A Word from our Social Work Supervisor

My name is Patricia Buck,. In February, 2006 I was appointed to the position of Social Work Supervisor at Adoption ARC. After working 32 years with the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, I consider myself a seasoned Child Welfare Professional. However this is my first experience with the private sector. As you can imagine, this is shaping up to be a new and exciting experience.

It has been interesting to contrast the differences between the two sectors . In the first place, the private adoption agencies serve voluntary consumers. Birth parents approach the agency and request help in planning for their unborn child. They voluntarily relinquish their parental rights. Birth parents select the adoptive parents. The decision about on going contact between the birth parent and the adoptive family is made by in individual basis. In many cases, the birth parent participates in the placement and maintains some contact with their child and the adoptive family. In other cases, the birth does not wish any ongoing contact. In all situations, this agency does request that the adoptive parents send us regular pictures of the child. Depending on the wishes and accessibility of the birth parent, these pictures are either maintained in an office file or send to the birthparent.

The perspective adoptive parents also choose to work with us. They agree to pay fees for services performed and many times are willing to help the birth mother with living expenses, when legally allowable.
In the public sector most of the adoptive foster parents have fostered the children first Most of the children have been removed from the home involuntarily due to issues of abuse and/ or neglect. The children in the public agency are older ,whereas  Adoption ARC primarily works with newborns.

This has been a learning experience for me to date.  I have now seen many placements since my starting date. I have been through labors, transported children to medical appointments, and conducted many open meetings. Yet, I never can describe the look of utter joy an adoptive parent has when meeting their child for the first time.

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