I was one of many people interviewed for this Washington Post article about an Adoptive Foster mom trying to relinquish her teenage foster-adopt son.

Va. Parents Trying to Unadopt Troubled Boy
Mother Says Caseworkers Failed to Disclose Child's Stormy History

By Brigid Schulte
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 9, 2006

Although my comments didn't make it into the article, I think she did a pretty good job of telling the story of one foster adopt mom who didn't know the full story.

During my interview with the reporter, it came out that many foster adoptive parents don’t get to see case histories of their children. The parents may know that a child has been in many previous placements, but may not have the information about why the child was moved so many times.

I was lucky. In our county we have the opportunity to review the complete file before we adopt. Of course by the time I had the opportunity to read through the file, we already had an adoption date set and we had K in our care for over a year. I can’t imagine anything I might have read at that point that would have caused me to terminate the adoption process. But – I do know about her history, and I am grateful for that.

I am completely aware of what potential issues she may have in the future and I can watch for them, prepare for them, and intervene at the first possible opportunity if necessary.

No one can be sure what exactly this mom knew or didn’t know before she adopted.

We also know that she feels pretty overwhelmed and over her head at this point.

Could have information garnered back at the adoption time have helped her deal more effectively with behavioral issues?

What is interesting about this case is she is a very experienced foster mother with years of troubled children behind her before she adopted this boy. She has continued to foster other children and has several children in her home now.

“At first blush, you think, 'What, you're trying to give up your kid? You're a jerk,' " said Virginia Del. David B. Albo (R-Fairfax). "Then you find this lady has received awards for all the foster work she's done. And that she never would have adopted the boy and put other children in danger if she had had the information that was withheld from her."

Here's what I know for sure:

• We need open records for adoptive parents.

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  We need post adoption resources.

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  We need better counseling and services available for at risk mothers during pregnancy.

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  We need a better system.