Adoption Rhode Island

Adoption Rhode Island requests grant support of $36,000 from VOCA for the period of October 1, 2005 through September 30, 2006 to expand our VOCA Child and Family Support Project to serve 45 victimized children and their families.

ARI will engage fee for service clinicians who provide a range of skills and experience working with traumatized children. They will provide more than 200 hours of service annually for the adoption support program.

Your investment in this effort has also enabled us to attract additional supplementary support from private sources. Through support received from Wendy's we have been able to cover the expenses related to travel, operating expenses and training on an in-kind basis.

On behalf of our Board, staff and children and families served, Adoption Rhode Island thanks the Public Safety Grant Administration Office for your support through VOCA of our efforts and for the technical assistance provided by your staff. We ask for your continued support of this very important effort to help children who have been the victims of abuse. Without your support this year, we would not be able to continue this successful program. Our current funding does not pay for these critical services and although we have begun to institutionalize this program, we currently do not have enough resources to sustain the program's key staff without your support.

In 1998, the agency expanded services to include more direct child and family support. A lending library was developed, parent newsletter published, parent groups were offered and families were provided support from an experienced adoptive parent. Topics discussed in-group and individual support sessions included:

• Understanding Loss and Trauma
• Attachment Issues in Abused Children
• Using Lifebooks to help Children Heal
• Financial and Other Supports for Families who Adopt Abused Children
• Stress Reduction Techniques

Since 1998, the agency has continued to provide recruitment, matching, advocacy, support and education services. Services expanded as the number of children and families in need grew. Adoption Rhode Island currently serves over 700 families and professionals through conferences, workshops and technical assistance, and over 300 families with children who have been victims of abuse, through our recruitment, matching, recreation and direct support services.

Adoption Rhode Island staff participates on a number of task forces and committees designed to improve laws, policies and services that impact abused and neglected children. The Director of Adoption Rhode Island chairs the Special Needs Adoption Coalition, a group that serves as the voice of the children the agency serves in partnership with other state and community organizations. We believe that coordination with other programs that serve child abuse victims better serves the child, family and community.

Adoption Rhode Island's commitment to diversity was written into its mission statement in January of 2000. In December, 2000 an African-American woman who serves as Director of Inclusiveness of the Providence Journal accepted her nomination to the Board of Directors. Although the current staff of Adoption Rhode Island does not reflect the ethnic diversity of our population, increased efforts are being made to reach out, advertise and recruit bilingual/bicultural staff.

Services offered by the organization include efforts to increase the visibility of children of color who often wait longer for families than Caucasian children, as well as actively recruit prospective adoptive families from communities of color and the gay and lesbian community.

The proposed family support program builds on the existing services offered by Adoption Rhode Island. A skilled masters-level social worker and a student intern offers services. We anticipate serving 30 children and their families.

The core of the services are flexible and responsive. They are individually designed to meet each child and family's needs. Services include:

Group Intervention

Sharing in groups with other children who have also suffered separation, loss, and abuse can have a significant impact in the process of healing. This is particularly true for children who have experienced sexual abuse. The group format allows the therapist to use group members to help each other understand and work on their individual problems. The aim is to help children interact with other children without being sexually or behaviorally inappropriate.

Groups designed to help families of child victims assist families in learning about the effects of victimization and alternative parenting techniques used by other families in the group. It also helps decrease isolation and reduces the likelihood of disruption.

Individual Counseling/Crisis Intervention

Families need specialized interventions to help address underlying emotional issues as a result of child victimization and help to change destructive behaviors. Providing individual supportive counseling and crisis intervention to families helps address problems early and effectively.

Advocacy, Education, Information and Referral

Adoptive parents are often unaware or confused about how to access services and what services best meet the needs of their child. Services designed specifically to provide victims and their families with education, information and referrals help reduce parental stress and resolve practical problems resulting from the victimization.

Children and families are referred to the program by one of the Adoption Rhode Island(ARI) Adoption Coordinators or the families themselves. Abused children who have experienced previous placement interruptions are prioritized for service. The MSW social worker and student intern meets with ARI Adoption Coordinators to develop a procedure for intake and referral. Brochures are developed and distributed to prospective adoptive parents.

The criteria for referral and intake into the program is any child victim of a crime such as physical or sexual abuse who is being placed or is placed in an adoptive family and is in need of immediate family support. Children who have experienced abuse and previous failed adoption attempts receive priority status. Upon receipt of funding, Adoption Rhode Island recruits one part-time masters-level social worker. In addition, a bachelors -level student from an accredited social work or counseling program are recruited from a local college or university .

The masters-level social worker reports to the agency director. The intern(s) report to the masters-level social worker. All members work as a team. Key to the success of this model is the ongoing coordination and collaboration between team members and other agency staff and volunteers as well as the structured weekly individual and group supervision team members receive.

