Has enactment of MEPA removed barriers to permanency facing children involved in the child protective system?
In a soon-to-be published, in-depth analysis of transracial adoption, author Susan Livingston Smith concludes: “The assumptions underlying the development of MEPA-IEP were not accurate, and the anticipated outcomes of the law–to expedite adoptions of children of color in foster care by promoting transracial adoption–have not come to pass.”6 There is no compelling evidence that MEPA removed barriers to permanence for foster children. Reductions of length in time in care and increases in adoption did not occur until after implementation of the Adoption and Safe Family Act (ASFA) of 1997. Adoptions began increasing from 27,000 in 1997 to more than 50,000 in 2000 and have remained constant thereafter. During the same period there has been a decrease in the length of time that children spend in care, but that is more likely a factor of ASFA timelines because ASFA directly addressed children’s need for permanence and dramatically reduced timelines for permanency planning efforts. While we
Related Questions
- Why does Shawna’s biological mother, from whom she was removed by Child Protective Services, seem so negative about her?
- Has enactment of MEPA removed barriers to permanency facing children involved in the child protective system?
- What happens after a child is removed from the home by Family and Childrens Services?
