Adoption and Institutionalization

Code:

P821

Acronym:

AI

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Psychology

Instance: 2013/2014 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Psychology
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Master Psychology

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIPSI	24	Official Curricular Structure	4	-	6	54	162
		Official Curricular Structure 2012	4	-	6	54	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

After participation in this course, students should be able to:
- Know the legal framework of adoption and residential care in Portugal, understand the impact of cultural and historical factors and be aware of ethics;
- Make a review of current research in the area of adoption and institutionalization, approached as "natural experiments" with impact on the developmental pathways of children and adolescents without “permanent parents”;
- Identify the factors that convert adoption into a "successful natural intervention";
- Intervene in different moments of the adoption process, from assessment of skills and preparation for adoptive parenting to specialized intervention with the family in pre-and post-adoption;
- Identify the indicators of quality of residential care in response to the children and adolescents ‘needs;  

- Implement psychological interventions in order to promote the development and psychological adjustment of children and young people in residential care.

 

 

Learning outcomes and competences

The learning outcomes of this course are:

- mastery of the legal requisites of the Portuguese Care system

- mastery of the recent literature, both national and internationl, on adoption, foster and residencial care.

- mastery of skills to intervene in the adoption foster and residential care fields.

Working method

Presencial

Program

 

1. Definition of Adoption from the legal, social and psychological points of view
2. Adoption as a "natural experiment" for the study of atypical developmental pathways

3. Adoption as “successful natural intervention"
4. The adoptive family life cycle: identification of family needs and developmental tasks. Adoptive parenting: communalities related to parenthood and adoption specificities. Adoption communication within the family

5. The psychological intervention during the adoption process: forms and contexts
6. The legal framework of residential and foster care: implications on children development

7. Quality of residential and foster care
8. Psychological intervention in care contexts: to fit the needs and to promote the development and psychological adjustment of children and youth in care.

 

 

Mandatory literature

Brodzinsky, D.M. & Palacios, J. ; Psychological issues in adoption: Research and practice., Westport: Praeger, 2005
Brodzinsky David M. 340; The^psychology of adoption. ISBN: 0-19-504892-X
Amoros, P.M. & Palacios, J. ; Acogimiento familiar, Madrid: Alianza Editorial, 2004
Del Valle, J. & Fuertes, J. ; El Acogimiento residencial en la protección a la infancia, Piramide, 2000
Mccall, R., Van Ijzendoorn, M. Juffer. F., Groark, C. & Groza, V. ; Children without permanent parents: Research, practice, and policy .Monographs of the SRCD, 76 (4)., 2011
Wrobel, G.M. & Neil, E.; International advances in adoption research for practice. , Wiley-Blackwell, 2009

Teaching methods and learning activities

 

The teaching methods used are:

-       Lectures

-       Debate conducted by the professor about specific themes

-       Active methods, experiential, (e.g. role play), through which it is intended that students acquire specific skills to intervene in the contexts of adoption and residential care.

-       Creation of opportunities for observation of professional practice in the domain of adoption and residential care

 

keywords

Social sciences > Psychological sciences > Psychology

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Exame	60,00
Participação presencial	0,00
Trabalho de campo	25,00
Trabalho escrito	15,00
Total:	100,00

Calculation formula of final grade

 

The evaluation of learning objectives will require:

- Final written exam (60%)

- Oral and written presentation of research review (15%)

- Carrying out of practical activities and respective activity reports (15%)