Research Projects: 6 Mixed method research on adoption services
Research
Brief 6
This document describes
issues to be addressed in a research project designed to assess the national
level of domestic adoption service provision and the extent to which this matches
need, as perceived by service providers, birth parents, adopted people and adoptive
parents.
Background
This research follows from a research project commissioned by the Crisis Pregnancy
Agency in 2002. This work aimed to examine the procedures and process of crisis
pregnancy counselling, with a view to building on current examples of good practice
and the continued professional development and standardisation of this service.
This research was based on interviews with counselling professionals in the
field, with directors and counsellors from each of the six state funded crisis
pregnancy counselling agencies and with other private counselling agencies offering
these services. One of the findings from this work was the lack of information
and knowledge and differing attitudes toward adoption among counselling practitioners
of adoption issues, services and supports. This research did not involve interviews
with social workers and other counselling professionals working in domestic
adoption services.
It is evident that women's reproductive decisions and, therefore, adoption services
in Ireland have undergone huge changes over the last 30 - 40 years. Unfortunately,
most of these changes have not been the subject of documented research, especially
the ramifications of more recent changes in adoption procedures and formal arrangements
(e.g. open and semi-open adoption arrangements).
While the level of systematic research into adoption in Ireland is thin on the
ground, there are findings from some research that sheds light on the kinds
of issues facing women in more recent years, with respect to crisis pregnancy
and the adoption decision. These are briefly outlined in order to contextualise
the current research aims and objectives.
Women who opt to have their baby adopted:
| • | Flanagan and Richardson (1992) found that those who placed their babies for adoption concealed their pregnancy for a longer time-period, informed their parents later and were less likely to tell the birth father than those keeping their baby. |
| • | Richardson (1991) found that the initial decision to keep the baby was positively correlated with the relationship the birth mother had with the father of the child. |
| • | Research by O'Carroll (2000) that examined the characteristics of birth Mothers who gave their children up for adoption in 2000 demonstrated that these represented two distinct groups. A larger homogenous group of well educated women with traditional family views, the need for secrecy and a smaller group who are already in a family or couple arrangement with the birth father. The 'typical' birth mother that placed her baby for adoption in 2000 was single, between 21-25, a student, a Roman Catholic. The health board area with the largest number of adoptions was the Mid Western Health Board. The 'typical' birth mother contacted the adoption agency after the baby's birth, she met the adopters but did not opt for open adoption. Her relationship with the birth father was over and she knew his identity (he was not married and was aware of the baby). She decided on adoption because of the promise of a two parent family and a perceived better life for the child. |
Attitudes toward adoption:
| • | O'Donohue (1990) found that the pendulum of negative opinion towards births outside of marriage was now swinging towards adoption. McCashin (1996) in his study on 53 lone mothers in Dublin found that they would "not even consider the alternatives of adoption or abortion". Corrective operating in the collective memory of the Irish which has now rendered adoption almost as socially unacceptable today as non-marital births were in the past. |
The role of birth fathers
| • | According to McKeown et al (1998) the non-involvement of birth fathers at all levels of the adoption process needs to be put in context with the position of unmarried fathers generally in Ireland: "Unmarried or natural fathers do not exist in the constitution". No automatic right to guardianship or custody must go to court to establish his rights. We know, however, that partners are often involved in the counselling process and that most women inform them of the pregnancy (as above), this raises questions as to how services are geared to meet the needs of incorporating partners (and family) in the adoption process. |
New
directions have been taking place in adoption in Ireland, as outlined by O'Carroll
(2002). These need to be taken into consideration with respect to the aims and
objectives of this research and the implication involved for practitioners working
in the field.
