RunningheadADOPTIONANDSAFEFAMILIESACT.docVIP

Running head: ADOPTION AND SAFE FAMILIES ACT An Analysis of the Adoption and Safe Families Act By Amon Porter An analysis of the adoption and safe families act In 1997, President Bill Clinton signed the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 into law (Lowry, 2004; Roberts, 2002). The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-89) is the federal child welfare legislation that provides guidelines to states for the implementation of child welfare practices for all children in the child welfare system (Allen Bissell, 2004; Hort, 2001). The Adoption and Safe Families Act (AFSA) had bipartisan support as the national panacea to the problem of child maltreatment and the problem of the increased number of children languishing in the foster care system without stable families (Allen Bissell, 2004; Barth, Wulczyn Crea, 2005; Moye Rinker, 2002; Smith, 2004; Testa, 2004). In 1997, when AFSA became law, the number of children in foster care surpassed half a million children and this number continues to rise (Bass, Shields Behrman, 2004; Crockett, 2004; Casey Foundation, 2006; Moye Rinker, 2002). From 1985 to 1995, the number of children in foster care increased from 270,000 to 502,000 (Day, 2005). There were more children entering than were exiting foster care (Emery, 2005; United States General Accounting Office, 1999). This bill is intended to reduce the number of children in foster care by finding them permanent safe, nurturing and stable family homes (D’Andrade Berrick, 2006). One of the mandates of AFSA is that children who cannot safely return home to their biological parents after victimization of child maltreatment should be released for adoption or be placed in long-term permanent family setting (Moore, 2005; United States Department of Health Human Services, 1998). Compounding the problem of the large number of children in the foster care, were media reports of children around the country being severely abused or killed by their parents or gu