Below are resources for professionals working with resource families (foster, adoptive, and kinship) to help prepare them for becoming adoptive parents. The list includes State and local examples.
- Helping families explore adoption options
- Adoption home study/family assessment
- Transitioning foster parents to adoptive parents
Adoption: Preparing Adoptive Parents (PDF - 144 KB)
Teska (2018)
Discusses how child welfare professionals can help parents prepare for adoption and why preparing adoptive parents is important to ensure the safety, stability, and long-term success of adoptive placements.
Series Title | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s) | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability | View Download (PDF - 240KB) Order (Free) |
Year Published | 2019 |
Literature Review Intercountry Adoption and Private Domestic Adoption (PDF - 1,380 KB)
National Training & Development Curriculum for Foster and Adoptive Parents (2018)
Identifies the characteristics parents who adopt via the intercountry or private domestic process need to embody in order to be successful as well as suggested training themes for these parents. This report recommended that parents who want to adopt privately, either domestically or intercountry, need to have exposure to training best prepare them for their caretaking roles.
Series Title | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s) | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability | View Download (PDF - 279KB) Order (Free) |
Year Published | 2018 |
Series Title | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s) | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability | View Download (PDF - 518KB) Order (Free) |
Disponibilidad | Ver Versión para imprimir (PDF - 714KB) Ordene (Gratis) |
Year Published | 2016 |
Series Title | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s) | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability | View Download (PDF - 388KB) Order (Free) |
Year Published | 2020 |
Prepermanency Services for Adoptive and Guardianship Families (PDF - 191 KB)
Capacity Building Center for States (2017)
Defines prepermanency services for prospective adoptive and guardianship families and raises awareness about the need for more prepermanency services supports alongside postpermanency supports.
Series Title | State Statutes |
Author(s) | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability | View Download (PDF - 673KB) |
Year Published | 2020 |
Series Title | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s) | Child Welfare Information Gateway (U.S.) |
Availability | View Download (PDF - 0KB) |
Year Published | 2018 |
Receiving an Adoptive Placement
AdoptUsKids (2020)
Presents information for parents who will be receiving an adoptive placement and reviews the process of preplacement visits, how to help prepare children for placement, and how to prepare the home and other family members for adoption.
Step 3: Prepare for Adoption
North American Council on Adoptable Children (2020)
Provides information for prospective adoptive parents on what they can expect when considering adoption. The resource reviews types of adoption, questions to ask, how to complete an application, preadoption classes, the home study process, and common requirements to adopt.
State and local examples
Adoption Practice Guidelines (PDF - 951 KB)
Utah Division of Child and Family Services (2019)
Gives child welfare agency practice guidelines for adoption services for children in Utah. The guidelines include adoptive family recruitment, qualifying an adoptive family, matching the child and the adoptive family, and the adoption permanency goal decision.
Adoptive Parent Handbook (PDF - 113 KB)
New Jersey Department of Children and Families, Child Protection and Permanency, Office of Adoption Operations (2013)
Provides general information on the adoption process in New Jersey, including who can adopt, the licensing process, placement decisions, and adoption subsidy.