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
There are five
Post Adoption Resource Centers in Wisconsin supported by the Wisconsin
Department of Health and Family Services, Division of Children
and Family Services. These centers in Wisconsin offer help and
resources to families. Call and ask for the Post Adoption Resource Center contact:
Potential
to Parent Specific Types of Children
Your agency
will thoroughly explore issues such as:
What type
of child is your family able to parent?
Can your family
parent a preschooler or a teen?
Can your family
handle medical crisis or are you more comfortable with the trauma
of preteens?
What is your
comfort level for children with emotional difficulties?
What are your
family's strengths and how can they be utilized to parent a particular
child's needs?
What are your
family's strengths and how can they be utilized to parent a particular
child's needs?
Evaluation and Recommendation
The adoption
agency determines the readiness of your family for special needs
adoption and what type of child your family can parent by completing
an adoption study. This information will be clearly stated
in the written adoption study. The study will indicate an approval
date. Adoption studies are usually valid for one year unless your
family experiences a change in circumstances. In that case, your
family needs to have the study updated. The agency shares the
findings with your family and helps you understand the next steps
in the adoption process. In Wisconsin, families must meet foster
home licensing regulations. If a family already has eight children
in their home or the addition of adoptive children would bring
the total above eight, the agency can consider granting a licensing
exception for the proposed placement(s).
What
Else Can a Family Do During This Evaluation Process?
During the
evaluation portion of the adoption study process, families often
prepare a lifebook about their family to share with the adoptive
child during future preplacement visits. These family lifebooks
may be part of the biographical process of talking about their
family’s history. By sharing your lives with your social worker
and prospective child in a concrete manner, your family will also
be helping ready yourselves for adoption.
In addition,
families can attend training events, provide respite for adoptive
families, read books and listen to videotapes on special needs
adoption topics. Adoption Resources of Wisconsin has an extensive
collection of materials that can be loaned to you. These materials
can inform and educate you on many adoption issues.
ADOPT!,
published by Adoption Resources of Wisconsin, is a good source
of information on upcoming conferences and training events for
families—as well as having current information on children waiting
for adoptive families. Also, visit our web site at
www.wiadopt.org for information on statewide opportunities
for learning.
