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Intercountry adoptive parent education

• Module 1 - Introduction
  • What is adoption?
  • Who is involved in the adoption process?
  • The adoption process
  • Adoption Services Queensland
  • Suggested reading
• Module 2 - The needs of overseas children requiring permanent adoptive placements in Queensland
  • Overseas country information
  • Are you suited to intercountry adoption?
  • Motivation to adopt
  • Issues and challenges faced by adoptive parents
  • Placement proposals
  • Building resilience with your adopted child
  • Suggested reading
• Module 3 - Child development
  • Understanding child development
  • Factors that impact on child development
  • A child's understanding of adoption
  • Suggested reading
• Module 4 - Attachment and bonding
  • Attachment theory
  • What is attachment and bonding?
  • Types of attachment
  • Attachment behaviour
  • Signs of healthy attachment and bonding
  • Attachment disorder
  • Impact of attachment on adoptive parenting
  • The arousal-relaxation cycle
  • Developing an attachment with your child
  • Suggested reading
• Module 5 - Separation, grief and loss
  • Definition of loss and grief
  • The impact of loss on adoptive parents
  • The impact of loss on adopted children
  • Effects and strategies for dealing with a child's loss
  • Understanding the impact of loss on an adopted child
  • The impact of loss on birth parents
  • The grief process
  • Suggested reading
• Module 6 - Identity and culture
  • Your feelings about ethnic background and culture
  • The impact of adoption on your family
  • Definition of ethnicity, culture and identity
  • Addressing cultural identity
  • The cultural heritage plan
  • Barriers to developing a child's cultural identity
  • A child's racial awareness
  • Stages of development of racial identity
  • Combating racism
  • Telling your child they are adopted
  • The adoptive family life cycle
  • Suggested reading
• Module 7 - Preparing for assessment
  • Departmental assessment considerations
  • Assessing a couple's suitability
  • Meeting the assessment criteria
  • The assessment process
  • Placement considerations
  • Assessors - their perspective
  • Establishing a family tree and Ecomap
  • Suggested reading
• Module 8 - Placement information
  • Medical assessment of children adopted from overseas
  • Lodging an application with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship
  • Migration Health Check
  • Naming your child
  • Travel arrangements
  • Arrival in Australia
  • Queensland Birth Certificate
  • Australian Citizenship
  • Adoptive parent support groups
  • Life Story Book
  • Suggested reading
• Module 9 - General reading
• Family profile
  • My family profile
• Printable version
• Contacts

Your feelings about ethnic background and culture

• What are your feelings?
• Preparing to adopt
• Activity 1 - Your feelings about ethnic background and culture

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What are your feelings?

It is important to examine your feelings about ethnic background and culture:

• Do you relate to some ethnic groups more than others?
• What do you know about other cultures?
• Do you find yourself thinking 'not too dark', 'mostly European', or 'the lighter the better'? If so, do you really mean 'the whiter the better'?

Everyone has prejudices. It is important that couples who are considering intercountry adoption are honest with themselves so they can deal with their prejudices.

Unless you can accept a child's ethnic and cultural background, you should reassess your decision to adopt a child from overseas.

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Preparing to adopt

In preparing to adopt a child from a different country of origin, we suggest that you consider the following ideas:

• Purchase books with stories and illustrations about the child's cultural and social origins.
• Do some research on museums, art exhibitions and concerts for events which reflect the child's cultural heritage.
• Prepare yourself to introduce topics around the child's cultural and social origin rather than wait for the child to ask.
• Prepare your family to discuss adoption and ethnic background following a topical item on television or radio.

Your child may feel confused if both parents fundamentally disagree on these issues, so it is important that they are discussed before you proceed with adoption.

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Last updated

19 October 2007