Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children

Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children is a New York-based licensed and Hague-accredited[1] non-profit[2] providing adoption services, which includes the continuum of counseling and support services to members of the adoption triad: birth parents, adoptive families, and adoptees.[3][4][5][6] They provide interim care for infants as the biological parents make a plan for the child’s future,[7] and also specialize in the adoption of older children, sibling groups and children with special needs.[8]

Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children
TypePrivate
IndustryNonprofit, International and Domestic Adoption Services
Founded1908 (1908)
FoundersClara Spence
Dr. and Mrs. Henry Dwight Chapin
Headquarters
Main office in Manhattan (NYC, USA) with satellite offices in New Jersey and Long Island
,
United States
Area served
Licensed to provide adoption services in New York and New Jersey. Work with over 50 partner agencies across the United States.
Key people
Clara Spence
Alice Chapin
Henry Dwight Chapin, MD
Dorothea Coe
Helen B. Montgomery
Jane D. Edwards
Alice Hall Dowling
Katharine S. Legg
Revenue8,210,122 United States dollar (2017) 
Websitespence-chapin.org

Spence-Chapin’s roots can be traced to the work of Clara Spence[9][10] and Dr. and Mrs. Henry Dwight Chapin.[11][12] Working on behalf of babies and birth mothers,[13] they each established nurseries in the early 1900s[14] for infants abandoned in hospitals and shelters. The two nurseries merged in 1943[15] and became Spence-Chapin Adoption Service.

Taking care of the undernourished and neglected children in their home, Henry Dwight Chapin, a specialist in infants, and Mrs. Chapin established the Alice Chapin Nursery in 1911. For 20 years Mrs. Chapin served as the president of the nursery. Mrs. Chapin expanded her work first into the Children's Aid building at Lexington Avenue and 127th Street and then purchased an old Chelsea house at 444 West 22d Street. She retired in 1936 when her husband became ill but remained active for years as honorary president of the Spence‐Chapin Services.[16] One year after Dr. Chapin's death in 1942, the nursery joined the Spence Alumni Society to form the Spence‐Chapin Adoption Service.[15]

In 2004, Spence-Chapin agreed to preserve and manage Louise Wise Services’ adoption records.[17]Spence-Chapin also maintains the Talbot Perkins and Sophia Fund adoption records.[18]

History

At the turn of the twentieth century, Henry Dwight Chapin, M.D., initiated reforms in institutional care for infants and in the foster home movement.[19][20] His studies revealed that individual care is far superior to life in the best institution. Dr. Chapin founded the Speedwell Society  to place abandoned infants with select foster mothers until they could be placed in permanent adoptive homes. In recognizing the importance of a family to a child, he began the Alice Chapin Adoption Nursery (named after his wife who oversaw the nursery) as a transition to boarding homes for pre-adoptive care. 

Concurrently, Clara B. Spence[21][22] was a dedicated educator and activist[23] in the movement to safeguard abandoned infants. At a time when social norms considered adoption of a non-relative to be bizarre, she promoted adoption as a superior alternative to institutional care. Ms. Spence founded the Spence School[24][25] for girls in 1892. She introduced her students to adoption as a fulfilling form of social work. In 1915, alumnae of the school opened the Spence Alumnae Society nursery.[21][23] In 1921, Ms. Spence chaired a British-American coalition that brought thirteen British infants to the United States to be adopted into American families,[26] helping to create what is today a vast network of international adoption.

Both nurseries became vested in the evolution of how unwanted infants were managed, from institutions-based methods to what is considered a more humane treatment that recognized their worth and value to society. Social work techniques in adoption were developed, best practices were introduced to the public and prevailing cultural attitudes were addressed. Respected public figures of the time, such as Margaret A. Mead, M.D., joined their efforts in tackling cultural attitudes towards adoption. Robust fundraising campaigns began to better inform the public about the need for sound adoption services and to raise funds for rapidly expanding services.