The Agency Director assigns eligible children and their families to the Social Worker/Intern team. Families who are not eligible for services are linked to appropriate resources within the community such as services offered by other VOCA grantees as well as community providers who offer clinical and intensive post-adoption support programs. Referrals also include those to the criminal justice system as well as to victim compensation programs.

Upon completion of intake, assessment and pre-test information, the Social Worker/intern team works with the child and family members to develop a list of problems to address and strengths to foster as well as objectives for their work together. The list of targeted problems and objectives for each problem, as well as a list of the general strategy for addressing each problem, constitutes an initial contract (service plan) for work with each family (Malluccio et.al, 1986). The adoptive parents, children) and the Family Support Social worker signs the contract and receive a copy of it.

Although the service plans are designed to meet individual needs of each family, many plans are include strategies to address the child victim's trauma and decrease learned behaviors as a result of victimization, help parents understand the impact of the victimization on the child, provide them with the parenting tools to cope with parenting a child victim and emphasize the importance of safety and permanency for these children.

Service plans are updated at 90-day intervals and/or according to the individual needs of each child and family. Progress on goals and objectives are discussed and a new plan is developed in partnership with the child and family. A strengths-focused, family based approach is utilized. Small improvements are recognized and encouraged.

Consistent with VOCA's identified program areas/priorities, the Family Support program provide a range of direct services to victims of crime and their pre-adoptive/adoptive families. Services are individually designed but can include office and home-based supportive counseling, crisis intervention, group support meetings, education, information, referral and advocacy. It is anticipated that some children and families may request multiple services and require 2-4 hours of weekly contact, while others require only one service and less frequent (1-2 hours per month) contact. Service duration are flexible and responsive. Some children and families require a total of one to two contacts for information and referral while others may require more intensive services for 6-12 months. Decisions regarding service requirements and duration are determined in partnership with the child victim and adoptive family. On average, child victims and their families receive 1-2 hours per service per week for 6 months.

Services are prioritized for every child victim registered with Adoption Rhode Island and placed during the year the grant covers. Services are available for child victims and their adoptive families who were placed prior to the award period if the victim is experiencing emotional difficulties related to the victimization which put the adoption at risk of dissolution Central to determining eligibility is determining that a child victim of crime is in need of services to improve permanency outcomes.

What is our challenge?

Families who adopt victimized children need assistance and support to help children heal and to prepare and preserve the family. McRoy, Grotevant and Zurcher (1988) conclude that adopted children are two to five times more likely to require psychological treatment. Barth and Berry (1988) as well as Partridge, Homby and McDonald (1986) found that the factor contributing most strongly to disruption is insufficient or misleading preparation of parents and adoptee. Most adoption research points to early support and intervention being more successful than when the family reaches near "breaking point". This program intervenes early before the victim and/or the family perceives problems as insurmountable.

There are over 100,000 children in the United States with the goal of adoption. In Rhode Island, approximately 237 children are awaiting adoption. Their foster or kinship care provider adopts approximately half of these children and half require recruitment and training of prospective adoptive parents. One hundred and fourteen Rhode Island children are currently registered with Adoption Rhode Island. Of the 114 children, 100% have experienced at least one form of child abuse and 40% have experienced at least one failed adoption placement. Most have experienced multiple abuses including sexual, physical, emotional abuse and severe and chronic neglect and several have had more than two failed adoptions. Some have physical scars and reminders, almost all have emotional scars. Many have experienced additional traumatic events including multiple foster placements, psychiatric hospitalizations and separation from siblings and extended families. Although most adoptions are positive and remain intact, older children (Barth, 1988), children with special needs (Groze, 1986), and children with a history of child abuse and previous placements(Stolley,l993) are more likely to experience a disrupted adoption.

The needs of victimized children moving into adoptive homes are extensive, complex and underserved. As prospective adoptive parents begin to face the needs of the traumatized child, they come to recognize the extent of the destruction that the victimization can cause. Families who are parenting children who have been sexually abused often find it difficult to cope with sexually reactive behaviors the children often display in their attempts to cope with the pain of past abuse. Some children act out the abuse again by victimizing other children. It is often quite difficult to accept that a child could inflict the same pain on another child and become a victimizer, particularly when the child is a member of the adoptive family.

The types of problems adoptive parents may encounter when an abused child is placed in their family include fire setting, lying, cruelty to animals, sexually reactive behaviors, stealing, abnormal eating patterns, hyperactivity, poor peer relationships and physically and sexually abusive behaviors toward biological children in the family. The child victim and family are often unprepared for these challenges. Without immediate support, education and information and referral from a knowledgeable adoption professional, the likelihood of the adoption disrupting and further trauma occurring is high.

