Current Practices and Barriers to the Provision of Post-Placement Support: A Pilot Study from Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Research investigating the practices of and barriers to provision of post-placement adoption support is sparse and has primarily focused on the perspectives of adoptive parents. This pilot study aims to contribute to this limited literature by investigating current practices and barriers from the perspective of adoption professionals. Eighteen adoption workers from two public adoption agencies in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, participated in two focus groups to discuss the post-placement supports they provide and/or utilise, as well as any barriers faced during support provision. Data were analysed using a descriptive phenomenological approach. Workers identified several key challenges to providing post-placement support, including barriers both internal (systemic) and external to the adoption system. The results suggest that further research in this area is warranted, ultimately to assist in the development of strategies to overcome barriers faced by adoption workers as they attempt to provide post-placement support.