Foster Care and Adoptive Parents in the Latino Community

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Recommended: The foster care system and its effects

Policy Brief: Foster Care & Adoptive Parents in the Latino Community Foster Care & Adoptive Parents in the Latino Community Foster Care and Adoption are the most multi-faceted areas of child welfare. Foster care consists of placing children outside of the custody of their parents or legal guardians. This out-of-home placement can be temporary or long-term. Adoption on the other hand, consists of the legal and permanent process that establishes a parent/child relationship between individuals not related biologically (Downs, Moore, & McFadden, 2009). These two areas of child welfare are constantly evolving and the decisions made on a child’s behalf can affect many areas of their biological, spiritual, social, and emotional wellbeing. In the child welfare system, there is a growing number of children who are in need of homes. This number is increasingly made up of minority populations, to include Latinos. With the enactment of the Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994, as amended by the Interethnic Adoption Provisions of 1996, greater opportunities were made available to Latino communities were made available for them to foster and adopt. However, with lack of proper information and little recruitment efforts in their community, the numbers of Latino families available for children remain low. The Latino population is the largest minority group in the United States. The cultural term Latino refers to individuals of Latin American descent. This population is made up of many diverse races and nationalities, such as: Mexicans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and other groups with Spanish origins (Arias, 2010). On average, Latinos are a younger population, with about one-third of individuals being under the age of 18 (Committee for Hispanic... ... middle of paper ... ...la, M. (2008). Nuestra Familia, Nuestra Cultura: Promoting & Supporting Latino Families in Adoption and Foster Care. Retrieved from http://adoptuskids.org/_assets/files/NRCRRFAP/resources/latino-tipsheet-packet.pdf Olsen, C. S., & Skogrand, L. (2009). Cultural implications and guidelines for extension and family life programming with Latino/Hispanic audiences. The Forum for Family and Consumer Issues, 14(1). Retrieved from http://ncsu.edu/ffci/publications/2009/v14-n1-2009 spring/olsen-skogrand.php Pichardo, C. M. (2003). Latinos' perceptions toward foster care. (Order No. 1416472, California State University, Long Beach). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.jproxy.lib.ecu.edu/docview/305229342?accountid=10639. (305229342). Quintanilla, M. L. (2002). Remove Barriers and Latino Families Will Adopt. Recruiting News, 2(3).

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