

 

 

This is so true !To enable a child to acquire a positive self-image the sooner a suitable placement is found the better. Research shows that while identity is a lifelong process a healthy sense of self requires early feeling of pride and an added awareness and understanding of one’s place in the world. A warm caring home environment can provide the building blocks for the acquisition of a positive identity and this too can be consolidated by further positive social and educational experiences, especially with contact with peers and others.    

Proportionally yes. I don't have the figures yet but from research theres a huge shortage of black and minority ethnic adoptees and foster carers putting themselves forward. This has been down to local authorities failing to recruit properly but can also be because of an assessing social workers ideals, ie white middle class values and their idea of 'good enough' care (stereotypical yes but its what research indicates

There is already some research connected to this, look up Julie Selwyn at Bristol Uni.  I am a social worker on an local authority adoption team and am of dual heritage myself, sometimes it is difficult to see the world without the filter of our own personal experiences, and as such have found her balance views and research very useful in the past, both in supporting my views and challenging some of my preconceptions.

Good Luck

Kal

Hi - this is an interesting topic...I once worked in fostering and always tried to racially match children to avoid identity problems erupting. Although rather than keep children too long in residential - I would look at their heirarchy of needs and try to be creative. This might mean matching children with families that have friends and regular visitors that are from similar cultures as the child.....This was not always possible and depended on the child...........Also problems arise in transracial placements when children don't want their friends to know they are in care or adopted...hence they don't want their mismatched carers to attend parents meetings etc.

When I was at primary school in the 70s there were 2 black girls in the same year as me who had been adopted by white families. I don't recall it ever being an issue amongst the school kids - we just accepted they were adopted, but I suppose the fact of their adoption could never be hidden. They were never going to be able to pretend they lived with their natural families, or just not admit it, because it was visually obvious. At that age and in those times I wouldn't have been aware of anything about cultural identity or heritage, but I don't think either of them seemed any more or less troubled than any of the rest of us. One of the girls left because her parents moved away but the other girl and I went to the same secondary school as well, and again I don't recall there being any obvious turmoil - but we weren't close friends and I have no idea what was going on in her head or in her home. It seems to me that while a racially-matched adoption would be the best option, a trans-racial adoption is probably better than no adoption and a lifetime in care.

There are many more issues than those that are seen on the outside! A friend of mine was adopted by white parents (she's black) in the 70's and while we were in school there wasn't any issues about cultural identity or heritage because the importance wasn't recognised! Basics like hair and skin care were inappropriate and there was no acknowledging major issues such as subtle racism usually due to ignorance. It wasn't until adulthood and getting married my friend learned about 'being black' and became more confident about who she is.  

While I do not oppose trans-racial adoptions, I feel we need to be much more aware of the cultural and identity issues these young people may face to ensure they are matched with adopters that are open enough to address the issues below the surface, ignorance is another form of racism and workers need to address this to ensure the best outcomes for children.

nickname:

Hi Folks,

Just wondering what people's thoughts are on this topic as I'm currently researching it. How do people feel about placing black or ethnic minority children in white families? What problems may this lead to for children in the future? Personally I am of the opinion that it is unfair to force minority children to remain in care longer than white children simply because there is a shortage of ethnic minority adopters. I think it goes against a child's human rights regardless of issues of identity which may arise.

I've no idea what the stats are on this practice in relation to adoption, but have been told that black children wait on average a year longer in care than white children, (if this is true I find it completely unacceptable)

All opinions welcome, and also, if anyone has any idea where to get these statistics it would be really helpful!

 

 

i think trans=racial adoptions and same sex adoptions should be seen as last resorts. a child will only suffer ridicule from their peers if adopted by differt race/same sex parents.why would we choose to set up a child for ridicule in school? it is an option but a last resort option.

Homophobia as well.  Excellent.

IT  would be excellent if the nearest match placment, match good could be located for each child, taking account of all aspirations

Adra:

Why are there fewer minority adults willing to adopt?

I think that part of the answer to this question lies in cultural differences. In African countries, for example, there is a strong extended family system and there is an expectation that if parents are unable to take care of their children the extended family will step in and not strangers. I think that adoption might be  a Western creation which has not, perhaps, been embraced by some ethnic minority groups because it is not part of their cultures.

