Transracial Adoption and Parenting (2 credit hours)

Program Summary:  This is a thought-provoking course on transracial adoption and parenting and includes two readings:  Transracial Adoption as Oppression:  Modern Practice in Context and Parenting in Racially, Culturally, and Ethnically Diverse Adoptive Families.

The first reading explores transracial adoption in the context of its oppressive history.  The reading highlights the cycles of harm and trauma experienced by children of color from past to present, offering examples that include the Orphan Train Movement, Indian Boarding Schools, slavery, the foster care system, and private adoption.  The coercion of biological mothers, the commodification of children, and the lack of culturally competent services are critiqued.  Recommendations for practice are offered and include culturally competent services, the recruitment of racially diverse prospective parents, the promotion of bi-culturalism, and listening to the voices of adoptees.

The second reading examines parenting in racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse adoptive families.  The reading offers considerations for starting a multicultural family, strategies for embracing life as a racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse family, and how to prepare children for racism.

This course is recommended for social workers and counselors and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.  

Reading 1: Transracial Adoption as Oppression Author: Anisa Joy Leonard Publisher: Columbia Social Work Review

Reading 2:  Parenting in Racially, Culturally, and Ethnically Diverse Adoptive Families Publisher:  Child Welfare Information Gateway

“Book  Open the Course Reading Here.

Course Objectives:  To enhance professional practice, values, skills and knowledge by exploring transracial adoption and parenting.

Learning Objectives:  Describe transracial adoption as a form of historical and current oppression.  Identify recommendations for future practice.  Identify strategies for parenting in racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse adoptive families.

Course Available Until: May 31, 2027.

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1: Reading #1//  During the Orphan Train Movement, children who were mostly Catholic were placed into Protestant homes across the
 
 
 
 
2: For Black people, the history of transracial adoption can be traced to
 
 
 
 
3: From 1959 to 1967, the Indian Adoption Project placed Indigenous children with
 
 
4: Which federal legislation prohibits agencies from refusing placements due to the race, nationality, and ethnicity of either the child or the prospective parents?
 
 
 
 
5: The Multiethnic Placement Act requires foster care agencies to assess prospective white parents' cultural and racial responsiveness.
 
 
6: Which of the following best describes the approach in which the culture(s) of adopted children are integrated into the adoptive household?
 
 
 
 
7: Subtle or explicit pressure to make a certain choice best describes
 
 
 
 
8: The abundance of Black children in the foster care system and the strong demand among prospective adoptive parents for white infants best describes
 
 
 
 
9: Practice recommendations include ________ colorblindness and attitudes of racial ambivalence
 
 
10: The common narrative around transracial adoption must be shaped first and foremost by
 
 
 
 
11: Reading #2// Parenting a child who comes from a different racial, cultural, or ethnic background from your own requires
 
 
 
 
12: You may create relational distance, silence and mistrust between you and your child if you acknowledge differences between races, cultures, and ethnicities.
 
 
13: When supporting identity development, it is important to respect and acknowledge
 
 
 
14: In the WISE Up! Powerbook, the E stands for
 
 
 
 
15: Which of the following describes the societal privilege that benefits White people and provides them advantages that non-White people do not experience?
 
 
 
 

In order to purchase or take this course, you will need to log in. If you do not have an account, you will need to register for a free account.

After you log in, a link will appear here that will allow you to purchase this course.

Review our pre-reading study guide.

G.M. Rydberg-Cox, MSW, LSCSW is the Continuing Education Director at Free State Social Work and responsible for the development of this course.  She received her Masters of Social Work in 1996 from the Jane Addams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois-Chicago and she has over 20 years of experience.  She has lived and worked as a social worker in Chicago, Boston, and Kansas City.  She has practiced for many years in the area of hospital/medical social work.  The reading materials for this course were developed by another organization.

 

Course Available Until: May 31, 2027.
Filed under: Anti-Racism, Anti-Discrimination, Children, Cultural Competence, Families