Voices from the Silentn Cradles: Life Histories of Romania’s Looked- After Children

Shortly after the Berlin Wall came down and after the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations, images of malnourished children in institutions in Romania were broadcast by international media. They showed inhumane conditions in which children were living in residential institutions in Romania. Those visiting the institutions were surprised that the babies were silent. The so-called Romanian orphans made headlines for many years to come and they became subjects of several international research studies. To become a member of the European Union, Romania had to reform its child protection system. This book sheds light on the lived experiences of those born around 1990. Their childhoods were subject to successive reforms and sometimes divergent external influences. Most of them became adults around 2007 when the country joined the EU. Uniquely, the book brings together the accounts of those who stayed in institutions, those who grew up in foster care and those adopted, in Romania and internationally. Their narratives challenge stereotypes about these types of care. Front Cover -- Voices From The Silentn Cradles: Life Histories Of Romania's Looked- After Children -- Copyright Information -- Dedication -- Table Of Contents -- Acknowledgments -- 1 Introduction -- Structure Of The Book -- 2 Romania: What Underlay The Orphan Crisis -- Children's Institutionalisation Policy Before 1989 -- The Orphanage Crisis And The Response From The West -- Romania's Accession Into The European Union -- A Game Changer -- 3 Where Do Children Go When They Can't Stay With Their Families? -- Introduction -- What Do We Know About Residential Care? What Do We Know About Foster Care? -- Is Adoption The Gold Standard In Child Protection? -- The Controversy Of Intercountry Adoption -- Are Some Types Of Placement Better Than Others? -- So, What Are We Missing? -- 4 Childhoods In Care -- Introduction -- The Young People In The Study -- Recruitment From Residential Care -- Recruitment Of Research Participants With Foster Care Experience -- Recruitment For Research Of Domestic Adoption -- Recruitment For Research Into Intercountry Adoption -- Visualising Care Trajectories -- Uncrc And The Protection Of Children In Care Young People's Experiences In Residential Care -- Young People's Experiences In Small Group Homes -- Young People's Experiences In Foster Care -- Growing Up As An Adoptee In Romania -- 'the Rescued Orphans': Growing Up In Intercountry Adoption -- Experiences Across The Different Types Of Care -- 5 Teen Years In Care And Their Ways Out -- Introduction -- Adolescence And Embarking Into Adulthood From Residential Care -- Adolescence And Embarking Into Adulthood From Foster Care -- Adolescence And Embarking Into Adulthood As An Adoptee In Romania -- A Few Final Remarks 6 Exploring Life Trajectories: What Mattered To Them -- Introduction -- Exploring Outcomes And Features Of Residential Care -- Exploring Outcomes And Features Of Foster Care -- Exploring Outcomes And Features Of Adoption -- What Mattered In The End? -- Reflecting On 'becoming' After Care -- 7 The Benefit Of Hindsight: Learning For Policy And Practice -- Implications For Further Research And Practice -- Can We Get 'care' Right And If So, How? -- Moving Away From Where Children In Care Live To How They Live -- The Deinstitutionalisation Policy: A Red Herring? -- Epilogue -- Notes -- References Index -- Back Cover Mariela Neagu. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 211-228) And Index. Electronic Reproduction. Baltimore, Md Available Via World Wide Web. In 1990, Shocking Television Footage Was Released That Showed The Inhumane Conditions Of The So Called 'romanian Orphans' Living In Horrific Conditions In State Care. The Orphanages Made Headlines For Many Years To Come And The Children Became Subjects Of Many International Research Studies. This Book Sheds Light On The Lived Experiences Of These Children And Includes The Perspectives Of Those Who Stayed In These Institutions Throughout Their Childhood As Well As Those Who Were Adopted, In Romania And Internationally. It Reports On Their Experiences In The 1990s And Early 2000s In Children's Homes, Foster Care, Domestic Adoption As Well As Intercountry Adoption Of Romanian Children Adopted In Usa, Italy, England And Ireland. Importantly, This Book Challenges Stereotypes About Adoption And Children In Care And Provides New Evidence For What Is Important For Children In Care Today. In 1990, disturbing television footage emerged showing the inhumane conditions in which children in Romanian institutions were living. Viewers were shocked that the babies were silent. The so-called ‘Romanian orphans’ became subjects of several international research studies. In parallel, Romania had to reform its child protection system in order to become a member of the European Union. This book sheds light on the lived experiences of these children, who had become adults by the time the country joined the EU. Uniquely, the book brings together the accounts of those who stayed in institutions, those who grew up in foster care and those who were adopted, both in Romania and internationally. Their narratives challenge stereotypes about these types of care. This book explores what happened to the 'Romanian orphans' of the 1990s, including those who stayed in institutions as well as those who were fostered and adopted domestically and internationally. Looking in detail at their experiences, the book provides valuable new evidence on what is important for children in care today.