Ethnoracial awareness in intercountry adoption: US experiences

Abstract

The phenomenon of intercountry adoption is largely one of transracial as well as transcultural placement. In the US, adoption of an ethnically different child by White parents frequently entails an expectation by child welfare workers that the family demonstrate a culturally diverse social milieu. This expectation, which may be satisfied through the family's identification of a cultural consultant, is not as pervasive in the private adoption venue of intercountry adoption. The purpose of this study was to examine the ethnoracial awareness of families in the US that adopt children from Latin American and Asian countries, in relation to the pre-adoption residency requirement.