Adoption a Western creation?  Are you trying to give modern Westernism the credit or blame for inventing adoption?  I think it might be worth exploring the history a little, after all I don't think of Moses as either Western or Modern, and I am sure that you could find plenty of examples of adoption throughout the Egptian period of the pharoahs.  I know that adoption through surogacy has been practiced for many generations in parts of East Africa.  I am sure that there are many people out there who could give you more examples of adoption through history and all over the world.

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I feel that it is important to match ethnicity-but it should not be the determining factor to the detriment of others. Self esteem and identity has to be the number one factor in helping the child deal with adversities. I have seen a black child who was raised by his blond, pale skinned and blue eyed father and no contact with black maternal side of family.This was very damaging for the child-who wished to be white...largely due to the fact the father did not value the black side of the family or recognise the child's needs. Re question of statistics; have you asked BAAF re adoption statistics?

redana:

I feel that it is important to match ethnicity-but it should not be the determining factor to the detriment of others. Self esteem and identity has to be the number one factor in helping the child deal with adversities. I have seen a black child who was raised by his blond, pale skinned and blue eyed father and no contact with black maternal side of family.This was very damaging for the child-who wished to be white...largely due to the fact the father did not value the black side of the family or recognise the child's needs. Re question of statistics; have you asked BAAF re adoption statistics?

 

if you read above socworkski thinks this viewpoint is racism. i think it is realistic and not racist but socworkski thinks differntly.

kal:

Adoption a Western creation?  Are you trying to give modern Westernism the credit or blame for inventing adoption?  I think it might be worth exploring the history a little, after all I don't think of Moses as either Western or Modern, and I am sure that you could find plenty of examples of adoption throughout the Egptian period of the pharoahs.  I know that adoption through surogacy has been practiced for many generations in parts of East Africa.  I am sure that there are many people out there who could give you more examples of adoption through history and all over the world.

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Ancient writings appear to indicate that adoption has a long history. For example, the New Testament speaks of Gentiles being "adopted" into God's family (previously exclusive to Jews). The concept and practice of adoption seem to have been understood from ancient times. The "West" has formalised and regulated the process (as we always do!), but did not invent it.

 

 

 

It's not about racism (I did not read this allegation anywhere on this forum)-it's about acknowledging the child's ethnicity and trying to meet their needs in the best possible way. if ethnicity is ignored, SW's are in danger of being colour blind. However, my point was that if adopters or carers can actively value the child's ethnicity (but are not the same ethnicity) and would be able to promote good self esteem, they should not immediately be discounted. Likewise, if they are slightly ropey in meeting the child's other needs, surely they should not be the preferred match just because they meet the ethnic needs? Ideally, SW's would need to match all the needs....but the realistic scenario in my experience is that children are often placed when the match is less than ideal and I have seen this occur for many reasons. In the case I was discussing, the child suffered as the white father had such a negative view of the maternal family-who happened to be black-as was the child.

redana:

It's not about racism (I did not read this allegation anywhere on this forum)-it's about acknowledging the child's ethnicity and trying to meet their needs in the best possible way. if ethnicity is ignored, SW's are in danger of being colour blind. However, my point was that if adopters or carers can actively value the child's ethnicity (but are not the same ethnicity) and would be able to promote good self esteem, they should not immediately be discounted. Likewise, if they are slightly ropey in meeting the child's other needs, surely they should not be the preferred match just because they meet the ethnic needs? Ideally, SW's would need to match all the needs....but the realistic scenario in my experience is that children are often placed when the match is less than ideal and I have seen this occur for many reasons. In the case I was discussing, the child suffered as the white father had such a negative view of the maternal family-who happened to be black-as was the child.

 

if you check just a few post's above on this thread you can see where racism beocmes an issue. indeed redanda it is not about racism.

Every child has a heirarchy of the needs - when I worked in fostering, I was reluctant to place children transracially but every child is different. For example, I placed a mixed race child with a white family because I knew they could meet his needs and he was miserable in residential care. However, I recall being adament that other children were ethnically and culturally matched...like I said it depended on the individual child and various factors. I feel that forming a positive identity is cruicial to healthy development and that this should never be compromised. However, I acknowledge that we don't have the resources - and hence we have to be creative. Placing Black children with White families is more acceptable if the social network of the carers includes Black friends and relatives......Although I have to say that in my borough we had an influx of White children coming into care and a shortage of White carers.