LITERATURE REVIEW: Challenges of LGBTQ children adoption over straight children
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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) are more over-represented in foster care, where they are more likely to experience abuse, discrimination, and neglect. Research on supporting LGBTQ children is very limited, therefore, most adopters have had very little guidance and training on how to support LGBTQ children. Most adopters are never interested in adopting LGBTQ children due to the challenges which they are afraid of facing. Since children who do not look or perform the way that boys and girls are expected to behave by their families are mostly ridiculed by others, most adopters are therefore embarrassed or ashamed by their children’s gender and non-conforming behavior (Goldberg et al., 2019). Families and adopters entirely have a major impact on the LGBTQ children’s risks and well-being.
Researches on Gay and Lesbians adoptive families have overly been scare. However, the literature on the same is fast growing. There exist few studies that have worked to look particular on the functioning level of LGTBQ adoptive families. In 2004, Ryan and Cash conducted a survey of 183 lesbian and gay adoptive families on the variety of topic that are included in the family dynamics. The participant of the study did report that those partnership had been so for longer a significant time, many had aspeirietals affiliation in other case many reported a considerably higher levels of social support. Such was the first large scale, national adoption study of its kind. Fostering or adoption of a child can be the most loving, rewarding an challenging activity that one can ever be involved in. however dosineg ist beildislye has challenges and can often result into various failures on the to the parents and or decision to abalone the child backs into the system for the second time. When considering adoption a child, and LGBT adoption or foresting such a child, one should often consider getting an extra guidance on how to deal with these sensitive challenge that the parent and the child being adopted ae like to face compared to the heterosexual child adoption.
According to Jacobs & Freundlich, M. (2006) there is neddd to keep the connection with the LGBTQ children once leaving the foster care, whether it’s going into a new foster home or leaving foster care completely. Besides, meeting the specific needs of the LGTBQ children is very critical. Children in this community are usually left out when it comes to what a child needs in a foster home. Many of the children do struggles to fined adoptive parents. As a general rule, babies and the younger children as often chose first and chirsne who are physically mentally or in other case emotionally fit end up spending time in a foster care or children’s orphanage than those which special needs. For LGBTQ children, they are usually older and sometimes treated as if their case is that of children with special needs. Decker, J. P. (2014) address the issue that is related to LGTBQ young in child welfare in New York. It explores whether New York child welfare agencies have made it in their respective duties in protecting LGBTQ children through the use of the correct policies and practices and as whether they keep in contact or track how these children are doing once they have entered the home of a foster family. This is in line with the feeling that in some places, or states LGTBQ children are often considered ones with special needs.
Most people find it hard to adopt these children since they lack the appropriate ways of supporting these children. Adopters are always shocked to learn that how they react to LGBTQ children is likely to increase these children’s risk for HIV infection and even suicide. Most adopters find it very hard to express their affection when a child tells them about an identity that is not considered normal by the adoptive parents. Therefore, most parents just fined it much easy to adopt straight children since they will not bear the task of supporting the child’s identity. LGBTQ children need a lot of communication and understanding, problems with communication and understanding about the child’s sexual orientation and gender identity can lead to fighting and other family disruptions (Riggs, 2020).. LGBTQ children with no good care have the risk of abuse and other serios health and mental problems. Parents who lack proper ways are not always able to handle these children and therefore most of them end up in juvenile prisons or streets.
