1. Key Informant Interviews with Stakeholders from Multiple Systems
Cross-System Views on the Supports and Challenges of Adoption from Foster Care
Romero, Aly, LMSW & Akin, Becci A., PhD, MSW
University of Kansas School of Social Welfare
SSWR 2017, New Orleans
BACKGROUND
RESULTS
Key Informant Interviews with Stakeholders from Multiple Systems
Collectively, child welfare workers, mental health practitioners, and court personnel are tasked with making difficult permanency and adoption decisions for children in foster care. While existing studies have examined parent and child welfare perspectives on adoption, few studies have included court and mental health systems’ stakeholders. We sought to explore the various stakeholder perspectives on what supports and what hinders successful adoption at a systems level.
Participant responses revolved around four main themes:
Theme #1: Cross-Systems Communication, Cooperation, and Collaboration are Problematic
Despite stakeholders having the desire to work collaboratively, obstacles include deficiencies in mental health providers’ involvement, court personnel lacking pertinent case information, and discrepancies between public and private agencies in decision making.
Theme #2: Legal Processes Are Too Slow
Stakeholders voiced frustration with an inability to achieve timely permanency, crediting discrepancies between various court jurisdictions and a slow paperwork process as major hindrances.
Public Child Welfare
n = 9
Private Child Welfare
n = 10
Mental Health
n = 7
Courts
n = 15
METHODS
“I think we do try and coordinate and work as a team. I think sometimes our interests are at odds, though…” –Public Child Welfare Stakeholder
Project Setting: Study represents the Exploration Stage (Testa et al, 2014) of a statewide demonstration project funded by the U.S. Children’s Bureau to address trauma and behavioral health needs of children in foster care. The larger study included an online survey, key informant interviews of multiple stakeholders, and focus groups with youth. Present study is a subsample from the key informant interviews.
Participants: Using a purposive sampling approach, participants were recruited via public and private agencies to gain professional representation from individuals: (a) with firsthand and frontline experiences in adoption; (b) from various regions in the state (including rural and urban communities); (c) from public and private agencies, and (d) from all three systems. Sample comprised 41 participants.
Procedures: Participants were interviewed by phone and asked a series of open-ended questions about child, family, and system level factors that may affect successful adoption. Interviews were about 70 minutes, audio-recorded, professionally transcribed, checked for accuracy, and imported into NVivo for coding and analyses.
Analyses: Theoretical thematic analyses (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was used for analyses, and member checking was conducted to confirm study findings.
“We should bring everybody to the table and just have a team approach. Medical, mental health, education, legal, child welfare, all that come together for the child, that is the best approach.” – Court Stakeholder
Sample Interview Questions
Child Level
At the child level, what contributes to a successful adoption?
What challenges make it hard for a child to be and/or stay adopted?
Family Level
What family factors facilitate timely and stable adoption?
What barriers do families experience that prevent a successful adoption?
System Level
What system factors promote timely and stable adoption?
What system factors make it more difficult?
“I don’t think there’s one party who is more to blame…There’s a problem also within certain court systems where they sit on termination decisions too long, for up to a year, to make a determination of PRT.” – Mental Health Stakeholder
“We have a lot of kids who are in foster care who have been there for a long time. They aren’t yet adopted but the system is so slow that it just…It really drives me crazy.” – Court Stakeholder

2. Cross-System Views on the Supports and Challenges of Adoption from Foster Care
Romero, Aly, LMSW & Akin, Becci A., PhD, MSW
University of Kansas School of Social Welfare
SSWR 2017, New Orleans
RESULTS CONTINUED
LIMITATIONS
Study is limited in providing only professionals’ perspectives and lacking client perspectives. Though professionals offer valuable insights, their standpoint does not replace parent and youth perspectives. Future research should involve clients in qualitative exploration.
The purposive sampling approach in a single state may limit the generalizability of the conclusions. Further systematic review of results from multiple jurisdictions and studies could be useful.
These data represent only a point-in-time view on adoption from foster care. Future research could benefit from studies that consider stakeholders’ perspectives longitudinally.
Theme #3: Service Needs Are Great, Especially Access to Mental Health Providers
While mental health practitioner and child welfare worker collaborations were noted as great facilitators, concerns were raised about difficulties accessing and receiving quality mental health services.
“ Oh, it’s very, very poor. To get into our local mental health center can take weeks. And when you have a child who is suffering now from trauma to then just delay those services, is very detrimental to the child…You can have a child go through multiple placements and never get any mental health treatment.” – Private Child Welfare Stakeholder
CONCLUSION
“…[I] hope the kids are getting the kind of therapy they need… in some cases I’m not sure they are.” - Court Stakeholder
This study contributes to the existing child welfare and adoption literature by gaining perspectives of multiple key stakeholders who have varied roles within the complex child welfare system
Needed are more comprehensive and institutionalized strategies to increase the trauma and behavioral health knowledge of stakeholders from various systems that work with children toward adoption
More evidence-based/evidence-informed services are required to address children’s trauma and behavioral health needs prior to them developing into significant and long-term problems.
The current paperwork and legal processes need review and revision to identify strategies that will streamline and expedite adoption.
Necessary improvements in the child welfare system include greater and clearer communication.
Theme #4: All Systems Generally Need an Improved Understanding and Response to Trauma and Adoption
Overall, stakeholders suggested that professionals working with children toward adoption must possess, at minimum, a basic knowledge of trauma, indicating that professionals’ knowledge of trauma directly impacts the success of adoption from foster care. Many recommended additional trauma training to improve current services.
“I can honestly say that my educational experience did not focus much on trauma.” Mental Health Stakeholder
“I’m constantly looking for information about trauma and I try to educate my colleagues. Some of them ask me why you’re talking this social work stuff? …They look at me weird.” – Court Stakeholder
References: Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), Testa, M. F., et al., (2014). Bridging the gap between research and practice. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 8, Acknowledgements: This paper was part of the Kansas Assessment Permanency Project (KIPP), which was funded by the Children’s Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under grant number 90-CO The presentation’s contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Children’s Bureau. The authors thank their community collaborators: the Kansas Department for Children and Families, KVC Kansas, and Saint Francis Community Services. Contact: For more info, contact Aly Romero at or Becci Akin at