Public Policy :: Public Policy Statements
Following are public policy statements issued by Adoption Network Cleveland's Board of Trustees
Access to Records
Access to family records provides adoption triad members (adoptive parents, adoptees and birthparents) with important social, genetic and medical histories. Research, knowledge and experience demonstrates that this access promotes the psychological, social and biological health of triad members. ANC works within the legislative and adoption communities to secure unqualified access to records for adult adoptees, for adoptive parents while the adoptee is a minor, and for birthparents of adoptees who are now adults.
Open Adoption
Personal growth and adjustment are enhanced where ongoing, cooperative and trusting relationships are developed among adoption triad members (adoptive parents, adoptees and birthparents). ANC advocates such relationships by promoting legislation and programming to educate the community about open adoption as a viable means of family building. Additionally, ANC provides support and educational programs to adoption agencies, families, and adoption professionals to include or expand open adoption practices.
Adoption Search
Triad members (adoptive parents, adoptees and birthparents) should be provided the knowledge and means to identify the persons and circumstances surrounding an adoptee's birth. ANC supports individuals seeking out family records and other triad members by conducting programs on how to perform an adoption search. ANC also plans and conducts community-based group meetings to offer social support and guidance on an "as needed basis" to those considering or actively engaged in the adoptive search process. ANC develops programs and marketing communications to educate the general public and adoption professionals on the merits of adoption searches and works directly with legislators to reduce or remove barriers to simplify the search process.
All three previous statements: Revised 04/16/02 Ratified by Board of Trustees 5/9/02
Adoption Subsidies
Definition: Adoption Subsidies are financial assistance programs for adoptive parents who adopt children meeting the federal definition of special needs. Ohio has four adoption subsidy programs. Two programs, Title IV-E Adoption Assistance and State Adoption Maintenance Subsidy, are restricted to children in the custody of a public or private agency at the time of the adoption. The other two programs, Nonrecurring Adoption Expenses and Post Adoption Special Service Subsidy, may also cover children who were not in the custody of a public or private agency at the time of the adoption.
Why are subsidies important? Adoption subsidies are critical to the adoption of children who are legally available for adoption in the public child welfare system. Subsidies enhance the opportunities for adoption for children by expanding the pool of prospective parents to those of all incomes. Subsidies also ensure that resources will be available to meet the ongoing needs of these children.
What do we believe? As a result, adoption subsidies increase the chances for a child to be adopted, provide resources for the child to receive needed services and decrease the possible financial apprehensions of the adoptive parents. It has also been documented that adoption subsidies are more cost effective for agencies than supporting a child in long-term foster care.
Action: Adoption Network Cleveland advocates for adoption subsidies on all governmental levels, educates prospective adoptive parents about subsidies, and creates avenues for our members to advocate and promote for the continued availability and quality of adoption subsidies.
Approved by the Board of Trustees on March 10, 2005
Child-Centered Recruitment
Definition: Child-centered recruitment emphasizes the importance of current and past relationships in a waiting child's life to identify people with whom the child can form life-long, permanent and meaningful relationships
Why is Child Centered Recruitment important? Child-centered recruitment is the best way to increase the opportunity for successful permanency within a family for those children and youth who have been waiting the longest for adoption.
What do we believe? Every child deserves a permanent family. Working toward adoption is the highest priority. Every effort should be made to keep siblings together, identify relatives first and keep children in their own communities.
Action: Through its Adopt Cuyahoga's Kids program, Adoption Network Cleveland promotes child-centered recruitment in working with children waiting for permanency.
Approved by the Board of Trustees March 10, 2005
Waiting Children & Youth
Definition: Children and youth who are either legally free for adoption or are in a long-term foster care situation with no permanent plan involving placement by age 18 with a specific family.
Why important? There are children and youth who are in the foster care system, unable to be reunited with their birth parents, and who have no identified 'second' family. They are typically in a legal status of either "permanent custody" (i.e., free for adoption) or "planned permanent living arrangement" (i.e., long term foster care.) Many of these children age out of the system every year without a permanent family, and the outcomes for such youth are very poor.
What do we believe? Regardless of age, adoption is the best option for children and youth who have no other permanent family. Long term foster care ("planned permanent living arrangement" under Ohio law) is not a positive option for those who are not returning home to their birth families. Independent Living services, while absolutely critical to older foster youth, do not represent a "permanent plan" for children or youth.
Action: Adoption Network Cleveland advocates on behalf of waiting children and youth, educates the community about their situation, positive qualities and needs, advocates for laws that support permanency within a family for all waiting children and youth and for those laws that remove barriers for such permanency to occur.
Approved by the Board of Trustees, March 10, 2005
Statement on Inclusiveness for Adoptive Families
Adoption Network Cleveland believes that every child deserves a safe, nurturing and permanent family.
Adoption Network Cleveland supports the belief that the permanency needs of Ohio's children are best met through effective recruitment, assessment, selection and support of adoptive parents.
Adoption Network Cleveland supports the belief that no person should be excluded from adopting or fostering a child solely because of race, color, creed, age, marital status, gender or sexual orientation.
Adoption Network Cleveland is working to remove barriers to adoption through legislative advocacy, systemic change and strategic program development.
Approved by the Board of Trustees on September 29, 2005
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