Termination of Parental Rights and Adoption in Foster Care - A foster care decision on child maltreatment

Termination of parental rights (TPR) is not only a matter of the family anymore. Now we face termination of parental rights as one of social institutionon what should be guided for child rearing practice and why we should makea decision to intervene the State into the family. This study seeks to provideempirical evidence that examine why and to what extent children who havebeen exposed to child maltreatment and placed in foster care experience TPRand permanency outcome of adoption.The discussion of this study includes the deliberate discussion on the parentchildrelationship and the primary principles of the State intervention into thefamily in cases of child abuse and neglect with a review on the legal standards/grounds for the involuntary TPR for foster children according to thechanges of child welfare policy goals in the American society. Since the ASFAof 1997 was enacted in particular it has been widely accepted that TPR proceedingsfor foster children who cannot be reunified with their natural parentsshould be pursued. Thus it can be argued that the involuntary TPR becomesan alternative to family preservation/reunification and an essentialmechanism to achieve the permanency outcome for children in foster care.This book is addressed to social workers and policy makers in the child welfarefield as well as practitioners in family law. It is also directed towards researchersin social practice and policy child welfare and family services.