Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 9, September 1, 2024
An adoption agency must meet all of the following requirements
related to information, education, and training for adoptive parents:
(1) Adoptive parent training. The adoption
agency must document that it has provided the prospective adoptive parents a
minimum of 10 hours of comprehensive orientation and training, independent of
the home study, that covers all of the following:
(a) The possible short- and long-term effects
of prenatal exposure to alcohol, drugs, and poor nutrition.
(b) The effects of separation and
loss.
(c) The process of developing
emotional ties to an adoptive family.
(d) Normal child and adolescent
development.
(e) What research
indicates about the potential effect on a child's development of physical
abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, institutionalization, and multiple
caregivers.
(f) Issues related to
race, culture, and identity.
(g)
Acculturation, assimilation, and, if applicable, the effects of having been
adopted internationally.
(h)
Emotional adjustment of adopted children and their families, including
attachment and psychological issues of adopted children who have experienced
abuse, neglect, or trauma.
(i) In
the case of an intercountry adoption, the process involved in an intercountry
adoption and the general characteristics and needs of children awaiting
intercountry adoption.
(2) Individual preparation. The adoption
agency must document reasonable efforts to prepare prospective parents for the
adoption of each child under consideration before the earliest of the
following:
(a) The child is placed with
them.
(b) Travel to the child's
country for the purpose of adoption.
(3) Methods of training.
(a) The adoption agency must provide the
required training using appropriate methods, such as:
(A) Collaboration among agencies or persons
to share resources to meet the training needs of parents;
(B) Group seminars offered by the adoption
agency or others who provide training;
(C) Individual counseling sessions;
(D) Video, computer-assisted, or distance
learning methods using standardized curricula.
(b) If the training cannot otherwise be
provided, the adoption agency may allow the prospective adoptive family to
complete an independent study that includes a system for evaluating the
thoroughness of the subjects covered.
(4) Information and disclosures.
(a) The adoption agency must give the
adoptive family detailed written information covering the following subjects:
(A) Resources for financial support,
including tax credit, employee adoption benefit programs, and other financial
assistance.
(B) Medical assistance
availability, as applicable.
(C)
Support services available to the family and the adoptive child, including
adoptive family support groups, educational workshops and conferences,
individual and family counseling, mental health services, and respite
care.
(D) Information identifying
each organization or individual who will be involved in the proposed placement,
including whether the organization or individual will derive a fee or other
consideration from a source other than the client in connection with the
adoption.
(E) In domestic adoptions
only, the potential ramifications of a failure of the birth father to sign the
consent and surrender documents.
(b) If a child qualifies for adoption
assistance through the department's Adoption Assistance Program, the adoption
agency must assist the prospective adoptive parents in getting approvals or
agreements in a timely manner, prior to adoption finalization.
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS
409.050, ORS
418.240 & ORS
418.005
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS
418.205 -
418.310
