Families that adopt children from foster care can sometimes need help adjusting to the new situation at home. The New York State Office of Children and Family Services is committing 1.5 million dollars for post adoption services. The Salvation Army in Onondaga Countywill get a grant of 195-thousand dollars. Executive Director Linda Wright says these programs are essential to help create a lasting family unit.
“Many of the children waiting for adoption have waited for a number of years. A study talks about 6 years of waiting for that permanent family and if you’re talking about a child that is 8, 9, 10-years-old, 6 years is more than half of their life. So having a child believe that they have now arrived in a family that’s going to be their ‘forever family’ takes a lot of support.”
Issues often arise after a child has spent years is foster care, and then has trouble trusting his or her new permanent home.
State Adoption Oversight Counselor Carol McCarthy says foster children can have trouble adjusting to permanent homes, which impact their adoptive families.
“There might be some attachment disorder making it difficult for that child to express affection toward the family or connect with the adults that are now their caregivers. That’s probably a very difficult behavior for families to deal with. There also can be a lot of defiance at times.”
McCarthy says programs are designed to help both families and the children cope with difficulties.
“The types of services these post adoption programs will provide are those vital services that will help the family get through some of those difficult times, such as respite care, parent support groups, as well as child support groups that provide the opportunity for the kids to share the experiences that they’re dealing with as children that have been through foster care and (then) adopted.”
The Salvation Army’s Linda Wright says these services can help families nurture a “forever home” for adopted children.
“The important part of doing post-adoption counseling is to support the family through the whole life cycle. Lots of times its helping prepare parents for what might be in front of them as their child settles into their new home and their family, and further to help educate parents of what might happen as the child gets really nervous about this new environment.”
Families with income at or below 200 percent of the poverty line will be eligible for post adoption services funded by the state. Those seeking help can go to the children and families services website at ocfs.ny.gov, contact the Salvation Army in Syracuse, or get in touch with Onondaga County Social Services.
