AZ Foster Care Alumni Speak out Against Adoption Restrictions Bill

Former foster youth from the Arizona Chapter of Foster Care Alumni of America call on the Arizona Senate to defeat HB 2148 that would limit who can adopt foster children. Phoenix, AZ The Arizona Chapter of Foster Care Alumni of America, the only national association for adults who experienced foster care as children, is calling on the Arizona Senate to reject HB 2148 Adoption that would limit the pool of qualified adults who can adopt children. Last year, 700 foster youth in Arizona were turned out into the world with no family and no place of belonging that is so critical for young peoples success and well-being, said Misty Stenslie, deputy director of Foster Care Alumni of America. It is tempting to try to create the ˜ideal family for kids. As someone who aged out of care and who has worked with thousands of other adults who never made a permanent family connection, I can assure you children without families would welcome the caring permanent presence of any loving, qualified, stable parent. Like every other state, Arizona is constantly challenged to find enough homes for its 10,000 children in foster care. According to Arizonas September 2009 data, 30% percent of children in care were over the age of 13, an age that youth in care are the least likely to ever be adopted. Over 2,300 children have been in out-of-home care for over two years with no one to provide them with a permanent family. Moreover, children in Arizonas foster care system experience, on average, three different placements, leading to emotional trauma and often disrupted schooling, and a cascading negative effect across the lifespan. Arizonas difficulty in finding foster families means that more of its foster youthespecially older youth--end up in group care or institutional settings. Research demonstrates that these institutional settings are the least family-like settings possible for children, and youth are much less likely to form bonds with responsible adults who can help them move toward independence. As stated by Misty Stenslie, how are we supposed to learn to be part of a family and to have a family when we grow up with staff rather than parents? Foster Care Alumni of America opposes HB 2148. Until Arizona has reached the point at which there are more qualified families adopting than there are children who need homes, the state should not limit the qualified pool of parents even further, said Shannon Clayton, alumna of foster care and a leader of the Arizona Chapter of FCAA. The process of identifying and qualifying potential adoptive parents for needy children should be left to qualified professionals. Each case must be evaluated by local judges and social workers who use their expertise-and their knowledge of specific children and families-to determine what is in the best interest of a child. I know many single people who are amazing parents to youth, especially older youth in foster care. Many youth would rather stay with one parent, than move into another house with people they don't know or respect simply because there are two parents there, said Eshawn Peterson, an alumna of foster care and a state leader with Foster Care Alumni of Americas Arizona Chapter. Research on the outcomes of youth who age out of foster care without the necessary family supports shows that those young adults are less likely to attend college, more likely to be unemployed, and more likely to become homeless. Foster Care Alumni of America points out that these outcomes are not only heartbreaking for the youth, they create long-term financial burdens for taxpayers. Foster Care Alumni of Americas opposition to this bill mirrors the stand taken by the leading voices in child welfare. The Child Welfare League of Americas Standards of Excellence for Adoption state, All applicants should be assessed on the basis of their abilities to successfully parent a child needing family membership and not on their race, ethnicity or culture, income, age, marital status, religion, appearance, differing lifestyle, or sexual orientation. Applicants should be accepted on the basis of an individual assessment of their capacity to understand and meet the needs of a particular available child at the point of the adoption and in the future (CWLA, 2000). This standard is in concert with those of the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Alumni of foster care believe the process of finding loving permanent homes, where children can be nurtured and raised in an encouraging environment, is challenging enough and should not be made even more difficult. Foster Care Alumni of America believes that child welfare experts, who know what is in the best interests of children, should work directly with the youth in care to decide on a case-by-case basis who should be an adoptive parent for each particular child. A blanket rule that bans otherwise qualified people from being adoptive parents is never in the best interests of children who are alone with no family to call their own. About Foster Care Alumni of America: In 2004, foster care alumni and advocates created a national non-profit association that brings together the expertise of adults who have experienced foster care. Foster Care Alumni of America (FCAA) was formed to engage the more than 12 million alumni of foster care and to advocate for the needs of the youth and alumni of foster care.