Search for: within: Child Safety Services Child Safety Practice Manual Department of Communities

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

Placement considerations

Prior to the commencement of an assessment of a couple's suitability, the couple will have nominated their preferred overseas country adoption program.

Their connection, understanding, knowledge and commitment to adopting a child from that country and culture will form a significant part of the assessment of their suitability as adoptive parents.

The following factors are considered in determining the placement of a child from an overseas country:

• Age of child requiring adoptive placement
• Placement of siblings
• Age differences between children in the family
• Caring for an adopted child

---

Age of child requiring adoptive placement

It is well documented that many children who become members of an adoptive family demonstrate a range of challenging behaviours, which can often test the patience and understanding of their adoptive parents. An adopted child may not yet have developed the maturity to understand and talk about their adoption, and it is through their behaviours that adoptive parents may understand what their child is feeling.

For many adopted children, their behaviours may reflect their difficulties in forming attachments and developing interpersonal relationships, dealing with grief and loss and feelings of insecurity, distrust and confusion. Adopted children need time and support to adjust to their new family, culture, language and education system.

Research suggests that these problems are often less severe for children adopted at a younger age. As a general rule, we will not approve the placement of a child from an overseas country if the child is over five years of age, unless the child is adopted with their siblings and the youngest sibling is younger than five years of age.

Top of page

Placement of siblings

To enhance adoption outcomes for children and adoptive families, we support the placement of siblings from an overseas country if the couple can demonstrate their capacity to meet the individual and collective needs of a sibling group.

It is important to remember that even if a couple is approved as prospective adoptive parents for siblings, there is no guarantee of a sibling group placement. In some cases, the adoption authority in the overseas country may offer to place a single child with a couple approved for siblings, if there are only individual children requiring a placement at that time. In other cases, a couple's waiting time may be extended until the adoption authority requires a placement for a sibling group.

Top of page

Age differences between children in the family

To promote healthy attachments between children in the adoptive family, we prefer a minimum two-year age gap between the adopted child and other children in the family. This means that when a child is being placed within a family:

• the adopted child must be at least two years younger or older than any other child in the family
• the prospective adoptive mother must not be pregnant at the time of the placement.

Top of page

Caring for an adopted child

The first 12 months of a child's life in their adopted family is a critical period for the child and their family members. During this stage, it is important for the child and their adoptive parents to develop positive attachments and strong relationships.

Couples should carefully plan how they will develop positive attachments with their adopted child. Couples are encouraged to consider how they will promote their child's positive connection with their family during their first 12 months and discuss ideas with Adoption Services Queensland. It can also be very helpful to discuss ideas and experiences with other couples who have adopted a child from overseas.

In situations where both partners are working, couples may chose to take extended leave from work to provide home day care for their child. Generally, one partner will decide to undertake the primary role of carer and arrange to take time away from work. Other couples may prefer to share this experience by alternating periods of leave from work.

We suggest that you contact a support group and meet with other adoptive parents.

Further information

Refer to the list of suggested reading for Module 3 for further information on attachment and child development.

Top of page

Last updated

19 October 2007