South Carolina’s Adoption Safe Families Act

The Adoption Safe Families Act (ASFA) was enacted in 1977, responding to the concerns of the

increased amounts of children entering foster care throughout the state. During this time, many

children were being removed and placed in multiple places in a short time frame. This act

emphasizes the safety of the children and helps clarify the meaning of reasonable efforts towards

the planning and reviewing processes to ensure safety measures are met (South Carolina

Legislature, n.d.). This act also allows for concurrent planning in which explores family’s

reunification methods and other ways in which the children can be placed on a permanent level

in a home. This act requires that after the child is in foster care for more than 15 months, the state

of South Carolina files a request to terminate the parental rights of the child. This allows for the

state to find a suitable family who is willing to adopt the child for permanency stability (South

Carolina Legislature, n.d.).

Historical and Contextual Information

Each year, more children are being abused and abandoned by parents who aren’t fit to raise

them. The risks involved for children who aren’t accepted in a permanency program such as the

Adoption Safe Families Act provides, they have an increased chance in life to become criminals

and further abused. According to South Carolina’s report, “it is estimated that there will be over

400,000 children in foster care by the end of 2019. Another 430,000 have a higher chance of

experiencing abuse by parents before entering the system (South Carolina Legislature, n.d.).

Children are entering the foster care programs throughout the state continuously and must

experience further inclinations of mental abuse because of the temporary situations they are

placed in.

Effects on Children in South Carolina

This act helps dignify the self-esteem and family stability for children to have a healthy chance at

life in a suitable environment while obtaining an education. Allowing families to care for these

children through adoption allows for the child to experience more essential things in life and give

them a chance to overcome the challenges they have faced whereas they will find faith in the