Our Policies for Providing a Free Adoption Service
Adoption Assistance
Adoption assistance provides families willing and committed to adopt a child with special needs with the financial means to do so.
The National Adoption Center believes that all children with special needs should be eligible for adoption assistance regardless of the income of their birthparents or previous adoptive parents. Additionally, the Center believes that a family must be able to obtain adoption assistance even when a child's special needs have not been determined before the adoption is finalized, but develop later.
In addition, children and youth adopted from foster care
should be eligible for at least the same level of support and benefits
(including any therapeutic or specialized rates) they would have received
in family foster care.
Adoption assistance agreements should clearly state that they will remain
active at least until a youth is 18. For youth with mental, physical,
or behavioral special needs or other special circumstances, adoption assistance
should be extended with state, federal or other funding until a youth
reaches his or her 21st birthday.
Finally, the National Adoption Center advocates that adoption
assistance agreements be reviewed and adjusted over time to realistically
reflect and meet the child's needs.
Approved by the Board of Directors - June 2008
Race and Adoption
The National Adoption Center believes that every child should have a permanent and loving family. The longer a child remains without a parent (s), the more damaging it is to his or her identity, self-esteem and chances of growing into productive adulthood. It is our goal to find a loving home for each child as quickly as possible.
The Center does not discriminate because of race or ethnicity when considering adoption opportunities for children. In compliance with the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act, effective October 1995, the Center does not delay or deny to any person the opportunity to become an adoptive parent solely on the basis of their race, color or national origin.
The Center actively engages in the recruitment of families of color that fit the diverse culture of waiting children. If a transracial placement occurs, agencies should be required to provide additional support to preserve children's racial and cultural connections.
Approved by the Board of Directors - June, 2008
Sibling Adoption
The National Adoption Center believes that siblings play an important role in the healthy development of children. Sibling relationships influence a child's ability to develop basic skills and promote socialization. Because of the unique lifelong nature of the sibling relationship and the pain experienced by children deprived of their siblings, the National Adoption Center actively recruits families for small and large sibling groups and encourages agencies which seek to separate siblings to consider other alternatives.
In cases when siblings must be separated because it is in their best interests, Center staff encourages families to maintain significant, ongoing contact among the children involved. Finally, we advocate strongly for sibling placements and speak out when inappropriate separations are planned.
Approved by the Board of Directors - June, 2008
Child Descriptions Policy
The National Adoption Center believes that a well-written child description is critical in finding a permanent family for a waiting child or sibling group. Its purpose is to "introduce" the child to potential adopters. Therefore, it is the policy of the National Adoption Center that a description of a waiting child should always:
- be accurate, personalized, balanced and respectful of the child's privacy;
- be written in an interesting, concise and grammatically correct manner;
- highlight the uniqueness and individuality of the child;
- be written with the participation of the children, when they are interested and developmentally able to contribute, so that he or she is comfortable with his or her portrayal.
In addition, the Center believes it is important to consider that a child description is intended for the general public and is not intended to replace an in-depth presentation about the child to a selected, potential adoptive family.
This policy statement applies to all types of child specific recruitment including the Internet, photo listing books, flyers and other print media.
Approved by the Board of Directors - June, 2008
Adoptive Parent Homestudies
The National Adoption Center believes that families who are interested in adopting U.S. waiting children are a valuable resource. When all agencies from across the country share access to their approved families, everyone benefits -- the waiting children, the families and agencies.
The Center believes that a family is entitled to receive a copy of its completed homestudy promptly. Further, an agency must release an approved homestudy either to the family or to another agency that requests it.
While individual states may have a standard for how long a homestudy is valid, the National Adoption Center recommends a homestudy should be considered valid in any jurisdiction for a minimum of one year.
Approved by the Board of Directors - June, 2008
Adoption Benefits
The National Adoption Center believes that employers should address the needs of all employees who are building a family, whether through birth or adoption, by offering an equitable benefits policy. The costs of adopting, as well as the need for bonding and adjustment with a new child, parallel the experience of those who give birth. In addition, completing an adoption is often time-consuming and emotionally taxing, and can impinge on work time and productivity.
Our recommended best practice for an adoption benefits policy contains the following components:
- Financial reimbursement to cover these and other reasonable costs: agency or homestudy fees; medical expenses of the child and/or birthmother; temporary foster care fees; legal fees; transportation costs; immigration fees in the case of international adoption.
- Leave policies comparable to those offered to birthparents, to include paid leave in addition to sick, vacation and personal leave time.
- Adoption Resource and Referral Services, including consultation and written information that will save an employee work time in completing the adoption process.
This policy has been developed as a means of communicating a "best practices" model and will be available to the media and to employers requesting information about the establishment of an adoption benefits plan.
Approved by the Board of Directors - June, 2008
Adoptive Parent Assessment
We believe that every child has the right to a loving, nurturing and permanent family.
Therefore, it is the policy of the National Adoption Center that no person should be denied consideration in the adoption process solely based on marital status, sexual orientation, lifestyle, disability, physical appearance, race, gender, age, religion and/or size of family.
Approved by the Board of Directors - June, 2008
Post Adoption
The National Adoption Center believes that society benefits from intact families, including those created through adoption. While all families experience stress, families who have adopted, particularly those who have adopted children with known special needs, often have additional issues for which they need help. Services that address these needs may include, but not be limited to:
- Information and Referral
- Parent Support Groups
- Therapeutic Support
- Case Management
- Crisis Intervention
- Search/Reunion Assistance Community and Internet-based Education and Support
- In-home Services for Children, Commonly Known as "Wraparound Services"
- Respite Care
- Residential Placement
The National Adoption Center believes that the availability and accessibility of post-adoption services are vital to adoptive family preservation and advocates that all adoptive families be informed of post-adoption services.
The Center further believes that states and adoption agencies should be required to develop and provide post-placement support services to families. To that end, all efforts should be made to ensure that existing funding streams are utilized by states to the fullest extent possible and, if necessary, that funding be increased in order to help meet the need.
Approved by the Board of Directors - June, 2008
Adoption and Geography
For many children, an adoptive home cannot be located in their own county or state, and recruitment efforts must include a nationwide search for a permanent family. The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 recognizes the importance of going beyond geographic boundaries to place a child and prohibits denying or delaying a child's adoptive placement when an approved family is available outside of the child's jurisdiction.
The National Adoption Center supports this law and will actively advocate for all public and private agencies to comply with the act. It is the policy of the National Adoption Center that no individual or family should be denied the right to adopt a child because they do not reside within the jurisdiction of the child.
Approved by the Board of Directors - June, 2008
Open Records
The National Adoption Center believes that it is an inalienable right of all citizens, including adopted adults, to have unencumbered access to their original birth certificates. In keeping with this position, we believe that copies of both the original and the amended birth certificate should be given to the adoptive family at the time of finalization unless specifically denied by the birthparents. In any case, the National Adoption Center advocates that the adoptee, at age 18, be granted access to his/her original birth certificate.
The National Adoption Center also supports an adult adoptee's unencumbered access to all medical and historical records.* These records should be given to adopting families prior to finalization.
*Historical records refer to that information acquired about the child before coming into his/her final adoption placement. Such information includes, but is not limited to, foster care placements, childhood photos, information about siblings, number of moves before adoption, reason for entering foster care, details of school history and related school documents and any early history of development which may includes pertinent medical records.
Approved by the Board of Directors - June, 2008