Social work; Critically evaluate its implications for social work Essay

Social work; Critically evaluate its implications for social work practice in challenges in transracial adoption and racial identity - Essay Example In addition, social workers work together with birth families to establish their abilities to continue to engage in their children’s lives as well as to parent, and/or to cope with cessation of parental rights. Social workers assist with placement transitions, and give post-adoption services in order to guarantee enduring and strong adoptive families. It is apparent that adoption is an alternative for young children and older teens, for children of varying ethnic and racial background, and for children with diverse educational, developmental as well as medical needs. This paper will discuss different aspects surrounding transracial adoptions, in particular, the transracial adoption of black children. Transracial adoption is the joining of parents and children of different racial background together in adoptive homes as well as families. It usually occurs through varying types of domestic adoption such as foster care, stepchildren and children in interracial marriages, and international adoption. In transracial adoption, the issue of racial identity features prominently (Lee 2003, 712). Some individuals argue that transracial adoptions will lead to loss of racial identity, particularly if a child is adopted in a family of different race at a very young age. Racial or ethnic identity issue concerns the use of racial or ethnic self-descriptors among transracial adoptees. It also involves attitudes of adopted children towards their race and determines whether they are comfortable or proud with their ethnicity and race. One of the significant elements of transracial adoption is the actual relationship between ethnic and racial occurrences of transracial adoptees and their psychologic al adjustments (Steinberg & Hall 2011, 262). Transracial adoptees exhibit a great deal of variability in their racial or ethnic identities. They have considerably lower racial or ethnic identities compared to same-race adoptees. Domestic