Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
Preparation of children for adoption begins when adoption has
been identified as a potential goal for the child. During this pre-placement
phase, specific services are provided to the child for whom adoption is being
considered.
a) The Assessment Phase
The assessment phase consists of preparation activities
initiated before an adoptive home has been identified. The primary purpose of
this phase is completion of an assessment to guide the identification of needs
to be met and in directing intervention. Assessments already completed on the
following issues should be reviewed, and if needing update, should be updated
before deciding whether or not adoption is appropriate for a child:
1) assessing the child in relation to the
physical, emotional, educational and social environment;
2) determining the developmental level and
potential of the child;
3)
gathering and assessing all pertinent information on the child and family,
which includes the names and whereabouts of all known siblings, why siblings
were not placed together (when applicable), and a complete review of the family
history;
4) assessing whether it is
in the best interests of the child to be separated from his/her siblings (when
they were placed together) and, if separated, how best to facilitate contact
with his/her siblings;
5) when
placement of the child with his or her siblings would require that the child be
removed from a current foster home, assessing if it is in the best interests of
the child to remain in that foster home rather than move to a joint placement
with his or her siblings;
6)
assessing the child's capacity for attachment;
7) assessing the child's ability and
opportunity to grieve losses;
8)
assessing issues involving the child's identity;
9) assessing the child's unique qualities by
focusing on the strengths and talents possessed by the child; and
10) assessing the child's understanding of
the adoption process and making a determination of the child's desire to move
toward an adoptive placement.
b) The Preparation for Placement Phase
This phase includes activities that are initiated after the
assessment has been completed and reviewed and all the placement considerations
have been assessed for applicability for a particular child. Such activities
include:
1) further assessment of the
child's knowledge of adoption as a permanency goal, ensuring that the child
understands the selection of the family will be a joint decision between the
prospective adoptive family, the child and the Department;
2) sharing descriptive information about the
family with the child;
3) helping
the child deal with feelings of separation and loss;
4) if, after adoption, the child will live
separately from some or all of his/her siblings, how to facilitate contact with
his/her siblings, including adult siblings.
5) arranging for specific recruitment
activities for any child for whom an adoptive resource cannot be
located.
c) Diligent
Recruitment Requirements
If the child's caregiver is not a viable resource for the
child, diligent recruitment efforts shall be undertaken to locate adoptive
parents who are appropriate to meet the child's needs and best interests,
utilizing the placement considerations described in Section
309.130,
Placement Considerations. Diligent recruitment efforts include, but are not
limited to:
1) locating relatives who
may be willing to adopt the child or a sibling group and who the Department has
reason to believe will be able to adequately provide for the child's/children's
safety and welfare;
2) contacting
the adoptive parent or legal guardian of a sibling of the child who was adopted
or placed in private guardianship and informing them of the availability of the
child for adoption;
3) a review of
the Department's available adoptive resources, contacts with local adoption
agencies, and specialized recruitment activities such as parent groups,
appropriate religious and civic organizations and service providers, advocacy
groups and agencies;
4) a review of
the Adoption Listing Service to determine the availability of an appropriate
family; and
5) listing the child
with the Adoption Listing Service, in accordance with Section
309.40, that includes
among its services an interstate search, when necessary, consisting of contacts
with other states, and out of state adoption agencies and referral/advocacy
agencies to find a suitable adoptive placement.
d) The Department shall not deny or delay the
placement of a child for adoption when a suitable person or family who has been
approved as an adoptive resource is available outside of the State, region, or
county of jurisdiction.
