The tool that assesses potential candidates as adoptive parents does not meet the needs of lesbian, gay or gender minority adults, a new study has observed.
Sarah Dow-Fleisner, lead author of the study, worked with a team of researchers to test the validity of the commonly-used Transracial Adoptive Parenting Scale (TAPS). TAPS, which has 29 items, is a measure of empathy and understanding on issues such as discrimination, prejudice and cultural competence and is traditionally used to evaluate the readiness of becoming a parent through transracial adoption. Depending on where potential adoptive parents land on the TAPS scale, practitioners can then provide support in specific areas. While TAPS is a commonly-accepted measure in clinical practice, Dow-Fleisner’s research says it misses the mark when it comes to sexual minority adoptive parents, specifically lesbian and gay parents.