A brief overview of the history of adoption in the United States provides a background for examining adoption today from different perspectives: those of the prospective adoptive parents, the social services agency worker, and ultimately the adoptee. Particular attention is focused on the potential for conflicts due to different perceptions or interpretations of the same facts. The greatest concern discussed is for the children who are moved about in the foster care system with relatively little thought given by the adults to the stress experienced by these children or helping them to deal with it.
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