Openness in adoption : challenging the narrative of historical progress

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Jones, Christine (2016) Openness in adoption : challenging the narrative of historical progress. Child and Family Social Work, 21 (1). pp. 85-93. ISSN 1365-2206 (https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12113)

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Abstract

One significant change in adoption practice that has occurred over the last four decades is the shift away from an expectation of confidentiality towards an expectation of openness in adoption. Openness is typically conceived in terms of the level of contact between adoptive and birth families following adoption or the extent to which adoption is openly discussed within the adoptive family. While these shifts in practice have generated controversy, they are largely supported by research evidence and have become a feature of contemporary adoptive family life. As a result, the narrative that has emerged in relation to openness in adoption is one of historical progress. In this paper, I argue that the lived reality of adoption is less straightforward than this narrative suggests. An analysis of the social and cultural context in which adoption operates suggests instead that the persistent feature of adoption throughout this historical period of increasing openness can be more accurately described as a state of enduring ambiguity regarding the nature of post-adoption relationships. The paper highlights the potentially damaging consequences of overlooking this aspect of adoptive family life and comments on the role of policy in shaping openness in adoption.

ORCID iDs

Jones, Christine ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9466-5844;
  • Item type:Article
    ID code:56769
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    15 January 2016
    Published
    13 November 2013
    Published Online
    31 October 2013
    Accepted
    Notes:This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Jones, C. (2016). Openness in adoption: Challenging the narrative of historical progress. Child and Family Social Work, 21(1), 85-93., which has been published in final form at https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12113. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving
    Subjects:Social Sciences > The family. Marriage. Women
    Department:Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) > Social Work and Social Policy > Social Work and Social Policy > Social Work
    Depositing user: Pure Administrator
    Date deposited:29 Jun 2016 10:43
    Last modified:11 Nov 2024 11:13
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/56769
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