c7654-57

Child's name: Palaina, Kauai, Kalen and Pai Kea
Number: C7654-57
Birthdate: 6/99, 8/01, 9/03 and 7/06
State: Oregon
Listed: January 2010

If you have completed an adoption homestudy and would like to have your information forwarded to this child's worker, contact us.
Meet PALAINA (6/99), KAUAI (8/01), KALENA (9/03), and PAI KEA (7/06) – these extremely loveable and engaging siblings need a stable, permanent family where they can grow up together. The right adoptive family will be able to identify and meet the unique needs of each child, which will likely include openness with their extended birth family. It would be ideal for these siblings to be the only children in their adoptive family or the youngest of just one or two older kids. Palaina, Kauai, Kalena, and Pai Kea have no exceptional challenges or significant medical needs. The children came into foster care in April 2007 but are not yet legally free.

Palaina is in fifth grade and is a good student who, for the most part is at grade level, although he has some difficulty with reading and writing. Palaina loves sports, especially basketball and football. He can show you his collection of football player cards and tell you all about the NFL. He is a big Portland Trailblazers fan! Palaina is described as a good football and basketball player. Playing these sports has often been a good way for him to cope with his feelings. Palaina wears his emotions on his sleeves. He is very aware of his circumstances and tries very hard to control them. Palaina sees his role as the guardian and protector of his siblings and sometimes needs to be reminded that this is not his responsibility.

Kauai, who is in second grade, struggles to focus and learn. She is being evaluated for special education services. Kauai is good at playing independently and likes to relax by playing video games. Kauai can sometimes show his emotions with more aggressive tendencies. Kauai may need help learning to respect women. Currently, he takes medication to help him manage his behavior. With the correct guidance and therapeutic support, Kauai is very pleasant and eager to please his caregivers.

Kalena just started kindergarten due to her late birthday. She is very excited to finally be in school. Kalena has always been described as the ‘princess’ among the siblings. One of her favorite things to do is clean and Kalena often feels lost without a broom in her hands. She is a very loving child who will thrive with the love and nurturing of a permanent family. She does not currently have any significant behavioral or emotional struggles, and she is developmentally on target. However, given recent disruptions in caregiver attachments, Kalena will likely need therapeutic services to help her process the transition to an adoptive family.

Pai Kea is developmentally on target and is your average feisty toddler. She adores her siblings and loves to play with them. Given that Pai Kea has had multiple caregivers in her short life, she will need ongoing support to trust and feel secure with her adoptive family. In the past, Pai Kea has had some aggressive tendencies over the confusing circumstances in her life. These will likely decrease as she is placed in a permanent family and as her verbal skills increase.

The children do have one half brother who was born in 2004. The children have never met him, nor do they have a relationship with him. Their birth mother is very important to the children, especially Palaina, who feels a great sense of responsibility for her. He has made it clear that he wants to an ongoing relationship with her. The siblings come from a large birth family including maternal and paternal relatives and have established relationships with some of them. The extent to which ongoing relationships with these people will be in their best interest is unknown, but it will be important for an adoptive family to understand and acknowledge the children's desires and be willing to facilitate openness with birth family members.

All of the children will need supportive and ongoing therapeutic services as they transition to an adoptive family. The older children had such services when they first came into care and made sufficient progress so that they did not need further services for a long period of time. They have all recently re-engaged in counseling to help them cope with the recent loss of a long term caregiver and to help them prepare for transition to an adoptive family.

Subsidy and Purchase of Service may be available.

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