GEORGIA DIVISION OF AND CHILDREN SERVICES CHILD WELFARE POLICY MANUAL Chapter: (11) Effective Policy September 2018 Adoption Preparation Date: Title: Policy Previous 103 – 103.1 11.1 Number: Policy #: 105.1

CODES/REFERENCES O.C.G.A. §19-8-1 Definitions O.C.G.A. §19-8-23 Where Records of Adoption Kept; Examination by Parties and Attorneys; and Use of Information by Agency and Department of 1978 (P.L. 95-608)

REQUIREMENTS The Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) shall prepare both parent(s) and child for the upcoming separation and loss when: 1. Parental have been voluntary surrendered; 2. Parental rights have been terminated; or 3. It has been determined that the permanency plan of adoption or a concurrent plan of reunification and adoption is in the best interest of the child.

PROCEDURES To prepare the family for adoption, the Social Services Case Manager (SSCM) will: 1. Secure background information from parents and family members. 2. Thoroughly explore the child’s background to determine if they are of American Indian heritage. If there is any information that suggest the child is subject to the Indian Child Welfare Act, adhere to the provisions outlined in policy 1.6 Administration: Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and Transfer of Responsibility for Placement and Care to the Tribal Agency. NOTE: A child is subject to ICWA if the child is a member of a federally recognized Indian Tribe, or eligible for membership and has a biological parent who is an enrolled member. 3. Complete with the parent(s) the Birth Family Background Information for Child form. 4. Begin the Life Book, if one has not been started: a. Secure or take photographs of the parent(s), home, pets and other family members if possible. b. Encourage the parent(s) to provide letters, pictures, audiotapes or any other information to be included in the Life Book. c. Gather medical history to include place of birth, significant illnesses, names of doctors and clinics utilized for child’s record. d. Use the Life Book process to work with both the child(ren) and parent(s) around the impending separation, if possible.

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5. Inform the parent(s) of the provisions of the Adoption Reunion Registry, which allows the parent(s) the option to register his/her willingness to have future with the child (see policy 11.17 Adoption: Adoption Reunion Registry for the complete provisions of the adoption reunion registry). 6. Inform the (legal and biological) parent(s) and child (if at least 14 years of age) of the possibility of entering into a post adoption contact agreement with the pre-adoptive or adoptive parent(s). (see policy 11.15 Adoption: Post Adoption Contact Agreement for provisions of a post adoption contact agreement): a. Have the birth parent(s) determine if he/she would like to consider this option; and b. Obtain the birth parent(s) decision on his/her willingness to engage in a post adoption contact agreement. 7. Submit a request to have the putative registry checked to identify possible biological who are not the legal father of the child. See policy 11.2 Adoption: Putative Father Registry & Birth Certificates. 8. Obtain a certified copy of the official long form birth certificate with the state registration number and raised seal (see policy 11.2 Adoption: Putative Father Registry & Birth Certificates).

To prepare a child for the adoption, the SSCM will: 1. Make the child aware that he/she will be moving into an adoptive home. 2. Encourage the child to face and deal with his/her feelings about his/her birth family and the final separation from them. 3. Encourage the child to express his/her feelings of sadness, anger, rejection, anxiety, etc. around the prospective change. 4. Assist the child in understanding about adoption and the difference from . 5. Encourage the child to face and deal with his/her feelings regarding leaving the foster home, if applicable. 6. Include the child in the planning, with a chance to express the type of family with whom he/she would like to live. 7. Start the child’s Life Book if it was not initiated when the child entered foster care. It is a useful tool in helping the child understand his/her history and to identify, and begin to deal with, feelings regarding the past. 8. Use the licensed therapist as a resource that may assist in preparing a child for the transition into an adoptive family.

PRACTICE GUIDANCE A fundamental part of an adoption program is based in Family Centered Practice. The parent(s) may come to the agency requesting to voluntarily surrender their legal parental rights to the child, or they may be involved in court action to terminate parental rights. No matter which manner they enter the adoption program, it is important that their rights be safeguarded and that the necessary information is secured to provide as smooth a transition as possible for the child to move into a permanent home.

It is important to obtain as much information as possible from birth parent(s) and family members to allow the child to have as much knowledge as possible regarding his/her biological heritage. The SSCM should help the parent(s) understand the importance of the child having information regarding his/her biological heritage as he/she passes through the

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various developmental stages. The collection of background information can also assist the parent(s) in the separation process and provide relative resources for placement.

Working with the child around the separation and loss of the biological family can begin the process that will allow the child to be ready to move into an adoptive family. Even if the child is to be adopted by the foster family where he/she has been living for some time, the issues around adoptive placement must be addressed as the change in status from foster child to adoptive child in the family will have a great effect on the relationships and the family system. A good relationship with the child enables the SSCM to help the child move into the adoptive family more readily.

Adoption Reunion Registry The Georgia Adoption Reunion Registry provides services to birth parents, adopted persons, adoptive parents and siblings who are attempting to obtain non-identifying or identifying information from the sealed file.

Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 was enacted by Congress to address the alarming rate of removals of American Indian children from their homes for foster care and adoptive placements. The Act establishes standards as well as a protocol for providing child welfare services to ensure that agencies meet the cultural needs of Indian children requiring out-of- home placement and to protect the continued existence and integrity of Indian tribes. It gives the Indian child’s parents or Indian custodian and their tribe the right to intervene or request transfer to their tribal court of any proceedings involving out-of-home placement of or termination of parental rights to an Indian child. If the child is a member of a tribe or eligible for membership in a tribe, the family, the Indian custodian and the tribe have rights under the ICWA. These rights apply to any child protection case, adoption, guardianship, termination of parental rights action, runaway, or truancy matter involving the placement of an Indian child (foster care placements, termination of parental rights, pre-adoptive placements, adoptive placements, both voluntary and involuntary placements, transfers of placement and placements due to failed ). 1. “Foster care placement” means any action removing an Indian child from the parent or Indian custodian for temporary placement in a foster home or institution or in the home of a guardian or conservator where the parent or Indian custodian cannot have the child returned upon demand, but where parental rights have not been terminated; 2. “Termination of parental rights” means any action that may result in the termination of the parent-child relationship; 3. “Pre-adoptive placement” means the temporary placement of an Indian child in a foster home or institution after the termination of parental rights, but prior to or in lieu of adoptive placement; and 4. “Adoptive placement” means the permanent placement of an Indian child for adoption, including any action resulting in a final decree of adoption.

ICWA defines the term “Indian” as any person who is a member of a federally recognized American Indian Tribe or Alaska Native Village, or who is an Alaskan Native and a member of the Regional Corporations formed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA).

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Indian Child Any unmarried person who is under age 18 and is determined by the Tribe, Bureau of Indian Affairs, or Department of the Interior, to be: 1. A member or eligible for membership of an Indian Tribe as determined by the Tribe and/or Nation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), or the Department of the Interior; or 2. Eligible for membership in an Indian Tribe as determined by the Tribe and the biological child of a member of an Indian Tribe.

Post Adoption Contact Agreement A post adoption contact agreement is a voluntary written agreement between the pre-adoptive or adoptive parent(s) and birth relative(s) to permit continuing contact between the birth relative(s) and the child.

FORMS AND TOOLS Adoption Process - Georgia SHINES Job Aide Birth Family Background Information for Child Creating and Using Life Books Viewing Family Systems

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