5311 Preparation of the Child

Preparation of the child for placement with an adoptive family is the responsibility of the Child Welfare Case Management Provider (CWCMP). It helps the child understand past experiences and engage in future planning.  All children moving into an adoptive placement require preparation for adoption, even those who are currently residing with relatives or foster parents who want to adopt them.  

1. Participants in the preparation process include:
1. the Child Welfare Case Management Provider;
2. the current placement;
3. other individuals who know the child well, e.g. DCF foster care liaison, teachers, therapist, meaningful relative connections.   
2. Preparation Tasks

The Child Welfare Case Management Provider is responsible for preparing and supporting the child to be adopted, which begins at the point when the decision is made that reintegration is no longer viable, and continues through placement and finalization of an adoption.

The CWCMP shall incorporate sound casework practices that minimize harm by placing children initially with resource families, supporting children to understand and cope with traumatic experiences, and minimizing the extent of losses they must endure by stabilizing placements, requiring Lifebook work, and facilitating the level of openness in the child’s best interest.

1. Child Welfare Case Management Provider shall take into consideration the following:
1. a review of the child’s social history and assessment, including trauma and placement history, to determine the child’s developmental level, personality, and understanding of adoption;
2. the relationship of the child to the prospective adoptive parent(s) and the length of time they have been living with them;
3. the degree to which the child has accepted the fact they will not be returning to their parent(s), recognizing they may need time and support to cope with the facts and consequences of their parents acts and decisions;
4. the child's expressed interest and willingness to accept the adoption;
5. the child’s preferences regarding adoptive placement;
6. assessment of the child’s claiming behaviors and the family’s ownership of parenting children not born to them;
7. assessment of the child’s needs and what the parents will need to provide for him or her;
8. referrals made or still needed for healthcare, including a qualified mental health professional, to process the adoption with the child and family;
9. maintaining meaningful relative connections with the child;
2. Children go through several stages as they adjust to living with a new family.  Their adjustment shall be documented when requesting the consent to adopt.   Some stages may occur prior to the Adoptive Placement Agreement being signed, and there may be regression to earlier stages as the child adapts to the plan for adoption. Prospective adoptive parents and CWCMP case managers shall discuss the child’s readiness for adoption in terms of their:
1. getting acquainted
2. honeymoon
3. ambivalence
4. reciprocal interaction
5. bond solidification.

See Appendix 5Z for additional information.

3. Children of different developmental stages and diagnosis will require unique adjustment periods. Staff should assess the child’s progress at least monthly and more often if needed.  The CWCMP shall facilitate the development of a plan that provides for a mutually agreed upon adjustment period.  If the child has lived with the family for less than six months, the adjustment period shall be at least six weeks.
4. For a child to be ready for permanency/adoption, the CWCMP shall assist the child to:
1. Explore feelings about their biological family and the separation from them;
2. Deal with feelings about various moves that may have occurred while in placement;
3. Express feelings of sadness, anger, and rejection about the moves;
4. Understand adoption and their entitlement to a permanent family.
5. Explore attachment, trauma and loss of siblings, extended family, kin and previous caregivers.

The Child Welfare Case Management Provider shall update the child’s social history/assessment at least semiannually, or more often if there have been major changes in the child’s life, to address the child’s needs for safety, permanency and well-being.  The document facilitates timely decision making, planning and placement with a permanent family.  For a Social History outline, see PPS 3114. For more information on preparing the child for adoption, see Appendix 5W.  The documentation needed for requesting the consent to adopt is in PPM 5363.