Challenges for potential parents
Parents of children who often identifies as LGTBQ may oface cultural challenges from the multiple perspectives. The element of sexuality is a complicated one. It involved an interaction between particular biological condition, psychological bearings, and environmental conditions. It has been culturally and politically polarized in a manner that everyone wants expert kind of answers there exist very few expect in relations to this subject. During the last decade, child welfare professional and urgencies have welcome the rising visibility that is the case of families headed by the LGBTQ parents. An ever growing numbers of agencies in the USA both the private and the publics have established more kind of supportive practices and are in their way becoming more proactive in the recruitment of the families considered LGBTQ. According to Ruel (2018), LGBTQ youth has immensely been affected child welfare systems and now is out of the systems are getting affected by being in the systems. According to the source, child welfare has treated heterosexual children once out of the system to how they have treated children a part of the LGBTQ community once they have left the system. This is the source of confusion on the best way in which LGBTQ can be treated. Feild, (2018), the major reason or what works to shape the LGTBQ child to be adopted depends on the various aspects. It however possess the key questions to where religion, age, the child welfare system itself have a say on why a child in the LGBTQ community cannot be adopted or put in a specific home.
Baams, Wilson & Russell, (2019), did consider a research on the on the level of representation of LQBTQ children in unstable housing elements and foster care. According to the author, the mental health of children in unstable homes is greatly affected especially when you add the fact that these children are a part of a community that is widely negatively discussed. The element of the aspect of discrimination out of the process of adoption also impact on the aspect of adoption negatively. Historically, LGBTQ parents have been termed as a resource for a particular groups of children. Child welfare and adoptions agencies have in the recent data come along way however, the agencies must often works in the environment that is quiet inclusive, nonbiased and strengthens based and in which every individuals is assessed differently and objectively. According to Kahn et al, (2019). it is necessary not to assume that the prospective LGBTQ parent will often want to be the best suited in raising LGTBQ youths. In some instances, this prove to be an effectives matches but best purchase often work to dictate the matching kind of prospective parents with a waiting children docunded in a case by case situation. Prepositives LGBTQ parents often should fear that they will be a more highly scrutinized or in other cases held to the different standards than the other children who are heterosexual. Offering an accurate and a more realistic information about the process of adoption is very crucial.
In the research by Jacobs & Freundlich, M. (2006) getting permanent home of the children and young people classified as a hard to place option. This is a terms that is used in encompassing to the various scenarios but in other case often used in refereeing to siblings groups, disabled and or other children, youngest from the ethnic minorities and those which has complex needs or issue relating to their behaviors which have challenges on the sector for a considerable long time. However, with an increasing number of the potential LGTB adopters coming forwards in the year when government reform in 2006. This has become apparent that may many choose that children from a home which they might not be within their reach. Mallon & Woronoff,(2006) suggest that the needs of the LGBTQ youth and the needs of families with LGBTQ children in the child welfare. They author suggest that changes that can be made to the element of polices in providing involvements with how with LGBTQ children and their families.
How can either adoptive or foster parent successfully raise healthy and happy LGBTQ youths? With the aspect of sexuality as the short button issue, there exist two things that can possible be done in raising the LGBTQ indisieity children. Being aware of what or who carefully choose your decision is critical. Making sure that one actively listens to the child and their individual needs is critical. It is however very critical to share one’s own through and feelings in making such adoptive or foster parent decision for such children. Directing the management in which they feel is even quite confusing to them. According to Little, (2014) it is important to have such children have a feeling of their own thoughts. As a parent to the LGBTQ, one is required to be an expert of have a knowledge on the element of human sexuality. In addition one should strive to be an experts on the child as whole person. Development of an effective method of communication for such families is critical in ensuring that the family is intact.
The differences in adoption
Leugch Enrich and Kanenberge 2005 compared family functioning in LGBTQ special needs adoption. Using the three data set of a total of 86 special needs adoptive parents, 47 gay/lesbians adoptive parents and 25 straight adoptive parents’ respondents. The data was obtained through a five highly regarded self-report measures. From the finding, tit included no negative effect upon the family functioning associate with LGBTQ sexuality oriented adoptive parents. The result suggested that functioning was considered higher when the aspect of homosexual families adopted older children. According to the authors, it was noted that the key threasy to the internal and the external kind of validity presented by the use of the convenience means of sampling and the cross sectional studies. With more research on the actual aspect of adoptive difference between the LGBTQ and the sexually straight children. A special attention needs to be based on the aspect of the children behaviors context. According to the result, conducted by Erich and Bogdanaes (2009). Very little relates to the aspect of the children adoptive challenges based upon parent sexual orientation.
