An independent voice for ethical adoption
Facebook has changed adoption forever
From The Guardian:
Adoption is undergoing a revolution. Until recently, it has been a closely managed process, with social workers going to enormous lengths to protect children placed with adoptive families from inappropriate contact with birth relatives. The exponential growth of social networking sites such as Facebook has changed that for ever – and the consequences are far-reaching.
There is indeed an increasing number of cases of adopted young people being contacted by birth parents through Facebook. There are even more instances in which the approach is initiated by adopted young people themselves, who are curious about their birth families.
The social networking revolution has raised pressing questions for everyone involved in, or touched by, adoption. Some social workers are wondering whether it will fundamentally change the nature of adoption. “There has already been a metamorphosis in terms of training and preparation of adopters and what they should expect,” says Hunt. “I think that in future it will also change the nature of the type of person who adopts.”
Prospective adopters will have to be prepared to be even more open with their adopted children and to take an empathetic view of the birth parents, she believes. “Otherwise they are not going to make it when the crap hits the fan when the child is 15. We don’t always know what will be dished up to us. But the important thing to remember is that we are caring parents and have responsibilities and duties to our children, but we don’t own them. And quite often this feeling of ownership really trips us up.”
Not all birth relatives represent a risk and the risks need to be carefully assessed in each individual case. In some cases, meeting birth parents can be helpful for a young person and enable him to accept the reality of his birth family and move on.
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