Adoption Standards of Practice

This is scary if you are married to a transnational spouse who can avoid Canadian law by fleeing the country with Canadian kids using and travelling with another country’s passports. Click here or on the pdf file to read the full article or an excerpt below.

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7 Standards for Social Work Services
Regarding Inter-Country Adoption 33
7.1 Services for the Child of an
Inter-Country Adoption

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Inter-Country Adoptions
The principles of the Hague Convention on inter-country adoption should apply
in all inter-country adoptions whether or not the country involved has ratified
the Convention.

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1. General
1.1 Knowledge Requirements for Social Workers
1.1.1 Social workers providing adoption services must have
knowledge regarding the following as it affects all members of
the adoption constellation:
(a) child and adult growth and development recognizing
culture differences;
(b) family dynamics;
(c) the impact of adoption;
(d) separation, loss and attachment issues as they affect various ages
and stages of development;
(e) the special needs of some children requiring placement for adoption
(e.g. medical, physical, learning disorders, etc.) and how these
impact both the child and the adoptive family;
(f) adoption legislation, policy, practice, and related legislation and policy
(e.g. immigration regulations affecting inter-country adoption);
(g) the importance of culture, diversity and religious/spiritual heritage;
(h) inter-country, inter-cultural and inter-racial adoptions;
(i) the conditions under which children are relinquished for adoption in
their country of origin and the alternatives available there;
(j) support services and other professionals involved in providing comprehensive
services to members of the adoption constellation;
(k) openness in adoption;
(l) how times of crisis can affect reactions and decision-making.
(m) how different cultures respond to the above issues.

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2. Standards for Social Work Services to the Child
Adoption Standards of Practice 2010 3
2.1 The Child’s Best Interests
2.1.1 The best interests of the child must be the paramount consideration
in planning and decision-making in both domestic and inter-country
adoptions.
2.1.2 The child’s best interests are (adapted from the Adoption Act):
(a) the child’s safety;
(b) the child’s physical, intellectual, emotional needs and level
of development;
(c) the importance of continuity in the child’s care;
(d) the importance to the child’s development of having a
positive relationship with a parent and a secure place as a
member of a family;
(e) the quality of the relationship the child has with a birth parent
or other significant caregiver or individual and the effect of
maintaining that relationship;
(f) preservation of the child’s cultural, racial, linguistic and
religious/spiritual heritage;
(g) the child’s views;
(h) the effect on the child if there is a delay in making a decision;
(i) if the child is an Aboriginal child, the importance of preserving
the child’s cultural identity.

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3. Standards for Social Work Services to Birth Parents
Adoption Standards of Practice 2010 11
3.1 Introduction
3.1.1 The standards outlined below apply equally to birth parents seeking
assistance in planning for a child and those who plan to place their
child for adoption directly with a family known to them consistent with
the provisions of existing legislation.
3.1.2 Birth parents whose child is being placed for adoption without their
consent must, as much as reasonably possible, be given the same
level of support or information as outlined in these standards and be
given the opportunity to include family members or friends to assist
them consistent with the child’s best interests.
3.1.3 Social workers must make every effort to ensure that birth parents in
an inter-country adoption have received the same level of support and
information as outlined in these standards.

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7. Services for the Child of an Inter-Country Adoption
Social workers involved in inter-country adoptions must be aware of the
principles of the Hague Convention on Inter-Country Adoption and must make
reasonable efforts to ensure that any adoptions with which they are involved
comply with these principles whether or not the country involved is a signatory
to the Hague Convention.
In addition to the general standards outlined in this document, the following
standards apply to inter-country adoptions.

7.1 Services for the Child of an Inter-Country Adoption
A child is entitled to a family who will assist them to develop a strong positive
identity with their birth culture and heritage, including:
(a) ongoing contact with their culture, religion and language;
(b) the need for same race adult and peer role models;
(c) information on cultural and ethnic history and practices;
(d) specific information regarding their background, birth family
and life prior to adoption to be shared with the child when
it is appropriate;
(e) incorporating aspects of the child’s culture and ethnicity into
their family life.

7.2 Services For Adoptive Parents
7.2.1 Adoptive parents should be supported to understand the impact of
inter-country adoption on themselves and the child. This includes
an awareness of such factors as institutionalization, orphanage care,
pre-natal exposure to drugs and/or alcohol, medical complications
and trans-racial/cultural adoption.
7.2.2 The social worker must ensure the adoptive parents are advised of
the procedures for inter-country adoption including immigration
requirements, all documentation and fees required by the child’s
country of origin and the details of the placement procedure in the
child’s country. Applicants should be advised that the procedures
and policies of inter-country adoptions might change unexpectedly.

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In First Year, Red Mountain Academies Nordic Team a ‘Huge Success’

The school offers a 10 month program where the students do dry land training at home, take blended traditional in-class learning with supervised online courses and keystone projects, so they can miss 30-40 days of school to train, travel, and compete. The athletes hold some of the highest grade averages in their class. Click here or on the pdf file to read the full story.

The great nutrient collapse

This could explain why so many people are struggling with obesity and cardiovascular disease. The article states “we’re not studying all the ways CO₂  affects plants we depend on with enough urgency” because “retooling crops takes” … “15 to 20 years before we get from the laboratory to the field.” “Tackling globe-spanning new questions that cross boundaries of scientific fields can be difficult” because most scientists specialize and work in silos. Note zooplankton consume/eat phytoplankton and are different marine organisms. Interesting article to see how everything is connected. Click here or on the pdf file to read the full article or an excerpt below.

Special Education Designations – LOU No. 17 MOA – Class Composition Joint Committee, May 14, 2019

Click here or on the pdf file to read the full report or an excerpt below.