McCormick, A., Schmidt, K., & Terrazas, S. (2017), suggested that LGBTQ are fully underrepresented in the children are systems. According to them, LGBTQ youth experiences discrimination and lack of acceptance while also experiencing homelessness due to the low amount of foster families willing to take in a foster child who is a part of the LGBTQ community. This aspect make its quite hard for the adoption of such children compared to their straight counterparts. A greater focused has been over time given to the straight children with little in the laws regarding to adoption points towards the children from the LGBTQ community desiet their increasing population in the United States. The author suggest that there exist a greater gap for the development of a more comprehensive rule that would work for this population. Foremost among challenges that one might face in working on behalf of LGBTQ families will be laws and policies that governs the practice of the adoptive parents.
In the recent days, there exists a growing body of research on the LGBTQ parents and the children clearly shows that the ability of these persons and same sex couple parents alleviating the key myths and concerns about the negative impacts on children who were raised by the LGBTQ parents. It has been confirmed that it essential professionals have access to and are able to draw specific evidences based information concerning LGBTQ families as they do make the key and best decision are often in the best interest of the young ones. In the care of the intercountry adoption, the process is fast becoming very complicated for all and complicated for all member of the global family dealing with adoption of such children. Mallon, & Woronoff, (2006), suggest that key changes and policies often provided improvements with how to operate with LGBTQ children and their families. This is key in altering the away in which the development of the LGTBQ adoption procedure and to make it same as that of the straight children.
References
Baams, L., Wilson, B. D. M., & Russell, S. T. (2019). LGBTQ youth in unstable housing and foster care. Pediatrics, 143(3), 1. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-4211
Decker, J. P. (2014). LGBTQ youth in child welfare (Order No. 1562440). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1564760924). Retrieved from https://login.proxy181.nclive.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1564760924?accountid=13153
Feild, T. (2018). It is time to start counting kids who are LGBTQ in child welfare. Child Welfare, 96(1), XIII-XX. Retrieved from https://login.proxy181.nclive.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2056448443?accountid=13153
Forge, N., Hartinger-Saunders, R., Wright, E., & Ruel, E. (2018). Out of the system and onto the streets: LGBTQ-identified youth experiencing homelessness with past child welfare system involvement. Child Welfare, 96(2), 47-74. Retrieved from https://login.proxy181.nclive.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2056445276?accountid=13153
Goldberg, A. E., Frost, R. L., Miranda, L., & Kahn, E. (2019). LGBTQ individuals’ experiences with delays and disruptions in the foster and adoption process. Children and Youth Services Review, 106, 1. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104466
Jacobs, J., & Freundlich, M. (2006). Achieving permanency for LGBTQ youth. Child Welfare, 85(2), 299-316. Retrieved from https://login.proxy181.nclive.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/213809029?accountid=13153
Little, B. (2014). Supporting LGBTQ youth in the foster care system: A grant proposal to develop a curriculum for foster care parents and foster care workers (Order No. 1527724). Available from ProQuest Central; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1530197147). Retrieved from https://login.proxy181.nclive.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1530197147?accountid=13153
Mallon, G. P., & Woronoff, R. (2006). Busting out of the child welfare closet: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender-affirming approaches to child welfare. Child Welfare, 85(2), 115-122. Retrieved from https://login.proxy181.nclive.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/61326993?accountid=13153
McCormick, A., Schmidt, K., & Terrazas, S. (2017). LGBTQ youth in the child welfare system: An overview of research, practice, and policy. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 11(1), 27-39. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2016.1221368
Ross, L. E., Epstein, R., Anderson, S., & Eady, A. (2009). Policy, practice, and personal narratives: Experiences of LGBTQ people with adoption in Ontario, Canada. Adoption Quarterly, 12(3-4), 272-293. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10926750903313302