These include:
| • | Birth Fathers: There needs to be a deliberate emphasis in all types of social work settings to include men/fathers/partners. The 1998 Adoption Act does do this to some degree but a specific service for birth fathers might need to be developed. This research can examine this suggestion. The birth fathers right to continuing access to their child needs to be examined from a legal, service provision and support point of view. |
| • | Concealment / secrecy: O'Carroll suggested that social work needs to reflect on its own value base and ethical position in adoption work particularly in relation to colluding with the secrecy and thus facilitating adoption. This 'ethical' position and consequent procedures can be examined in this research. |
| • | Vulnerability of birth mothers with existing family: Specific kinds of social work support may be required with this group. |
| • | Teenage birth mothers: Low rates of adoption in this group - social workers need to be vigilant in their role as gatekeepers of services and the influence they can wield. |
| • | Open Adoption: There is no legal footing for open adoption at present it is simply a goodwill arrangement. This would /might require post adoption services from social workers and challenges the historical secrecy and collusion entailed in adoption. The changes that these arrangements bring to service arrangements and demands and needs need to be explored. |
| • | Traditional Adoption: This will continue to persist while women feel the need for secrecy. |
Research Aim:
This research aims to quantify the level of service provision available to women
across Ireland. Quantitative data needs to be collected from adoption agencies
and services outlining demand for services, staffing levels, staff qualifications,
services offered, waiting lists, advertising of services, training, supervision
and management issues.
This research also aims to qualitatively explore women's, men's (birth family's)
counselling, information and support needs when considering adoption, the needs
of adoptive parents and the long-term needs of adopted persons. Where possible
it is important to clearly identify the extent to which these needs are being
met and areas of development and change. This will involve a series of interviews
with woman and men who considered or are considering adoption, service providers,
e.g. social workers who deal with adoption issues on a day to day basis, adoptive
parents, and adopted persons.
Research Objectives:
Research objectives include being able to reliably assess the level and regional
extent of service provision and demand for domestic adoption services in Ireland.
It will be possible to identify information, counselling and support needs,
particularly for women during initial crisis pregnancy counselling and for women
who decide to follow through with adoption and post adoption. This is also important
from the point of view of adopted children and their adoptive parents. These
needs can be compared to experiences of current service provision (and the kind
of service provided) across the board.
It ought to be possible to reliably explore whether information, support and
service needs are defined differently by different people in the adoption process,
providers versus birth parents, or birth fathers versus birth mothers.
To address issues raised by previous research and document and provide an understanding
of how more recent changes in the adoption process have resulted in new sets
of issues and their implications for service delivery, training, resources etc.
Deliverables:
This research will feed directly into the planning of services that are evidence
based. Therefore, developments will reflect the reality of client/practitioner
experiences.
This research will also feed into plans to improve awareness of services offered
to couples, adopted people and adoptive parents. The development and provision
of more reliable information on adoption services is also an applied outcome
of this research.
Baseline data will be generated to allow for comparison and tracking of service
provision (quantity and quality) over time
It is important to incorporate findings and issues identified from existing
research into the research tool and to make a series of recommendations on issues
that have been raised in the literature and in this brief.
Methodology
It is proposed that a questionnaire be administered to adoption agencies and
professionals working in the field to establish quantitative data. Proposed
procedure and sampling considerations need to be outlined in tender document.
The CPA will facilitate partnerships and facilitate the research where appropriate.
It is proposed that a series of in depth interviews with service providers,
women and men who have considered adoption and a) not gone ahead with the decision
and b) gone ahead with the decision; adoptive parents; adopted people. Special
efforts need to be made to identify and interview adopted people and those involved
and who have experience of more open models of adoption. Details are outlined
in tender submissions.
Budget
The budget allocated for this research is in the region of €40,000 - €50,000
inclusive of VAT
Timeframe
It is expected that this research take between 5 - 6 months to complete.
Please refer to the Invitation to Tender letter for information relating to
expected outputs, reporting arrangements, ethical consideration, terms of reference,
contacts and details for submission and content of tender bids. This information
is elaborated in section 2.2 of the Invitation to Tender letter.
References:
| • | Flanagan, N. & Richardson, V. (1992). Unmarried mothers: A social profile. Social Science Research Centre. University College Dublin. |
| • | O'Carrol (2002). Traditional Adoption in Ireland. Unpublished Masters dissertation. Department of Social Policy and Social Work. University College Dublin. |
| • | Richardson, V. (1991). Decision making by unmarried mothers. Irish Journal of Psychology. Vol. 12 (2). Pp 165 - 181. |