IAG Education Requirements

ADOPTION CONNECTION JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES OF GREENWICH One Holly Hill Lane ~ Greenwich, CT 06830 203-622-1881 ~ (Fax) 203-622-1885 ~ dschwartz@jfsgreenwich.org

The Adoption Connection program offers ongoing educational opportunities through one-on-one consultations and group meetings. These sessions are an extension of the educational process that is initiated during the homestudy. Program staff recommends that clients who build their families through adoption remain connected with the program throughout the lifetime of their adoption. Adoption Connection will continue to offer workshops on best-practices in adoption. All prospective adoptive families are required to complete ten hours of adoption-related education which can be completed through participation in Adoption Connection programs or outside offerings. All courses of study must be approved in advance by Adoption Connection staff in order to guarantee that they meet the requirements of external adoption regulations and internal agency guidelines.

After the homestudy is initiated, all applicants are offered the opportunity to meet with program staff to review available sources for further education.

The Adoption Connection program currently offers the following workshops:

Choosing between Domestic and International Adoption

A discussion about choosing between domestic and international adoption, including:
• underlying assumptions about each type of adoption
• review of the children available in each type of adoption as well as country-specific information
• evaluation of prospective families' needs and eligibility for various programs

Creating a Domestic Adoption Action Plan

A discussion about the various methods available to Connecticut residents for locating a birthmother, including:
• agency versus identified adoption
• the continuum of open versus closed adoption
• within agency adoption, the range of methods (full agency versus low-cost buy-in)
• within identified adoption, the range of methods (advertising, networking, internet)
• evaluation of prospective families' needs and eligibility for various programs

Preparing a Portfolio for Domestic Adoption

Hands-on consultation for portfolio preparation, including:
• review of sample portfolios and styles
• photo evaluation and selection
• assistance with text and topics
• suggested methods (software, scrapbooking style, outside consultant) and evaluation of suitability of each method for each particular family
• review and editing before final printing

Traveling to Meet Your Child

A discussion about the expectations families have when traveling to meet their children (domestically or internationally), including:
• what is realistic in terms of bonding and attachment
• how to handle the stress of becoming an instant family
• managing expectations of family and friends
• typical behaviors of children meeting adoptive parents (differentiated by age of child and experience, i.e. newborn versus foster care versus post-institutional)
• travel tips and suggestions for domestic and international adoption

Creating Rituals in the Adoptive Family

A discussion about how to create meaningful adoption rituals and why rituals are important to families in general and in particular for adoptive families, including:
• characteristics of rituals
• benefits of rituals in terms of identity, self-esteem, and bonding
• balancing adoptive family traditions with country-of-origin rituals
• managing expectations of family and friends (e.g. baby showers)
• sample poems, songs, and ideas for adoption-related rituals
• participation in a waiting ritual

When Your Child Comes Home: What's Next?

With a guest speaker who is a psychologist and an adoptive parent, a discussion about the post-adoption period, including:
• ages and stages of children's development as it relates to adoption understanding
• managing stress and exhaustion as new parents/how to take care of yourself in order to be a better parent
• managing expectations of family and friends while addressing child's need for bonding and adjustment time

Creating a Lifebook for Your Child

With a guest speaker who is a scrapbooking consultant and an adoptive parent, a discussion about lifebooks, including:
• a discussion about the value of a lifebook in terms of children's self-esteem and identity formation
• tips for creating lifebooks, including suggestions for what to include and how to create private pages

Children's Books and Stories of Adoption

A review and discussion regarding children's books and stories of adoption, including:
• suggested titles for various ages
• demonstration of read-aloud techniques that promote literacy, bonding, and language development
• explanation of the value of children's books and stories of adoption as a means for opening dialogue with a child, as well as self-esteem and identity formation

Surviving the Holiday Season

A discussion about the complications of holidays while waiting for a child, including:
• how to identify emotions elicited by family events
• stragegies for coping with those emotions
• suggestions for activities to promote well-being during stressful times

The Importance of Touch in the Bonding and Attachment Process

With a guest speaker who is a social worker and a licensed massage therapist, a discussion of the importance of touch (massage) in the bonding and attachment process, including:
• review of research regarding benefits of infant and child massage
• techniques for infant and child massage

Sexuality Issues Unique to Adoptive Families

With a guest speaker who is a psychologist and an adoptive parent, a discussion of sexuality issues, including:
• appropriate ways to discuss reproduction and sexuality that incorporate the realities of adoptive families
• review of research regarding sexuality and teenagers who joined their families through adoption

How to Respond to Adoption Comments and Questions from Family, Friends, and Strangers

A discussion of strategies for responding to adoption comments and questions, including:
• role playing responses to various situations, with variations based on whether or not a child is present
• case studies from actual adoptive families with suggestions for possible responses
• examination of internal emotional response to various scenarios and ways to handle those responses
• brief review of the W.I.S.E. Up strategy for children and how parents' responses can help model appropriate responses/behaviors for children