Pre-Adoption Services / Continued Contact & Openness in Adoption
LEGACY CARRY-FORWARD. Migrated verbatim from the pre-T3C (COA/AS-era) corpus for completeness and traceability. It predates the T3C alignment and has not yet been reconciled to the current model. Its operative status is pending review — this is not an assertion that it is either currently in force or superseded. Original code: AS-7. Source:
historical-docs/source-documents/AS 7 Procedures for Establishing Continued Contact and Openness in Adoption.docx.
Original Document Control (verbatim)
- Policy Name: Pre-Adoption Services and Support
- Originated: 6/04
- Approved By: Board of Directors
- Approved On: 8/1/11
- Effective Date: 8/15/11
- Section: FC 7
- Date(s) of Revision: 6/04 old version, 8/05 old version, 7/06 old version, 4/20/07, 5/26/07, 2/25/08, 8/5/08, 1/22/09, 8/29/09, 1/1/10, 3/23/10, 8/1/11
- Cross Ref #: Recruitment and Retention Policy;
Content (verbatim)
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POLICY
Refuge House provides pre-adoption services to adoptive parents and children who are legally free for adoption in an effort to support and encourage both parties in the adoption process.
Note: Refuge House does not have direct contact with an adoptive child’s birth parents. All adoptions are facilitated by the Department of Family and Protective Services or the comparable state agency within the child’s state of origin. All are typically closed procedures. In the event than an open adoption occurs, the child’s managing conservator will be responsible for providing birth parents with information and counseling.
APPROVAL
Board of Directors
PROCEDURE
For all Adoptive Placements
Responsibilities
Child Pre-Adoption Services
Adoption Worker
Provide support to DFPS or the child’s managing conservator in providing opportunities for visits with prospective adoptive parents. When possible support is provided to the child prior to the visit if the child is already placed within Refuge House care and is currently in a RH foster home.
As is age appropriate, a referral is made to a mental health provider who begins services for children in preparing them for adoption and their transition into their adoptive home.
Provides support and encouragement for the adoptive child with respect to the guidelines of continued contact as set forth by the child’s managing conservator.
Support the child’s development of a life book by providing opportunities for gathering photographs and other appropriate memorabilia that document the child’s history.
Adoptive Parent Pre-Adoption Training
Adoption Worker/Home Developer
Adoptive parents are provided with pre-service training that covers a range of topics and orients each adoptive parent to the process of adoption as well as a general overview of challenges and issues that may arise throughout the process.
Adoption Training – 3hrs
Each Prospective Caregiver(s) (kinship, new foster/adopt families, and straight adoption families must complete this course prior to verification. This includes required information by RCCL, Contracts, YFT and COA regulations.
Adoption training includes:
- Separation and Attachment Separation from Birth, Extended and Temporary Families Grieving Process Ways to Encourage Healing Reactive Attachment Disorder Ways to Encourage Attachment
- Birth Family Importance of Birth Family Sibling Contact and Connections in Adoption
- Abuse and Neglect Dynamics and Impact on Development Behaviors Exhibited by Abused and Neglected Children Sexuality and its manifestations in children who have been abused and neglected
- Discipline Discipline Policy Age appropriate and non-physical discipline
- Community Resources Availability of Resources Adoption Assistance Program Federal Adoption Tax Credit Post Adoption Services
- Adoption Process Adoption overview and process Lifelong issues associated with adoption Special needs of adoptive children Cultural/Tribal affiliation issues Spiritual/Religious affiliation issues Mental health issues Physical disabilities Statistics associated with children awaiting adoptive families Resources
- Adoptive Family Family expectations impact of adoption on the family dynamic changes to roles/relationships when child and prospective adoptive parent(s) have a previous relationship contingency plans in the event that the adoptive parent(s) are no longer able to provide care for the adopted child Eligibility criteria for adoption Closed v. Open adoptions – benefits and responsibilities
(Please see: Additional Pre-Service Training Course Requirements in the Recruitment and Retention of Foster/Adoptive Families Policy and Adoption Training Tool)
Open Adoption Services
Adoptive worker
In most circumstances, any agreements of an open adoption are made prior to Refuge House establishing its role in the adoption. Refuge House will support and provide guidance to the prospective adoptive parent and child in the follow through of any agreements that have been previously established.
REFERENCES
Recruitment and Retention of Foster/Adoptive Families Policy
DEFINITIONS
FORMS ATTACHMENTS