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Preparing Adoptive Families
Resources for professionals working with resource families (foster, adoptive, and kinship) to help prepare them for becoming adoptive parents, including State and local examples.
- Helping families explore adoption options
- Adoption home study/family assessment
- Transitioning foster parents to adoptive parents
- Preadoption training
Family Assessment and Preparation
National Resource Center for Adoption
In Adoption Competency Curriculum: Trainer's Guide
Includes trainer preparation materials for a module that builds participants skills in the family identification, preparation and assessment process. This module also addresses how to prepare current foster parents or relatives to transition from fostering to adopting. Also available: Participant's Handbook
Ongoing Connections: Parenting Curriculum Trainer's Guide (PDF - 1444 KB)
Sturgeon (2007)
Designed to prepare prospective adoptive parents interested in offering a permanent family to older youth in the foster care system. It will assist them in exploring the importance of permanence for the youth as well as the benefits gained when the youth maintain connections with significant people from their past after they join a family.
The Basics of Adoption Practice | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 307KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2006 - 13 pages |
Adoption is a highly specialized field that focuses on placing children with families and providing services to ensure that these placements are permanent. In recent decades, the emphasis of adoption practice has shifted from helping families find children to finding safe and permanent families for children. Adoption workers are now expected to have extensive knowledge and understanding of the recruitment and assessment of adoptive families, the placement of children with a variety of strengths and needs, and supportive postadoption services to promote attachment and permanency for children. This bulletin provides an overview of the basics of adoption practice and the ... |
Impact of Adoption on Adoptive Parents | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway. |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 401KB) |
Year Published: | 2010 - 14 pages |
This factsheet explores some of the emotional ups and downs that adoptive parents may experience as they approach the decision to adopt, during the adoptive process, and after the adoption. It explores some stresses that adoptive parents may experience, including depression, issues related to identity and attachment, and issues related to the child's adjustment, such as contact with the birth family. Useful resources and suggestions for finding help are included. |
Improving Customer Service: 10 Things You Can Do to Improve Customer Service: Prospective Parent Orientation Sessions (PDF - 200 KB)
National Resource Center for Recruitment and Retention of Foster and Adoptive Parents at AdoptUSKids (2011)
Suggests simple ways to build a stronger relationship with prospective parents by using good customer service techniques.
Normal Phases of the Pre-Finalization Phase (PDF - 110 KB)
Ohio Child Welfare Training Program (2009)
Describes the phases that adoptees and adoptive parents go through after the child is placed and before the adoption is finalized. The materials describe family characteristics and typical child behaviors during each stage and present strategies and resources child welfare professionals can provide to the family.
Obtaining Background Information on Your Prospective Adopted Child | |
Series Title: | Factsheets for Families |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 470KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2012 - 6 pages |
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. |
Providing Background Information to Adoptive Parents | |
Series Title: | Bulletins for Professionals |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 495KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2012 - 9 pages |
Outlines child welfare professionals' legal responsibility to provide background information to adoptive families about their prospective child or youth. The bulletin outlines the benefits of disclosure to the child, the adoptive family, and the adoption agency. It addresses the information that should be provided, helping families understand the information, international adoption where little or no information is available, wrongful adoption, and additional resources. |
State and local examples
New York City Foster Parent's Guide to Adoption (PDF - 838 KB)
Welfare Research, Inc. & New York State Office of Children & Family Services (2007)
This guide is designed to help foster parents understand the adoption process and take an active role in the adoption of their foster children.
Recruiting, Preparing, and Supporting Successful Adoptive Families: A Step-by-Step Recruitment Guide to Educate and Empower Agencies for Recruiting Adoptive Families in Rural Communities (PDF - 1,0946 KB)
Northeast Ohio Adoption Services (2010)
Shares findings and lessons learned through the federally funded Rural Targeted Community Outreach (RTCO) program, which sought to recruit prospective adoptive parents in rural communities. The report explains the strategies that were used to target marketing to potential adoptive families and provides examples of marketing materials.