What is an adoption study?
An adoption study is
the process used to inform and educate you about special needs adoption.
This process also evaluates your family to make sure that you are ready
and prepared for special needs adoption.
The
information process: Families need a
great deal of information and preparation to successfully adopt a child
with special needs. Families who are adequately prepared are not as surprised
by the ups and downs of adoptive parenting! You learn to plan for the challenges
that may occur after a child comes into your home. Adoption agencies help
you learn if adoption is right for you and your family. The adoption study
is a mutual learning process—you learn more about the kind of child
you might best parent and the agency learns how to best match a child to
your family.
An adoption study,
in the beginning stages, informs you about adoption, the children, their
characteristics, and the process itself. This is the time for you to feel
very comfortable asking many questions so that you can learn all there is
to know about adoption.
An experienced social
worker gets to know you to help you with the adoption process. Together
you’ll explore the type of child you can comfortably and successfully
parent. You’ll be asked to seriously think about your parenting style,
your own life experiences and how they affect you, your sense of family,
your expectations for a child, the reasons you want to adopt, your family’s
and community’s reaction to adoption, and your ability to adjust your
family style for a new family member.
The
education process: You may meet in groups,
or you may meet individually with a social worker during this time. Group
education often involves six to eight meetings. You learn how to deal with
the issues that surround special needs adoption. Some topics discussed might
be:
Grief, loss and other
adoption issues
Attachment and bonding
Advocating for your
child
Managing a family when
a new child comes in
Talking with families
that have adopted
You will be learning
more about the child you can best parent. You will explore how your decision
to adopt affects everyone you come in contact with—your extended family,
your neighbors, and your local schools.
Grief,
loss and other adoption issues
Kenneth Watson, author
of Adoption and the Family System identifies these core
issues of adoption: separation, loss, grief, entitlement, claiming, unmet
expectations and identity formation. As a family you need to understand
these issues and your own feelings about adoption.
Most older children
move into an adoptive placement after foster care. They have experienced
a number of separations—from birth parents, siblings, relatives, foster
parents and schools. A family needs to learn what these separations mean
to a child.
How will a child grieve?
What can you do, as an adoptive parent, to help this child heal? Families
need to be able to handle grief issues. Families also need to learn to look
at their own grief. Are their expectations for a child changing? Did they
expect a “perfect baby” and now are considering a child with
special needs? Are infertility issues resolved?
Attachment
and bonding
Attachment and bonding
are critical issues in adoption. Attachment is the ability children have
to “connect” with their parents in a parent-child relationship.
Children who have experienced multiple moves, neglect or abuse may find
it difficult to develop strong relationships with a new family. Families
need information that explains the effects attachment and bonding have on
children in different stages of their lives. For some children, past abuse
or neglect makes attachment very difficult. They may need long-term therapeutic
intervention to help. Some children never are able to attach. A family must
learn how to deal with “unattached” children.
Advocacy
Parents advocate for
their children—in school, in the community, in the family. Adoptive
families need to learn the advocacy skills necessary to help children who
often need special help and consideration in school and other activities.
Families need to learn how to successfully access services for their children.
Managing
a new child in the home
National statistics
indicate that approximately 85% of all special needs children have experienced
sexual abuse. Families need to be taught the indicators of past abusive
behavior and the techniques to integrate a child into a safe family. Families
need to learn how to react to provocative behavior.
Many of the children
with special needs have emotional and behavior problems. A working knowledge
of behavior management techniques will be needed.
Learning
from experienced adoptive families
During
this period, adoption agencies often link you to existing adoptive families
through a “buddy program” or a “support group” which
can range from a structured support program to an informal sharing of phone
numbers, social gatherings and other methods to connect families together.
Establishing informal supports for families is critical to adoption success.
By educating families,
agencies are preparing you for successful adoptions. Successful adoptions
are not always problem-free, but well-prepared families have the critical
tools to help you meet the challenges of parenting a child with special
needs.
The
Evaluation Process: The
formal evaluation process of a family is done on an individual basis. You
will meet with the social worker that has been assigned to get to know you.
The evaluation process is a critical element of the adoption study process.
Although this part of the study process is often uncomfortable for both
social workers and families, it is a very necessary step. Children need
to be safeguarded. Agencies focus on finding the best possible family for
a child, rather than a child for a particular family. Families must be evaluated
as to their appropriateness for special needs adoption.
Some
things that the agency will want to see:
-
A medical exam
within the study period
-
Birth certificates
of all family members
-
Marriage certificates
-
Divorce and death
certificates, if applicable
-
Letters of reference
from friends/family
-
Proof of employment
-
Criminal background
-
Prior records if
family has been a foster care provider or studied for adoption before
Families are evaluated
to assess whether they can provide a stable family environment that will
help children to grow and develop. Children who have been abused need families
that will be non-abusive to them. Families are evaluated on their strengths
and weaknesses. Disruptions are profoundly costly to the self-esteem for
both a child and family. Careful pre-evaluation should be done to help families
avoid disruption of an adoptive placement.
