How Implicit Bias Can Affect Family Connections in Adoption

Helping children stay connected to their family of origin and culture increases their resilience, improves their emotional and psychological well-being, and builds a permanent support network. These connections benefit all adoption triad members and others involved with the child's life. During Kinship Care Month in September, we take extra steps to celebrate the important familial relationships of children who are adopted.

However, implicit biases can negatively impact adoption professionals' and agencies' support of continued family connections. Biases can be based on a variety of characteristics, such as race, culture, gender, socioeconomic status, or family structure. Everyone has implicit biases. The ways and degree to which these biases show up vary from person to person.

For example, someone with a bias against paternal family members may be more critical in their family assessment or the language they use in their notes. Additionally, biases can exist within an agency's culture and policies. These biases could impact an agency's pursuit of kinship adoption, the decision that adoption is necessary, or its support of continued connections with families of origin after adoption. These subtle judgments could affect caseworker or agency support for continued relationships with these paternal family members.

This Kinship Care Month, adoption professionals should take the time to assess the role their implicit bias plays in the adoption process and how they can contribute to a more just adoption experience. According to the American Bar Association, child welfare and adoption agencies and professionals can incorporate the following strategies to address implicit bias:

• Become aware of your own biases. Understanding your own biases is essential for making fair decisions. You can start by practicing self-reflection and using tools like Harvard University's Implicit Association Test. Additionally, educating yourself through diverse books, podcasts, and other sources helps disrupt biases and informs better decision-making in child welfare.
• Raise consciousness. Child welfare professionals, including attorneys, judges, and social workers, should actively acknowledge and mitigate biases and barriers to promote fair representation and decisions. In particular, being aware of and working to address language barriers is crucial for effective communication and preventing cultural biases.
• Deliberate, reflect, and educate. Quick decisions are often biased, so deliberate reflection and education are essential for fair assessments. Write down your thoughts and discuss them with others.
• Change perspectives. Respecting clients' backgrounds and needs can foster better decision-making. Supporting structural changes, such as incorporating youth voices into policymaking decisions and removing barriers to kinship adoption, can also help reduce bias in child welfare.
• Welcome and embrace diversity among practitioners. Meeting and working with diverse individuals can reduce biases. Embracing diversity in your staff and community partners can help change stereotypes and improve the child welfare system.

These steps can lead to more equitable and compassionate practices that give all children the opportunity to maintain meaningful relationships with their families of origin while thriving in their adoptive homes. During Kinship Care Month and beyond, adoption professionals can address biases and highlight a family-centered, culturally inclusive approach that maintains and strengthens connections with families of origin. In addition to examining and addressing implicit biases, further honor Kinship Care Month and gear up for National Adoption Month by exploring the newly launched National Adoption Month website. This year's theme, "Honoring Youth: Strengthening Pathways for Lasting Bonds," focuses on cultivating lifelong connections that provide unwavering support and a sense of belonging for youth. Register and watch a free webinar for resources to support children who are adopted to cultivate and maintain these relationships.