The 1940s was a pivotal decade for Spence-Chapin. The nurseries merged in 1943.[15] In 1948 the Spence-Chapin Adoption Service became incorporated and began working with the City of New York to place “boarder babies”, or abandoned children languishing in City hospitals and shelters.

Adoption for minority children began gaining traction in the 1940s. Spence-Chapin’s commitment to finding loving adoptive families for black infants made its African American Adoption Program one of the first in the United States.[27] Active outreach for African American parents had been a priority since 1946. Throughout the 1950s, eminent women such as First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Mrs. Hubert Thomas Delany,[28] Mrs. Ralph J. Bunche, Marian Anderson, and Mrs. Jackie Robinson helped to promote Spence-Chapin’s recruitment of African-American adoptive families.

Spence-Chapin established a new adoption and child welfare agency in Harlem known as Harlem-Dowling Children’s Service, to provide social services to single black mothers.[29] Designed to meet the community's needs,[30] Harlem-Dowling was managed and staffed by black professionals. It became an independent agency in 1980.

Outreach to underserved communities continued to grow in the 1950s, with awareness of service and financing needs for children with medical needs. This includes genetic conditions such as spina bifida, sickle cell anemia and Down Syndrome, but it can also be developmental delays or a result of prenatal substance or HIV/AIDS exposure.[31] It led to the creation of a formal program in 1995, A Special Adoption Program (ASAP), to find adoptive parents for infants and young children with special needs.

The knowledge base in adoption and child welfare was an area that the organization’s Board of Directors envisioned dedicated support for. In 1996 they established The Donaldson Adoption Institute. Its mission as an independent and objective adoption research, education, and advocacy organization was to address the needs of birth parents, adopted people, adoptive parents, and the professionals that serve them.

Adoption in the 21st century continues to evolve in significant ways; for example, regarding the changing mores and attitudes towards single parenthood[32] and LGBTQ adoptions, and abortion. In recognition of the need to help women explore all options after an unplanned pregnancy, Spence-Chapin began an initiative to bridge the gap between abortion clinics and adoption agencies across the country with The Adoption Access Network.[33]

Current Programs and Services

Spence-Chapin provides services and resources to support members of the adoption triad – birth parents, adoptive families, and adoptees – as they navigate complex issues throughout their lives.  

A unique service is the Interim Care Provider Program, which trains volunteer caregivers in nurturing infants during the first few weeks after birth. This gives women and their partners time and space to make a decision about the future of their family.[34][35][36] Caregivers are trained to care properly for newborns, which includes taking them to medical appointments, and providing round-the-clock feedings and diaper changes.[36][37][38]

Recognition

2014-18 Spence-Chapin was awarded the “All Children - All Families” Innovator Seal of Recognition by the Human Rights Campaign.

