The motivations and decision-making processes of parents who adopt older children

Palmer, Claire Elizabeth, Coffey, Amanda and Rees, Alyson ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2363-4965 2023. The motivations and decision-making processes of parents who adopt older children. Adoption & Fostering 47 (2) , pp. 211-228. 10.1177/03085759231174906

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Abstract

This article explores the motivations and decision-making processes of parents who adopt older children from the UK care system. It draws on interview data from parents from 14 adoptive families to consider what influenced their decision to adopt an older child. Data were analysed thematically, and the analysis was theoretically informed by the concept of adoption as a ‘marketplace’. The study shows how prospective adoptive parents can be influenced in their decision-making by the information they have been given or perceive about the state of the adoption marketplace and indicates that making choices and decisions around the characteristics of future children is often an uncomfortable aspect of the process. The participants cited moral reasoning and notions of fate as key factors influencing their decisions. The article concludes by making recommendations for practice.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education) Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE)
Publisher:	Sage
ISSN:	0308-5759
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	14 February 2023
Date of Acceptance:	13 July 2022
Last Modified:	29 Sep 2023 03:50
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/156962

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