Why are social problems so difficult to address?

This!

Ageing Adults with Intellectual Disabilities: Selfadvocates’ and Family Members’ Perspectives about the Future, 2013

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“Conclusion
Although not representative of all ageing adults with intellectual disabilities and their family members,
the findings from this research highlight the complex interaction of systems (intra- and interpersonal,
community-level services, governmental agencies) in the awareness and identification of issues related
to future planning. Both ageing self-advocate and family member participants expressed concern about
one another’s wellbeing in the future. These worries were rooted in an uncertainty about supports and
lack of transparent, proactive, and intentional planning. It seems that these future fears and a lack of
formal guidance serves to immobilise families; thus impeding planning and, subsequently, resulting in
crisis management efforts. Such efforts have the potential to place stress and strain on the family, ageing
adults, and the wider system that is not prepared for the increasing numbers of this ageing population.
As the life expectancy for individuals with intellectual disabilities increases, support and
planning at the policy and systems level needs to flexibly respond to this growing demographic. It is
likely that the uncertainty identified by participants in this study parallels that of the broader systemic
authority as they are faced with uncharted territory. Systems and community-based supports must work
with the priorities of ageing adults and their family members to ensure adequate future planning and
facilitate quality of life.
A variety of priorities have been clearly articulated by participants in this study. It is clear that
many ageing adults desire to be active, engaged members of the community as they pursue leisure and
work interests into old age. Family members want to know that their ageing adult will have a
comfortable and safe place to live, financial security, and continued opportunities for self-determination
and choice. Listening to the voices of those individuals who face the reality of getting older in systems
not designed to support them is fundamental to advancing quality service provision, and quality of life,
for ageing adults with intellectual disabilities and their families.”

A Comparison of Cost and Service Utilization Across Individualized and Traditional Funding Options Through Community Living British Columbia, 2013

Click here or on the pdf file to read the full report or an excerpt below.

“Executive Summary
Community Living British Columbia (CLBC) is a provincial crown agency mandated
under the Community Living Authority Act to deliver supports and services to adults with developmental disabilities and their families in British Columbia.
In addition to traditional block-funded services, individuals and families have several Individualized Funding (IF) options through CLBC. These include direct funded respite, direct funding,
host agency funding, and microboard funding. The aim of this study was to identify and analyze
relationships between service utilization, cost of services, and service modalities in order to:
• Provide an accurate picture of comparable cost for similar services delivered by different means;
• Identify whether there were significant cost variations associated with different funding
methods for similar services;
• Determine whether particular service utilization patterns are associated with particular
delivery modalities; and
• Examine key demographic variables associated with each of these.
Previous research on the delivery mechanisms for services and supports has generally sup

ported policy and practice goals towards greater independence, favouring funding attached to individuals as opposed to services. Researchers have described in detail the benefits that IF structures
promote, as well as the limitations of these structures in practice. While previous reviews have also
examined some the range of services covered by various IF initiatives, there has been little discussion as to the cost of IF models in comparison with traditional models or across IF models.
The study reported on here involves a statistical analysis of cost and usage of community
living programs in British Columbia within and across the five funding modes. The study’s quantitative data analysis incorporated descriptive statistics,as well as bivariate analysis to explore
associations between the types of services received and independent variables.
Results of the analysis offer a picture of usage, costs, and demographic circumstances
surrounding the uptake of individually funded services in British Columbia. Demographically,
there is indication of some trends in the types of service users using one of the three IF modes.

Some significant characteristics of this variation suggest that regional preferences in IF modes
exist.While not absolutely consistent across funding types, there was a general positive correlation between GSA level and usage of IF funding methods, meaning that more people with high
GSA scores used IF funding methods than those with low GSA scores.With regard to flags, there
was a general negative trend in usage with regards to flags – the fewer flags associated with an
individual, the more likely they were to use IF funding methods.
All of the core IF modes provided a broad array of services with respite and community
based services having a high frequency across types. Overall, with the exception of microboards,
two core IF methods (host agency and direct funding) have lower costs than block funded services in all service areas, with the exception of community based supports and employment.
With respect to microboards, the study reveals a higher cost for this mode in comparison to both
IF funding modalities and block funded services. The current study supports the view that IF
methods can cover virtually all services supported by CLBC, at a cost relatively equal to or lower
than traditional block funded services.

From a cost perspective, both direct payments and host agency modes of IF would seem
to offer the most economical options; however, microboards may in fact offer equal or better value for money when other considerations such as building social capital, ongoing network support
and ability to support persons with complex support needs are considered.

Why Do Foster Parents Receive More Money from the BC Government than Families on Disability?

In 2019 BC raised the rates for Foster Care. Victoria Buzz reports it has been 10 years since Foster Care rates increased. In 2009 foster parents received $909.95/month for youth in care aged 12-19 years and parents on disability received $335.66/month. In 2019 Foster Care rates increased by $179/month for a total of $1,088.85/month. In 2009 Foster Parents received $574.29 more per month than parents on disability and in 2020 they receive $753.19 more per month. Why have parents on disability not seen similar increases as Foster Parents?

Click to access why-do-foster-parents-receive-more-money-from-the-bc-government-than-families-on-disability_-google-docs.pdf

How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime

“Childhood trauma isn’t something you just get over as you grow up. Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues has real, tangible effects on the development of the brain. This unfolds across a lifetime, to the point where those who’ve experienced high levels of trauma are at triple the risk for heart disease and lung cancer. An impassioned plea for pediatric medicine to confront the prevention and treatment of trauma, head-on.”

How to stay calm when you know you’ll be stressed

Do a premortum… not a postmortum… to develop plans and strategies before you encounter times when your brain might not work properly to make the best decisions.