| Documentation presentation |
| ISS/IRC Code |
TOOL-ADOPT US-054 |
| Partner |
|
| Title |
Life Givers: Framing the Birthparent Experience in Open Adoption |
| Author |
GRITTER James |
| Generic unit |
|
| General information |
| Date published/issue |
00-00-2000 |
| Date received |
00-00-0000 |
| Place published |
|
| Editor |
|
| Publisher |
Child Welfare League of America - www.cwla.org |
| Distributor |
|
| Page |
235 |
| Price |
|
| ISBN |
0 87868 770 X |
| Type of material |
Book
|
| Language of document |
|
| Document information |
| Document description |
Commentaries
Information
|
| Country concerned |
UNITED STATES
|
| Index |
Adoption-open
|
| Free text |
The author, a social worker who has worked in counseling birthparents at Catholic Human Services in Michigan, USA and is an advocate of open adoption, wants to stress the fact that “if we are serious about transforming adoption into a healthy institution, we must grow in our comprehension of who (birthparents) are and what they go through.” He tries to identify birthparents’ beliefs that lead them to make adoption plans for their children, the circumstances surrounding relinquishment, and in doing so tries to correct the negative image attached to the birthparents. He deals with the issue of the birthparent who is seen as “dysfunctional” and whose disruptive behaviour could pose problems in an open adoption situation. His feeling is that open adoption within carefully set boundaries can offer “therapeutic possibilities” in many cases, but extra care has to be taken in recruiting adoptive families who will have positive attitudes and respect for birth families as well as understanding the ambivalent feelings, reluctance and feelings of loss/regret associated with open adoption. |