Problem Statement: As a result from the 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), adoptions from foster care have increased since 1998 (Festinger & Maza, 2009; Houston & Kramer, 2008). Kinship and non-kindship assist in providing successful permanency outcomes for children in the child welfare system, however it is important to note that because children were adopted from foster care, the family is likely to endure stress and discord due to the child’s history of abuse and neglect (Houston & Kramer, 2008). Over the course of a child’s journey in foster care, children experience stress and trauma resulting in becoming at risk for developing psychological disorders (Pecora, P. J., White, C. R., Jackson, L. J., & Wiggins, T. 2009). A direct
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Additionally, 33% of the participants receiving services from ASP, participants also obtained support from their social supports (i.e. friends and family), and the internet, (Dhami et al. 2007). According to (Dhami et al. 2007), if adoptive families receive adequate support services such as learning workshops and counseling to sustain and manage the challenges of adoption, it is assumed that their adoptions will have better outcomes. On the contrary, if challenges arise and support services are not attained, adopted children are at risk of reentering foster care. Children re-enter foster care following adoption dissolution from kindship and non-kinship families (Carnochan, Rizik-Baer, & Austin, 2013). Purpose: Additional research is required to determine the available post adoption services and measure service outcomes. It is important to determine the barriers of seeking post adoption support services and challenges experienced by services providers in delivering such services. Understanding the obstacles and effectiveness of services, new methods can be organized and may contribute towards developing new interventions. Ensuring adoptive families can access proper services may help prevent additional adoption dissolutions and therefore avoid ongoing trauma to adopted children. Furthermore, it is also significant to distinguish the experiences by kinship and non-kinship families in an effort to understand if any of the two are more likely to seek support, follow through with recommendations, or experience barriers in utilizing services. Definitions: For the purpose of this study, post adoption services include formal and unformal support groups, online social activities, psychotherapy, family counseling, respite care, case management services, seminars, psychoeducation classes, conferences, and literature such as books, magazines, workshops. Kinship family is defined as a relative and having a direct genetic relationship
Additionally, 33% of the participants receiving services from ASP, participants also obtained support from their social supports (i.e. friends and family), and the internet, (Dhami et al. 2007). According to (Dhami et al. 2007), if adoptive families receive adequate support services such as learning workshops and counseling to sustain and manage the challenges of adoption, it is assumed that their adoptions will have better outcomes. On the contrary, if challenges arise and support services are not attained, adopted children are at risk of reentering foster care. Children re-enter foster care following adoption dissolution from kindship and non-kinship families (Carnochan, Rizik-Baer, & Austin, 2013). Purpose: Additional research is required to determine the available post adoption services and measure service outcomes. It is important to determine the barriers of seeking post adoption support services and challenges experienced by services providers in delivering such services. Understanding the obstacles and effectiveness of services, new methods can be organized and may contribute towards developing new interventions. Ensuring adoptive families can access proper services may help prevent additional adoption dissolutions and therefore avoid ongoing trauma to adopted children. Furthermore, it is also significant to distinguish the experiences by kinship and non-kinship families in an effort to understand if any of the two are more likely to seek support, follow through with recommendations, or experience barriers in utilizing services. Definitions: For the purpose of this study, post adoption services include formal and unformal support groups, online social activities, psychotherapy, family counseling, respite care, case management services, seminars, psychoeducation classes, conferences, and literature such as books, magazines, workshops. Kinship family is defined as a relative and having a direct genetic relationship