Sec. 96.48 Preparation and training of prospective adoptive parent(s) in
incoming cases.
(a) The agency or person provides prospective adoptive parent(s)
with at least ten hours (independent of the home study) of preparation
and training, as described in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section,
designed to promote a successful intercountry adoption. The agency or
person provides such training before the prospective adoptive parent(s)
travel to adopt the child or the child is placed with the prospective
adoptive parent(s) for adoption.
(b) The training provided by the agency or person addresses the
following topics:
(1) The intercountry adoption process, the general characteristics
and needs of children awaiting adoption, and the in-country conditions
that affect children in the Convention country from which the prospective
adoptive parent(s) plan to adopt;
Suggested workshops: 1B International Adoption 101, 4A A Basic Primer on Adoption
(2) The effects on children of malnutrition, relevant environmental
toxins, maternal substance abuse, and of any other known genetic,
health, emotional, and developmental risk factors associated with
children from the expected country of origin;
Suggested workshops: 1D Parenting Adopted and Post-Institutionalized Children,
(3) Information about the impact on a child of leaving familiar ties
and surroundings, as appropriate to the expected age of the child;
Suggested workshops: 2G Adopting the Older Child, 4B Comprehensive Assessment
& Intensive Family Interventions
(4) Data on institutionalized children and the impact of
institutionalization on children, including the effect on children of
the length of time spent in an institution and of the type of care
provided in the expected country of origin;
Suggested workshops: 1D Parenting Adopted and Post-Institutionalized Children,
1G Outcome of International Adoptions, 2B Institutionalization and the Child,
3B What can Orphans Tell Us about the Family, 4F Risk and Promise:
Evaluating Risk and Resiliency in a Child, 4I Transitioning an
Older Child
(5) Information on attachment disorders and other emotional problems
that institutionalized or traumatized children and children with a
history of multiple caregivers may experience, before and after their
adoption;
Suggested workshops: 1E Beginning Attachment Therapy, 2B Institutionalization and the Child
(6) Information on the laws and adoption processes of the expected
country of origin, including foreseeable delays and impediments to
finalization of an adoption;
Suggested workshops: 1B International Adoption 101
(7) Information on the long-term implications for a family that has
become multicultural through intercountry adoption; and
Suggested Workshops: 1C Language, Adoption and Race, 3G Racial Identity and Adoption, 4C Transracial/
Transcultural Adoption and the Jewish Family,
(8) An explanation of any reporting requirements associated with
Convention adoptions, including any post-placement or post-adoption
reports required by the expected country of origin.
Suggested workshops: 1B International Adoption 101
(c) The agency or person also provides the prospective adoptive
parent(s) with training that allows them to be as fully prepared as
possible for the adoption of a particular child. This includes
counseling on:
(1) The child's history and cultural, racial, religious, ethnic, and
linguistic background;
(2) The known health risks in the specific region or country where
the child resides; and
(3) Any other medical, social, background, birth history,
educational data, developmental history, or any other data known about
the particular child.
(d) The agency or person provides such training through appropriate
methods, including:
(1) Collaboration among agencies or persons to share resources to
meet the training needs of prospective adoptive parents;
(2) Group seminars offered by the agency or person or other agencies
or training entities;
(3) Individual counseling sessions;
(4) Video, computer-assisted, or distance learning methods using
standardized curricula; or
(5) In cases where training cannot otherwise be provided, an
extended home study process, with a system for evaluating the
thoroughness with which the topics have been covered.
(e) The agency or person provides additional in-person,
individualized counseling and preparation, as needed, to meet the needs
of the prospective adoptive parent(s) in light of the particular child to be adopted and his or her special needs, and any other training or
counseling needed in light of the child background study or the home study.
(f) The agency or person provides the prospective adoptive parent(s) with information about print, internet, and other resources available
for continuing to acquire information about common behavioral, medical, and other issues; connecting with parent support groups, adoption
clinics and experts; and seeking appropriate help when needed.
(g) The agency or person exempts prospective adoptive parent(s) from all or part of the training and preparation that would normally be
required for a specific adoption only when the agency or person determines that the prospective adoptive parent(s) have received
adequate prior training or have prior experience as parent(s) of children adopted from abroad.
(h) The agency or person records the nature and extent of the training and preparation provided to the prospective adoptive parent(s)
in the adoption record.
