HOMESTUDY AGENCY CERTIFICATION OF ADOPTIVE PARENT PREPARATION

Rainbow House International requires any adoptive family we work with to be prepared and knowledgeable about adoptive issues and about inter-country adoption. It is expected that the homestudy agency will provide this training for adoptive applicants and certify that this training has been satisfactorily completed by the adoptive parent(s). Additionally, we want our adoptive families to have post placement supervision even when the adoption is finalized in the foreign country. Time and experience now show that it is extremely beneficial to the family to have help and access to resources early in the placement in order for the family to be assisted with their adjustment and with the child's adjustment.

THESE ARE THE SPECIFIC ISSUES WHICH MUST BE ADDRESSED WITH THE ADOPTIVE FAMILY:

• The impact of institutionalization on adopted children (including infants).

• What developmental delays may or may not mean with regard to the child's physical, speech and language development, emotional, and psychological development for both the short term and long term.



• Education for the family with regard to attachment and bonding. Does the family know the basics of how bonding and attachment occur. Do they know of ways to facilitate bonding? Are the parents aware that the possibility exists that they may have an attachment resistive or disordered child placed with them and that there is a continuum of severity with attachment resistive and disordered children? Are they aware that infants are not immune from having attachment difficulties? Has a plan been developed with the adoptive parent(s) to address these issues should they occur with their child(ren)? Is the family aware of grieving in adopted children and how this impacts on attachment



• Have the adoptive parent(s) been prepared fully with regard to abandonment, separation and loss issues for the child as they relate to placement, during initial adjustment and at each stage of the child's development?



• Discussion of the various ways children grieve when they are separated from all that is familiar in their life and how they may experience that loss, as well as everyday events perceived as losses during long-term adjustment.



• A discussion of the various behaviors families may anticipate from the child which relate to the grief process. Is the family aware that grieving has no time line and may occur at any one or at numerous stages of development?



• Have the adoptive parent(s) been helped to assess their personal level of self esteem and their ability to handle rejection, so that they can handle rejection, if that is an aspect of the child(ren)'s behavior during the attachment process?



• Are the adoptive parent(s) aware that there are no "perfect" children, just as there are no "perfect" parents? When problems come up that feel overwhelming, are the adoptive parents willing to seek help and be open to changing their own perceptions as they learn and grow with their adopted children?



• Have the adoptive parents been counseled about difficulties and delays associated with international adoptions? Do they understand the possibility that they may feel out of control and often in the dark and yet will need to trust the people they have chosen to handle the adoption process for them? Will they be able to cope?



• Have the adoptive parent(s) received education about learning disabilities, known and unknown, which may be present in the adoptive child they adopt?



• Have the adoptive parent(s) received education regarding sensory integration?



• How does the adoptive family define "special needs" and how does this relate to their placement.



• What is the family's attitude regarding the child's culture and heritage/ Does the family know what a Life Book is and how to prepare one? Does the family have a plan to help a child develop an appreciation for the cultural heritage and to help the child develop a positive self identity?



• Have the adoptive parents been educated to understand that they may parent as they were parented? If there is any history of emotional, physical, substance or sexual abuse in the background of the adoptive parent(s) have they been able to adequately address the issues and in what way has this been professionally evaluated?



• If there is a history of infertility has the family had the opportunity to address this issue? What is their present attitude regarding infertility? Are they aware that this may impact on their ability to deal with their lack of control over the international adoption process? Can they separate infertility from adoption?



• Have the adoptive parents been helped to assess how they cope with crises and have each of the adoptive applicants been assessed for their ability to handle stress?



• Has the family been prepared that adoption is a lifelong process? What is the adoptive family's expectation regarding the child(ren)'s adjustment into the family? Is this a realistic expectation?



• Has the family been counseled about how alcohol may affect a child if the mother drank pre-natally? Does the family know the difference between FAS and FAE? Is the family aware that an institutionalized child may have FAE and may be undiagnosed? Additionally, is the family aware of the impact of the child's genetic endowment of temperament, personality and motivation?



• Is the family aware that international social/medial information may be scanty, exaggerated, misrepresented, inaccurate and may not correlate with understood American terms?



• Have the adoptive parents been counseled about the significance of a will for minor children and have the family appointed or considered guardians for a child(ren)?

I, (Social Worker) hereby affirm that (Parent1) and (Parent2) have received counseling/education on each of the above adoptive issues and have been advised of the risks and adjustment issues relating to post institutionalized children.

Signature of Social Worker required.

Signature of Agency required.

Dated.

We/I, hereby affirm that we have received counseling/education of the outlined adoptive issues and have been advised of the risks and adjustment issues for post institutionalized children.

Signature of BOTH Adoptive Parent required.