Families
need to be evaluated in the following areas:
Function of adult
family members
Function of children
presently in the home
General information
about the family
Interaction and communication
patterns
Knowledge of special
needs adoption
Level of preparation
for adoption
Resource availability
in the community
Potential to parent
specific types of children
Agencies explore the
motivation of the family as to why you wish to adopt. Typical issues to
explore include the following topics: Why do you think you will be good
parents? What expectations do you have? How do you handle difficulties?
The agency will explore each family member’s ability to deal with
difficult situations. Below are examples of areas needing evaluation:
Functioning
Do you function well
in your jobs and social life? Can you show your needs to others? Do you
understand yourself and others and respond appropriately? If you are married,
what is your level of commitment to each other? What are the strengths and
weaknesses of your marriage? Do you have friends? What is your support system?
Dealing
with difficulties
What has happened in
your past and how have you coped with that adversity? Has your family experienced
losses? What has been your life history? Successful handling of “tough
times” is a crucial indicator that your family can remain committed
to adoption if difficulties arise.
Parenting
experience
How were you raised
and how do you view that experience? If you are now a parent, what is your
parenting style? How do you cope with behavior problems? If you have never
worked with children with behavior problems, how do you view discipline?
What care-taking history have you, as non-parents, had?
Life
complications
Have you ever had problems
with drug and alcohol abuse? If so, the agency must consider the risk for
further abuse. If you have experienced divorce, what have you learned from
it? What is your mental health history? Are your emotions appropriate? What
is your medical history? If you have medical conditions requiring treatment,
how does this affect your ability to parent? Are the conditions under control?
If you have had felony or misdemeanor convictions or arrests, what were
the circumstances of those cases?
Children Already in the Home
If you already have
children in the home, agencies evaluate both your children and you regarding
the effects of adding new members to the family.
Function
How do your children
already in the home function? How do they handle school, recreation, and
friendships? How do they relate to you, as parents? How do they relate to
each other? Are they involved in decision making?
Bringing
new children into the family
How will bringing new
children into the family affect your children? Do they want other children
in their family? How will it change their roles and relationships?
What are their coping
skills if they have brothers and sisters with difficult behaviors? Are the
children already in your home able to protect themselves? Have they been
taught protection techniques? If children already in the home have disabilities
or are young, what steps have been taken to ensure their safety?
If your children have
already grown up and left the family home, how are they doing? Are they
supportive of your decision to adopt?
General Information about the Family
The agency will cover
important factors regarding education, employment, finances and health.
Education
What is the educational
attainment of each family member? What education expectations does the family
have for new children?
Employment
and finances
What is your family’s
current employment situation? Are your jobs secure? Is the current work
situation stable? Are your employers supportive of family living issues?
Can you, as a parent, take off from work for an extended period of time
if needed? What back-up planning have you done for medical problems, death
of a member of the family, retirement? What are your insurance benefits?
Can you handle medical and therapy costs since some children are not eligible
for adoption assistance?
Health
issues
What is the current
health of your family? Are there medical conditions that require special
care? If there were serious conditions in the past, what are the chances
of these conditions continuing to be under control? Can your family reasonably
be able to care for your children into adulthood?
Interaction and Communication Patterns
It is important for
the agency to assess how family members relate to one another. How does
your family work as a unit? How do you work together? Who is the primary
decision-maker? Who is the peacemaker? How does your family deal with anger,
rage, and withdrawal in interpersonal interactions? How does your family
express sadness and affection? How do you relate to friends and family?
Who visits regularly? Have you discussed adoption with your extended family?
How do they feel about it? Will your relatives help with supportive services
or will they question your decision to adopt?
Knowledge of Special Needs Adoption
The agency determines
your family’s overall knowledge of special needs adoption issues.
Does your family understand what adopting a child with special needs means?
Do you know the long-term implications of attachment issues? Do you actively
take part in learning more about special needs adoption? Do you respond
appropriately when these issues are addressed in educational opportunities?
Level
of Preparation for Adoption
Your family’s
level of preparation is discussed. What strengths does your family have?
Do you already have specialized knowledge about children with special needs?
How prepared are you to handle adoption? What is the nature and level of
commitment you have made to adoption? What classes, training or experiences
are you having or have you had in the past that helps you make the commitment
to adopt?
Resources Available in the Community
The family and agency
assess the availability of pertinent supportive resources in the community.
What are the resources for your family? What is your support system? Do
you have friends and family that can help? Are there respite services—formal
or informal—available? Are you comfortable using external resources
for support? Are you comfortable with therapists and others being “part
of the family?” What ties do you have with the community? What resources
are available in the community for a child with mental health or medical
needs? How effective will you be as an advocate?
The agency may recommend
additional training and experience for your family before they proceed with
a special needs adoption. Take advantage of all educational opportunities
as you are going through the adoption study process.
Wisconsin
Post Adoption Resource Centers
