When new children come into your home, whether as foster children or through adoption, different issues may pop up as you get to know that child. I know we've been down this road numerous times with foster and adoptive placements.

Sometimes a child may have issues or needs that may become a danger or concern to others within the home. This is when a safety plan may be something that a foster or adoptive family needs to consider putting into place. What is a safety plan?

A safety plan is an organized system of rules and guidelines used to supervise and structure time and space, due to the behavior of one or more members of the family. A safety plan is for the safety and well-being of the members who are acting out as well as for the other members of the family, including pets and property.

The need for a safety plan can occur at any time for a foster or adoptive family. We have used safety plans within our foster home and within our adoptive home. As children who have experienced trauma grow and mature, issues can arise that were not issues in the past. Be prepared by learning now when and why to use a safety plan. Then read on and learn how to create a safety plan for your family.

• What Is a Safety Plan?
• How to Create a Safety Plan

Many of the adoptive parents that I know, do rely on the occasional trip to the therapist's office. Does adoption create more troubled teens?

The May issue of Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine reports the findings of a new study that involved 1000 adolescents; 692 adolescents, ages 11 to 21, who were adopted as infants (514 internationally adopted) and 540 non-adopted adolescents. The study supports previous studies that show that more adopted adolescents will probably wind up on a therapist's couch and diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD than non-adopted teens.

Interesting to note that the study shows that internationally adopted teens fair better than domestic adopted teens.

The study also states that the need for professional help does not equal a parenting failure. I agree. We all need some help along this road. Adoptive parenting is not for wimps!

For more on this study see, A New Study Looks at Troubled Teens

SOURCE:
Adolescence Can Sting Adopted Kids - washingtonpost.com