All families considering adoption from foster care shall receive the Appendix 5T Adoption from Foster Care brochure.
A comprehensive assessment of a family interested in adopting a child in the custody of the Secretary of DCF, including sponsored adopt-only families, shall be completed by a Child Placing Agency (CPA) using the Family Assessment and Preparation Study, PPS 5318 prior to being considered at a Best Interest Staffing. The assessment shall include items listed in KSA 59-2132 and KSA 59-2130.
The PPS 5318 shall be updated at least annually and anytime there is a significant change, including but not limited to death in the family, divorce, or move to a new home.
The assessment shall address the prospective family's capacity to incorporate the child into their household in relation to their lifestyle, standard of living and future plans, and overall capacity to meet the immediate and future needs of the child, including but not limited to: social, emotional/mental health, physical, and educational.
Unlicensed staff may assist with gathering and compiling information for the assessment, but a licensed professional must review, approve, and sign the assessment.
In addition to evaluating the safety and suitability of prospective parents and the characteristics of child(ren) they are prepared to parent, the family assessment process provides an opportunity for the prospective parents to learn about caring for a child with special needs, and to explore their own worries, needs and strengths. The assessor is responsible to continue to inform the family about adoption related issues, assess the family’s capacity for successful adoption and parenting, and guide the family in determining the appropriateness of adoption for their family. The assessor is also responsible for determining the appropriateness for the family to adopt a specific child from foster care, which shall be documented in an updated family assessment prior to consideration in a Best Interest Staffing.
A. A quality adoption preparation and assessment process shall include at least two in person contacts by the adoptive home assessor. The total number of contacts shall be based on the family and circumstances of the case, and adoptive home assessors shall make as many contacts as necessary to complete a thorough and comprehensive assessment. A face-to-face in-home interview with each member of the household is required, if applicable, including the parents together, the parents individually, and the children individually.
B. The written assessment (PPS 5318) of the adoptive family shall include:
1. Motivation to adopt a child from foster care;
2. Family's attitude toward accepting an adopted child, and plan for discussing adoption with the child;
3. Emotional stability, physical health, compatibility and quality of relationship between adoptive parents;
4. Strategies to cope with problems, stress, frustrations, crises, and loss;
5. A statement from the potential adoptive parents’ primary care physician regarding any medical or health conditions which would affect the applicant's ability to parent a child;
6. Record of convictions other than minor traffic violations;
7. Ability to provide for child's physical, educational and emotional needs;
8. Adjustment of children born to them, if any, including school reports;
9. Insights about parenting a child adopted from foster care;
10. Description of how caregiver gives and receives affection;
11. Physical, social, emotional, intellectual, developmental, and disabilities in children the family is willing and able to accept;
12. Physical, social, emotional, intellectual, developmental, and disabilities in children who would not be appropriate for the placement with this family;
13. Description of the home and physical space for the child;
14. References, to include a minimum of three, only one of whom may be a relative;
15. Interview with all children, excluding foster children, of the adoptive family, who reside both inside and outside of the home;
16. The current capacity of the adoptive resource to serve in terms of the number, age, sex, characteristics, and special needs of the children;
17. Ability to access community resources to meet the child’s specific needs;
18. Ability to incorporate the child into the family.
19. The current or on-going role as foster parents shall be addressed and noted in the Additional Assessor section of the Family Assessment and Preparation Study (PPS 5318).
C. All prospective adoptive parents, except relatives, shall complete an approved preservice training for foster care licensure prior to a child's placement. If a family completed a pre-service program not pre-approved by DCF, the Child Welfare Case Management Provider shall request a waiver for the family from the DCF Foster Care Program Administrator.
D. All prospective adoptive parents considered as an adoptive resource at BIS shall have:
1. A written adoptive family assessment completed on PPS 5318, by a licensed child placing agency which is updated at least annually; and
2. Medical or health information on, adoptive parent or parents regarding anything impacting the adoptive parent(s)’ ability to parent a child; updated at least annually, and
3. Clearance through KBI updated at least annually and a national criminal history fingerprint check.
a. If a national criminal history check has been completed on a foster parent who has been continuously licensed, a second check does not need to be done.
b. If the national criminal fingerprint check has been sent to the FBI two times and the fingerprints are not legible, a name check is acceptable.
c. Clearance through KBI for all family members 10 years of age and older.
d. Fingerprints for additional household members, 18 years and older shall be submitted to DCF.
4. A complete DCF History check on all members of the home who are age 10 and older. A complete DCF history check is comprised of Web KDHE Request Processor (WKRP), Family and Children Tracking System (FACTS), Kansas Intake/Investigation Protections Systems (KIPS), Kansas Initiative for Decision Support (KIDS), Kansas Adult Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation Central Registry and Kansas Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry Search (CERS) checks. If the family resided out of state during the last five years, child abuse registry checks in all the state(s) where they resided shall be completed for all adults.
See Section 5340 for additional information. For out-of-state adoptive parents adopting children from Kansas, see Section 9000 regarding the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children.