2016 Recognition as an Adoption-Friendly Workplace by Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption[39]

2018 Spence-Chapin was recognized as an Innovator in LGBTQ Inclusion by the Human Rights Campaign.[40]

References
  1. "Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children Achieves Renewal of Hague Accreditation 2016". Spence-Chapin. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
  2. "Why This Adoptive Mom Refused to Change Her Daughter's Name". Parents. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  3. Celletti, Erin. "What Anyone Considering Adoption Should Know". Brides. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  4. "Twins make astonishing discovery that they were separated shortly after birth and then part of a secret study". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  5. "UES Adoption Agency Looks For Volunteers To Take Care of Newborns". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on 2020-01-06. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  6. "Here And Now on February 10, 2019: Adoption". ABC7 New York. 2019-02-11. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  7. Streit, Kate (2018-04-16). "This Mom Has Volunteered To Care For Dozens Of Newborn Babies". Simplemost. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  8. "The Young and The Restless: The Top 20 Philanthropists Under 40". Observer. 2015-04-01. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  9. "MISS CLARA B.SPENCE, EDUCATOR, DIES AT 61; Head of Famous Spence School , for Girls Was Long Interested in Welfare of Children". timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  10. "Clara B. Spence: Ahead of Her Time - Ms. Magazine". msmagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  11. "Adoption History: Henry Dwight Chapin, "Family vs. Institution," 1926". pages.uoregon.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  12. "Mrs. Henry D. Chapin, 84, Dead; Founder of the Adoption Service". The New York Times. 1964-02-21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  13. Goodman, George W. (1985-07-08). "Spence-Chapin Ending Foster-Care Program". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  14. "Adoption History: First Specialized Adoption Agencies". pages.uoregon.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  15. "NURSERY MERGER MARKED BY PARTY; Dinner Given by Spence-Chapin Adoption Service Celebrates Union of Welfare Groups J.M. PROSKAUER HONORED Clare Boothe Luce Also Guest -- Mrs. Andrew Carnegie and J.J.H. Hydes Entertain". timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  16. "Mrs. Henry D. Chapin, 84, Dead; Founder of the Adoption Service". The New York Times. 1964-02-21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  17. Dickter, Adam. "Home Found For Louise Wise Records". jewishweek.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  18. "WELCOME TO TALBOT PERKINS". www.skincuretips.com. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  19. Gray, Philip Howard (1989-01-01). "Henry Dwight Chapin: Pioneer in the study of institutionalized infants". Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society. 27 (1): 85–87. doi:10.3758/BF03329906. ISSN 0090-5054.
  20. Chapin, Henry D. (November 1919). "Finding Babies for Folks to Adopt". American Magazine. Vol. 88, p. 42-44, 234–236. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  21. "Clara B. Spence", Wikipedia, 2020-01-31, retrieved 2020-04-08
  22. "Spence-Chapin Adoption Services Honors Founder Clara Spence During National Women's History Month". PRWeb. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  23. Ulman, Martha (2009). "Clara Spence: New York's Adoption Pioneer". New York History. 90 (3): 167–186. ISSN 0146-437X. JSTOR 23185114.
  24. "Spence School", Wikipedia, 2020-03-12, retrieved 2020-04-08
  25. "Education: New Head for Spence". Time. 1932-05-16. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  26. "15 BABY PILGRIMS COMING TO AMERICA; Aquitania the "Mayflower" of Youngsters Who Some Day May Be in Social Register. RED TAPE GENEROUSLY CUT Prominent Philanthropists Provided Avenues for Adoption ofEspecially Picked Children". The New York Times. 1921-05-13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  27. "ADOPTION BODY LAUDED; Mayor Speaks at Dedication of Spence-Chapin Building". The New York Times. 1956-11-15. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  28. "Hubert Thomas Delany", Wikipedia, 2020-03-19, retrieved 2020-04-08
  29. "Misson, Vision & History | Harlem Dowling". Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  30. Smith, J.H. (1971). "Development of a Black Voluntary Social Agency in a Black Community". Child Welfare. L (No. 1): 33–37.
  31. Gonzalez, David (1996-12-03). "Looking Past Fear of AIDS To See a Child". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  32. Hochman, Nancy S. (1995-11-19). "Single and Following the Urge to Adopt". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  33. Dominus, Susan (2010-06-18). "Campaigning for Common Ground in Abortion Debate". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  34. "Adoption agencies need volunteers to cuddle, nurture newborns awaiting adoption". Q13 FOX News. 2016-02-16. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  35. February 18, Ashley Austrew; 2016 (2016-02-18). "Adoption Agencies Don't Just Need Parents, They Need Volunteers". Scary Mommy. Retrieved 2020-01-30.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  36. "No, you can't actually volunteer to be a baby cuddler; sorry". TODAY.com. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  37. Alam, Rumaan (2017-11-07). "Opinion | Care About Kids? You Should Want to Save This Tax Credit". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  38. Univision. "Agencia de adopción en NY busca voluntarios para dar afecto a recién nacidos". Univision (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-01-30.
  39. "Spence-Chapin Recognized as an Adoption-Friendly Workplace by Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption – Press Releases on CSRwire.com". www.csrwire.com. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  40. https://web.archive.org/web/20180911145500/https://www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-awards-spence-chapin-with-seal-of-recognition. Archived from the original on 2018-09-11. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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