November is National Adoption Month, which seeks to increase national awareness of adoption issues, bring attention to the need for adoptive families for teens in the U.S. foster care system and emphasize the value of youth engagement. This year’s national theme – "Honoring Youth: Strengthening Pathways for Lasting Bonds" – recognizes the importance of working toward an adoption journey that is imbued with meaning and purpose, paving the way for healing, well-being and long-term stability.
Baylor University supports families who adopt or are considering adoption in several ways, including:
- Baylor Law School’s annual Adoption Day that brings together families, children and the legal community to celebrate the life-changing moment when adoptions are finalized;
- Nationally recognized adoption benefits programs that include paid parental leave and financial assistance for adoption- and foster care-related expenses; and
- Faculty research that focuses on various aspects of adoption, from how the perceptions of adoption – both positive and negative – can impact employees and their families to identifying the critical need for adoption-focused training and structured post-adoption support for families adopting children from the public child welfare system.
Baylor Law School will be transformed into a magical “Family Is Chosen” setting on Friday, Nov. 22, for the law school’s annual Adoption Day that celebrates families and the finalization of their adoptions. This heartwarming tradition not only marks the formation of new families but showcases the dedication of Baylor Law students, faculty, staff and local attorneys who help make this celebration possible.
“Adoption Day is one of the most joyful and exciting days on the Baylor Law calendar, where families are celebrated with imaginative themes – from festive holidays to inspiring adventures – making it a day filled with love, laughter and lasting memories,” said Baylor Law Professor Bridget Fuselier, J.D.
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November is National Adoption Month, which seeks to increase national awareness of adoption issues, bring attention to the need for adoptive families for teens in the U.S. foster care system and emphasize the value of youth engagement. This year’s national theme – "Honoring Youth: Strengthening Pathways for Lasting Bonds" – recognizes the importance of working toward an adoption journey that is imbued with meaning and purpose, paving the way for healing, well-being and long-term stability.
Baylor University supports families who adopt or are considering adoption in several ways, including:
- Baylor Law School’s annual Adoption Day that brings together families, children and the legal community to celebrate the life-changing moment when adoptions are finalized;
- Nationally recognized adoption benefits programs that include paid parental leave and financial assistance for adoption- and foster care-related expenses; and
- Faculty research that focuses on various aspects of adoption, from how the perceptions of adoption – both positive and negative – can impact employees and their families to identifying the critical need for adoption-focused training and structured post-adoption support for families adopting children from the public child welfare system.
Baylor Law School will be transformed into a magical “Family Is Chosen” setting on Friday, Nov. 22, for the law school’s annual Adoption Day that celebrates families and the finalization of their adoptions. This heartwarming tradition not only marks the formation of new families but showcases the dedication of Baylor Law students, faculty, staff and local attorneys who help make this celebration possible.
“Adoption Day is one of the most joyful and exciting days on the Baylor Law calendar, where families are celebrated with imaginative themes – from festive holidays to inspiring adventures – making it a day filled with love, laughter and lasting memories,” said Baylor Law Professor Bridget Fuselier, J.D.
Since Adoption Day began in 2008, more than 1,000 Baylor Law student volunteers have worked tirelessly to make dreams come true for more than 400 children officially adopted by 271 Central Texas families.
Standout in education industry for adoption benefits
- In 2024, Baylor ranked No. 3 nationally among U.S. education institutions – behind only Yale University and Notre Dame – for offering the best overall adoption benefits, including paid parental leave and financial assistance for adoption-related expenses.
- Baylor also is featured on the Foundation’s foster care benefits list for offering paid parental leave to foster parents.
Research: Adopting Change
Recent research from management faculty in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business studied how a workplace that often celebrates biological parenthood with events like baby showers and casual excitement can have an impact on adoptive parents, who don’t always receive the same support or acknowledgment of their family growth. In many cases, it’s unintentional, but it affects the adoptive parents negatively.
In a journal article published in Human Relations, Associate Professor of Management Kaylee Hackney, Ph.D., and her Baylor co-authors found that these negative perceptions about adoption impacted a variety of work and family outcomes for working adoptive parents, including increased stress and work-family conflict, lower job satisfaction and higher levels of depression. They found that it also affects the home, lowering family satisfaction and harming parent-child bonding.
Matt Quade, Ph.D.
However, supportive organizational practices can make a positive difference, according to a related study in 2021, led by Baylor’s Matt Quade, Ph.D., The Kimberly and Aaron P. Graft Professor in Christian Leadership and director of Christian Leadership and Ethics at Baylor.
Dawn Carlson, Ph.D.
That study found that when workplaces actively support adoptive parents, it improves their family bonds, boosts job commitment and even enhances their spouse’s connection to the employee’s workplace.
Hackney’s co-authors included Baylor management colleagues Dawn Carlson, Ph.D., The H.R. Gibson Chair of Organizational Development and director of the McBride Center for International Business, and Quade. Ryan P. Hanlon and Gary R. Thurgood also were co-authors of the article.
Five Ways Leaders Can Support Adoptive Parents
The three professors also published a recent article in the Harvard Business Review that examines how employees who perceive their organization as supportive of families tend to be more satisfied. They outlined “5 Ways Leaders Can Support Adoptive Parents” in their organization that included:
- Financial reimbursement
- Paid leave
- Flexible work arrangements
- Connect employees with adoption networks or support groups
- Celebrate!
Research: Adoption Adjustment, Post-Adoption Support
An April 2024 study published in the Journal of Public Child Welfare by social work faculty from the University of Oklahoma and Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, provided new insight into adoptive parents’ experiences with the adjustment period and the “honeymoon phase” in adoption from the public child welfare system.
The study highlighted the emotional and behavioral challenges children face, influenced by past trauma and disruptions, and explored the factors that impact family cohesion during this period. Key findings revealed that adoptive families often experience periods of high stress due to children’s unresolved trauma and behaviors that arise post-placement. The study underscores the critical need for adoption-focused training and structured post-adoption services to help families navigate these challenging transitions and avoid breakdowns.
“Parents’ voices are critical to understanding adoption adjustment and post-adoption needs due to their firsthand experience,” the researchers wrote. “The findings in this study build on the understanding of when challenges arise for children and families after adoption and how adoptive parents perceive these experiences. Implications for practice include guidance for pre-adoption training and expansion of post-adoption support through public child welfare agencies.”
The study was led by Baylor social work graduate Bonni Goodwin, Ph.D. ’20, assistant professor of social work and director of OU’s Center for Adoption and Family Well-Being; Elissa Madden, Ph.D., associate professor of social work at Baylor, whose primary research focuses on the areas of adoption and foster care; and Payton Harrison, a Master of Social Work graduate at OU.
Original source can be found here.