Definition of Special Needs (for the purpose of Adoption)
Preparing Special Needs children for Adoption: Role of Adoption Agencies
It is important for families to recognize that adopting internationally poses some risk with children who come from institutions. While many institutionalized children recover from these traumas, others continue to have residual effects. Parents need to be prepared and flexible if they plan to be successful as adoptive families. Disruptions can be prevented if progress reports are monitored very carefully and parents seek appropriate help and counseling. Disruptions should be informed to CARA and should be addressed with the particular agency which sponsored the application of the foreign parents. Children who cannot be adopted either in in-country, or in inter-country adoption should be placed in group homes or foster-care if possible.
- The agency abroad should be given detailed child study reports and medical data and counseling reports, for older children. No fact should be hidden. The agency should be prepared to give additional information on the child’s milestone development, additional medical tests if required and answers to queries prospective parents may raise, concerning these children.The child study report should portray the child sensitively and positively and at the same time not gloss over deficiencies that the child may have.
- Children should be prepared for the placement. Older children should see photographs of the family. Counselling for the child is essential.
- Language is important, for the child to assimilate into the family. Therefore it is necessary for the child to be taught in English, or be exposed to the language of their new family. Children should be educated in the interim period, so that they can fit into school when they go in adoption.
- Share family albums, photographs and small gifts and letters from the prospective parents with the child, to start the bonding process.
- Inculcate good habits in the child for eating, going to the toilet, hygiene and manners.
All these children must be evaluated by professionals for their medical/social/emotional/intellectual capacities, at the time of entry into the agency.
A checklist with a range of medical conditions should be presented to all prospective adoptive parents for their perusal, along with an adequate explanation by the social worker doing the home study. Parents who opt to consider a child with some special need will get priority in placement. The PAPs may click on the checklist any condition that they may be willing to consider. Thus the agency will have a ready list of any parent/parents who are willing to consider a child with special needs. This will facilitate the placement of such children in adoption. This checklist may be given to all prospective parents so that a database of such PAP’s is always available. This will facilitate Indian agencies to promote the adoption of special needs children in domestic adoption.
We should not consider any child to be unplaceable, before trying our level best to find a family. This needs time and patience and constantly updating child studies and photographs, to keep the child “alive” in the eyes of the foreign placement agencies. We can also make this agenda visible to Indian couples. A few special needs children have been placed with Indian families and older couples are taking older children. Great care has to be exercised in these placements and support services have to be set in place for post-adoption issues. Older children are often disturbed and traumatized, due to abuse and abandonment and neglect and perhaps long stays in not so good institutional care.