The topic of child welfare is quite a broad one. There are numerous programs and policies that have been put in place to protect children. One of these policies is that of Adoption. Adoption was put into place to provide alternate care for children who cannot live with their biological families for various reasons. One of the more controversial issues surrounding adoption is that of Transracial adoption. Transracial Adoption is the joining of racially different parents and children (Silverman, 1993).HistoryAdoption is as old as time itself, even if it wasn?t formally called that. It has been spoken about in old Greek texts, and in the bible itself. However, not until the 1850?s was adoption legally sanctioned. At this point, adoption was usually a matter of financial circumstances. Children were given to farmers to help tend the land during Industrialization, because some families were unable to financially care for the children in their new lives in the city. As the need for adoption laws increased, Massachusetts instituted the first formal statute. These statutes however, did little to protect the child. Finally, in 1917, Minnesota required the state agency of child welfare to investigate these cases and make recommendations to the court. In present day, now that racism prejudice and segregation is something that children learn about in history books, there is a new issue surrounding adoption. It is now considered controversial when a couple of one race wishes to adopt a child of another race. Transracial adoption is a topic that must be confronted and dealt with so that all children in need of a permanent home can get the best family possible. Policy InitiativesAlthough it does not state in Social Work Policy Statements that Transracial adoption is unacceptable, it does state, ?The social work profession stresses the importance of ethnic and cultural sensitivity. An effort to maintain a child?s identity and his or ...
