Preparing Adoptive Families

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.

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.

Families Considering Foster Care and Adoption

Series Title	Factsheets for Families
Author(s)	Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability	View Download (PDF - 240KB) Order (Free)
Year Published	2019

Summarizes what foster parents should consider while deciding whether to adopt the child or youth in their care. This factsheet does not address the specifics of how to adopt; it provides information on the differences between foster care and adoption, advantages of foster parent adoption, strategies for foster/adoptive families, and useful references.

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.

Obtaining Background Information on Your Prospective Adopted Child

Series Title	Factsheets for Families
Author(s)	Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability	View Download (PDF - 279KB) Order (Free)
Year Published	2018

Summarizes the importance of obtaining as much thorough and accurate medical, genetic, and social history information as possible about prospective adoptive children. This factsheet addresses the questions prospective adoptive parents should ask their adoption agency, reasons some information may not be available, and where to find more information.

Planning for Adoption: Knowing the Costs and Resources

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

Seeks to explain the various adoption expenses and some of the resources that may be available. This factsheet includes information about types of adoption and resources to help pay for adoption.

Preparing Adoptive Parents

Series Title	Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)	Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability	View Download (PDF - 388KB) Order (Free)
Year Published	2020

Provides caseworkers with information and resources about the importance of preparing adoptive parents as well as how they can help prepare them for this journey. Information in this bulletin also may be pertinent for working with families formed through other types of permanency, such as guardianship. Caseworkers can support families adopting children from foster care by being upfront with them about what they might expect regarding bonding with the child, parenting a child who has experienced loss and grief, how parents and children may emotionally process the adoption, the supports available to both the child and parents, and other important topics.

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.

Providing Adoptive Parents With Information About Adoptees and Their Birth Families

Series Title	State Statutes
Author(s)	Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability	View Download (PDF - 525KB)
Year Published	2016

Summarizes State laws regarding the types of information that adoptive parents are provided about the background of the child they are hoping to adopt. The information generally relates to medical and genetic history, family and social background, and mental health history of the child and the child's birth family. For the adopted child or youth, it may also include placement history and any history of abuse or neglect. Exceptions for stepparent and relative adoptions also are discussed.

Providing Background Information on Children to Prospective Adoptive Parents

Series Title	Bulletins for Professionals
Author(s)	Child Welfare Information Gateway (U.S.)
Availability	View Download (PDF - 0KB)
Year Published	2018

This bulletin on providing child background information is designed to assist child welfare professionals who work with families interested in adoption and/or who are about to receive a referral for an adoption placement. It begins by explaining how complete disclosure benefits the child, the family, and the adoption agency by helping families make a fully informed decision, ensuring the adoption child will have full knowledge of his or her family, medical, and genetic history, helping prospective parents understand what supports and services might be needed, and helps agencies protect against wrongful adoption lawsuits. The types of information that should be provided is then reviewed, including material information on the child’s history, written disclosure of background and health information, acknowledgement of the limitations of disclosure, and information regarding the child or youth’s potential Tribal heritage. Questions to consider about the birth family, child health, placement history, educational history are listed, and considerations for international adoption are discussed. Additional resources are listed. 6 references.

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.

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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.

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