Virtually all literature about birth parents of adopted children has focused on mothers. In this pioneering study, Gary Clapton gives us a fresh perspective: he recounts the experiences of thirty birth fathers separated from their children at birth.
Discussing different notions of fatherhood, such as biological paternity, social fatherhood, sperm donorship and the `father figure’, this informative book – the first on birth fathers in adoption – brings new light to issues such as the decision to give up a child for adoption, the child’s desire to find his or her birth parents, and the facilitation of contact in later life.
Written in an accessible style with insights into adoption and social work practice past and present, Birth Fathers and their Adoption Experiences offers a vital new perspective on understanding the causes and consequences of adoption, and makes positive suggestions for working with those whom it affects.
Table of Content
Part 1. Introduction: Adoption and Birth Parents, Birth Fathers and Fatherhood. 1. Introduction. 2. Adoption and Birth Parents: From Out of the Shadows. 3. Birth fathers: What do we know? 4. Fatherhood today. Part 2. The Life Experiences of Birth Fathers. 5. Pregnancy and Birth. 6. The Adoption. 7. Life After Adoption. 8.Birth Father and Child: Towards Meeting and the Meanings of Contact. Part 3. Birth Father Narratives: The Implications. 9. Understanding Men and Fathers. 10. Working with Fathers. References. Index.
About the author
Gary Clapton is a post-adoption counsellor with Birthlink in Edinburgh and a training officer with City of Edinburgh Council Social Work Department.
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