Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
The preparation and training of prospective adoptive families
will be done in the following four phases:
a) Pre-service Preparation and Education
During this first phase the Department or adoption agency will
educate prospective adoptive parents in the following areas:
1) the purpose and goals of
adoption;
2) the selection process
and the criteria for being licensed and certified as adoptive
parents;
3) the laws, regulations,
policies, resources and values that direct the adoption program;
4) information about the needs and strengths
of children who require adoption services;
5) the respective roles of adoptive parents,
agencies, and courts;
6)
differences between parenting in foster home placement, legal risk placement,
and adoptive placement regarding attachment, commitment, relationship with the
child's family of origin, expectations, responsibilities, supports and the
lifelong impact of adoption;
7) the
child's sense of attachment to his/her siblings, the importance of maintaining
a relationship with siblings over the child's lifespan, and the impact upon the
child if those relationships are not preserved;
8) developing, implementing and modifying
Post-Permanency Sibling Contact Agreements; the role the adoptive parent can
take in supporting the child's connections, and the possibility that the
adoptive parent/guardian may be contacted in the future regarding placement of
or contact with siblings;
9) the
knowledge and practical skills necessary to become successful adoptive parents;
and
10) the knowledge of
developmental challenges and changes faced by adoptive families.
b) The Assessment Phase
During the assessment phase the Department or adoption agency
will:
1) help applicants make an
accurate and informed assessment of the strengths they bring to adoption,
including the kinds of children they could most successfully parent and their
ability to parent a sibling group;
2) help applicants make an accurate
assessment of their needs, including the kinds of support they would need from
the Department or the adoption agency;
3) make an accurate assessment of the
strengths and needs of the prospective adoptive family;
4) match the prospective family's assessment
with the Department's or agency's assessment;
5) develop a written strength and needs
assessment or family profile to be used to guide placement of specific
children; and
6) explore with
applicants their willingness to help the child maintain contact with his/her
siblings and other significant relationships in the child's past.
c) The Certification Process
The certification process includes completion of the required
certification training and an assessment that includes a written home study
that incorporates information from the assessment phase and includes a
recommendation regarding the types of children the family is able to parent
that have been approved by the Department or adoption agency
supervisor.
d)
Post-Certification Phase
During this phase the Department or adoption agency
will:
1) provide continued support to
the family, including information regarding children available for
adoption;
2) make specialized
training available; and
3)
introduce adoptive families to adoptive parent support groups, and/or master
adoptive parents in those areas where they exist.