Currently, there are a dearth of support services in Rhode Island for victimized children and their adoptive families. There are two intensive clinical programs designed to preserve adoptive families and a handful of independent clinicians that specialize in adoption issues. Although these services clearly benefit the children and families they serve, additional services are needed to meet the growing numbers of victimized children who are being placed with adoptive families. Adoption Rhode Island is often the first agency an adoptive parent contacts when they consider adoption and therefore in an excellent position to provide additional direct supportive services through adoption placement. Last year, Adoption Rhode Island helps facilitate 63 adoptive placements. Additionally, over 175 foster and kinship adoptions occurred through DCYF. Over the past five years, we have experienced a slow and steady increase in the number of adoptions of abused and neglected children. Given federal laws now require DCYF to move toward adoption or other permanent plan more quickly than in the past, the funding of this program would greatly enhance the state's capacity to respond to the growing needs of this population and allow more coordinated efforts to occur between VOCA funded programs and other programs serving abused children and their adoptive families.

Plan of Operation

The Family Support program are housed at the Adoption Rhode Island office located at 500 Prospect Street, Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Services are offered throughout Rhode Island.

Goals and Objectives

• 1 . Improve family functioning in families who have adopted victims of child abuse to prevent unnecessary adoption disruption in these families.
• A. Provide support services to abused children and their adoptive families to reduce the severity of the victim's subsequent psychological and emotional consequences.

Provide education services to decrease the victim's negative behaviors and increase the family's understanding of the impact of the victimization.

Provide families with a repertoire of tools to cope with effects of trauma on victims who have also experienced multiple foster placements and a lack of permanency.

• C. Assist families in accessing additional resources to meet above goals by providing:
• referrals
• linkages
• written materials
• 2. Decrease the sense of isolation victims and their adoptive families often experience.
• A. Provide time - limited, supportive group services for victims and their parents .
• B Provide each family with a subscription to Parenting Connections, our newsletter for Adoptive Families.
• 3. Evaluate the Program
• A. Conduct a thorough program evaluation.
• B . Disseminate outcome information through a variety of mediums including newsletter articles, conference presentations and status reports to funder(s).
• 4. Develop opportunities for student interns and volunteers to assist with above goals.

Work with local colleges and universities with accredited social work and counseling programs to place appropriate students at Adoption Rhode Island to assist with victims and their families.

Results

Benefits Expected

The proposed program has numerous benefits for victims and their adoptive families in Rhode Island. programed results and benefits include:

• Children experience increased understanding of issues relevant to his/her victimization and strategies to cope and heal.
• Families experience reduction in parental stress associated with parenting a child victim.
• Children experience more success within the adoptive family, greater improvement in self-esteem and reduced reactive behaviors.
• Families experience decreased risk of adoption disruption/ dissolution

What is our plan of Action

The Director of Adoption Rhode Island oversees the services offered by the program. She has extensive experience administering and evaluating programs for abused and neglected children. The masters-level Social Worker has experience working with child victims, an understanding of the effects of trauma, and a commitment to permanency. The social worker provides individual and group education and support services for the victims and their families. The student interns) co-leads groups, assist with information and referral requests and support the Social Worker in meeting the individual needs of each child and family. The Director makes efforts to recruit diverse staff and interns to fill the positions.

The agency successfully administers grants and contracts from state government and private foundations. The agency financial consultant holds an MBA and has extensive experience managing state and federal contracts. An independent CPA firm on an annual basis audits the agency. The agency Fundraising Committee of the Board of Directors, meets 6-8 times per year to develop, plan and implement fundraising strategies for the agency.

The data management system captures demographic and statistical data. The agency is in the process of compiling additional information obtained through mail- in and phones surveys of a sampling of all agency constituents. Information about the services as well as satisfaction with services is garnered for current programs and are done for the Family Support program as well. These findings are shared with funding sources, the governing board and line staff. Program improvements are made based on these findings. Case records with demographic and service information are kept for children and families served by Adoption Rhode Island. To assure client confidentiality, case records are housed in locked filing cabinets.

The agency was recently awarded the 2001 Kazarian Award for exemplary service to children by the Ocean State Charities Association.

How do we measure our progress

The Family Support program provides additional opportunities for the agency to evaluate the success of intended goals. The evaluation includes an assessment of the program's implementation and client outcomes. Data is collected from staff, children and parents served, client records, and program documents.

To assess the implementation of the program, data is collected on client population served, service planning, service delivery and termination status. Program outcomes focus on determining the extent to which the program has been able to improve child and family functioning, decrease unnecessary disruption, decrease victim isolation, and develop opportunities for volunteers/interns. The program utilizes several evaluation tools including standardized tools to measure parental stress and child well being as well as tools developed specifically for this program to measure satisfaction and knowledge of issues relevant to child victims and permanency planning.

Adoption Rhode Island recruits and hire the social worker and seek a qualified student intern. Within first 2 months a program brochure be developed , referrals into the program solicited and the curriculum for the children's group are developed. Information is distributed to families who are adopting abused children. Child victims and their families are accepted into the program after initial screening and service plans are developed with families upon entry into the program. Although all eligible children placed during the grant period are offered services, it is expected that the program serve approximately 30 children and their families.

Darlene Allen, Executive Director
Adoption Rhode Island
500 Prospect Street
Pawtucket, Rhode Island 02864
Phone: (401) 724-1910
Fax: (401) 724-9443