Name: Elodie Harris
Social Justice Group: Child Welfare, Foster Care and Adoption
Date of Fieldwork: February 9, 2022
Name of Organization and person (people) with whom you met and their title(s):Alessandra Brunialti and Paul Yager
Type of Fieldwork: Interview
What I did and what I learned about my topic, activism, social justice work or civil and human rights work from this fieldwork?[:: :
On Wednesday, February 9, 2022, our group was honored to meet with Alessandra Brunialti and Paul Yager, parents of Carmen Yager, an 8th grader at LREI. Alessandra and Paul adopted both Carmen and her brother, Neo, through an organization called Sheltering Arms. Sheltering Arms is an incredible organization that helps to find all children safe and loving homes so that they can succeed and thrive. They address the effects of social inequity in communities in NYC and help with the development of all children, their families, and their communities. Alessandra and Paul shared their story about the foster care and adoption process.
Carmen came into Alessandra and Paul’s care when she was six weeks old, and she was adopted by them when she was three years old. Alessandra and Paul were required to get licensed in order to adopt children, and the licensing process took nine months, the amount of time it takes for a woman to go through child birth. In order to get licensed, they had to do background checks, home inspections to ensure that their home was sustainable for children, and they even had to send their fingerprints to the FBI for inspection. It was a long process and they had to renew their licenses every year.
Agencies tell foster parents very little about the child before they meet the foster parents including the child’s sex, religion, and whether or not they have disabilities or medical concerns. Carmen’s parents only knew this information when Carmen came into their home, but they got to know her and eased the transition so that everyone would feel comfortable. Also, Carmen had weekly visits with her birth mother which was a requirement in the agency.
Alessandra and Paul adopted Carmen’s brother, Neo, two and a half years after Carmen. They explained how since they moved to Los Angeles for a year, the adoption process took longer because there were different state regulations. However, the adoption process was smoother and easier the second time because Alessandra and Paul already had their licenses.
As Carmen and Neo grew up, Alessandra and Paul gave them more information about their birth parents. According to Alessandra and Paul, being honest and accurate is the best way to be when telling your foster kids about their biological parents because you never want to reverse information in the future or develop trust issues. “Homecoming” is the day that Carmen was adopted by Alessandra and Paul and it is like a second birthday. Birthdays can be hard for foster kids because they don’t always have the chance to connect with their birth parents.
It was very interesting to hear Alessandra and Paul’s story about adopting Carmen and Neo. It shows that there are parents in the world who are willing to help children find safe homes and provide care for kids. The world needs more of them. This was a fantastic interview!
