Adoption as a Life-Long Journey

The adoption process and adoptive parenthood, like other types of parenthood, can bring tremendous joy -- and a sizable amount of stress. It has been clearly established over many decades that there is a need for education before an adoption takes place. The educational process increases the families’ chance for a successful and healthy transition and future as an adoptive family, and also reduces the likelihood of adoption disruption or dissolution. We at Adoption Home Studies of Colorado believe fully in the power of knowledge and preparation.

Requirements for Colorado Residents

We’ve explained why adoption education is important, beneficial and life changing. In addition to all the reasons listed above there are other reasons: The Colorado Department of Human Services which regulates adoption in Colorado requires pre-adoption education for all adoptive parents. 

Core training & education is 16 hours of specific topics which include:

Attachment/bonding issues and other emotional problems that institutionalized or traumatized children, and children with a history of multiple caregivers and moves, may experience before and after their adoption.

• Loss and grief issues, as applicable for all parties to the adoption.
• Adoption is a lifelong issue as it pertains to all parties of the adoption.
• Key concepts of child growth and development and the effects of the child’s development on the family as a whole
• Boundary setting and discipline
• Parenting a child of a different culture or racial background, long term implications from infancy through adulthood
• Disclosure issues include accuracy of history information that may not be accurate regarding the child and birth parent(s) family, discussion with the child and sharing information with others.
• On-going contact and/or communication of child and adoptive family with biological family and/or significant individuals.
• Possible current and/or future use of community resources, including help with parenting techniques.
• Expectations of adoption and adoptive process.
• Medical/health issues including, but not limited to, shaken baby syndrome, relevant environmental issues, malnutrition, maternal substance abuse and any other known genetic health, emotional, and developmental risk factors associated with children from the country of adoption.
• Basic care and supervision appropriate to the age of the child.
• The impact of a child leaving familiar surroundings as appropriate to the expected age of the child.
• Data on institutionalized children and the impact of institutionalization on children including the effect on children depending on the length of time spent in an institution and the type of care provided in the expected country of origin.

8 additional hours are required for those pursuing adoption from a foreign country, a child with special needs, or a child over age two:

• U. S. Immigration requirements and the laws and procedures of the Foreign country including foreseeable and unforeseeable delays and impediments to finalization,
• Reporting requirements such as any post-placement or post-adoption reports required by the expected country of origin.
• Understanding adoption laws and procedures, including termination of parental rights and the abandonment or relinquishment process 
• Cultural heritage of the child including available community resources.
• Medical, social and other data known about the particular child.
• All available information about the child’s history and cultural, racial, religious, ethnic and linguistic background.
• The known health risks in the specific region or country where the child resides.  Any general characteristics and needs of children awaiting adoption and the in-country conditions that affect children from the expected country of origin.
• Parenting a child that has been physically, emotionally or sexually abused or neglected
• Parenting the physically, mentally, developmentally or emotionally delayed, including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

AHSC recommends the following additional online training for international adoptions at www.adoptionlearningpartners.org

• Tough Starts Matter Package:   The presence of extremely challenging behaviors in children may indicate that the child has experienced trauma in their early days. Trauma, in this case, may include prenatal substance exposure or being born into a neglectful, chaotic or abusive environment. Many adopted children, international or domestic, have faced this kind of suboptimal beginning in life -- a Tough Start. With informative, practical and encouraging material, the Tough Starts Series equips adoptive parents with insight into how their child’s tough start in life may lead to troubling behavior years later and teaches parents how to intercede and help the child heal.