Analysis Of The Adoption And Safe Families Act

Introduction

In the United States there are approximately 397,000 children in out-of home care, within the last year there was about 640,000 children which spent at least some time in out-of-home care. More than 58,000 children living in foster care have had their biological parental rights permanently terminated (Children’s Rights, 2014). Due to the rising number of children in foster care and the growing concerns of the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families, the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 was signed into law. On November 19, 1997, President Bill Clinton signed the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, to improve the safety of children, to promote adoption and other permanent homes for children who need them, and to support families (Child Welfare League of America). The Adoption and Safe Families Act also promotes adoption by offering incentive payments for States. During the FY of 1999-2003 the payment to states which had exceeded the average number of adoptions received $20 million (Child Welfare League of America). The ASFA improved the existing federal child welfare law to require that the child’s health and safety be a “paramount” concern in any efforts made by the state to preserve or reunify the child’s family, and to provide new assurances that children in foster care are safe (Shuman, 2004).

Background

Description

The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) was as a response to growing concerns about “foster care drift”; that is, children experiencing multiple, unstable foster care placements over extended periods, children virtually lost within the child welfare system (Rockhill, 2007). The ASFA has become a very important and much needed policy that helped with placement and safet...

... middle of paper ...

...008).

Conclusion

In conclusion ASFA works for families. The policy does help families with adoption, family assistance and different services for special needs children. ASFA provides an umbrella for families that are looking to adopt and have healthy families. The FIA shows three distinct principles that were looked at, and information gathered. The three principals were family stability, family relationships and family diversity The biggest assistance that ASFA gives families is hope, but it can provide different services for families like: Ensured health coverage for adopted special needs children, effort in trying to keep the families together and provides substance and mental health support for parents that do what to have their children. With all the subsets that are offered from ASFA it is clear that it does support families and families structure.