Adoption Competence

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Adoption Competence

• Developing a Certificate Program
• for Mental Health Providers

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An Historical Glimpse

• U.S. Adoptions 100 years ago

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WANTEDHomes for Children

• A company of homeless children
• from the East will arrive at Troy, MO.
• on FRI, FEB 25th 1910

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WANTEDHomes for Children

• A company of homeless children
• from the East will arrive at Troy, MO.
• on FRI, FEB 25th 1910
• Come see the children and hear the address.
• Distribution will take place on Fri Feb 25 at
  130 p.m.

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The Saga of Andrew Burke and John Brady

• John Brady described as
• the homeliest, toughest, most unpromising boy
  in the whole lot

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• I had a curious desire to see what could be made
  of such a specimen of humanity.
• Andrews adoptive father

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Outcomes

• John Brady grew up to become the Governor of
  Alaska.
• Andrew Burke became the Governor of ND.

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Adoption 50 Years Ago

• Typical Post-Adoption Protocols

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IF a Birth Mother Calls BackInform
her that her baby has been placed with a loving
couple and is thriving.

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If Adoptive Parents Call Back

• Advise them.

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What We Know Now

• Permanency is not simply a placement event, but
  rather a process that implicates a range of child
  and family well-being issues.
• Madelyn Freundlich Lois Wright (2003)

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Adoptive Families Need Services in Four
Categories

• Educational and informational services
• Material services
• Support services
• Clinical services
• Barth, Gibbs, Siebenaler (2001)

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NYSOCFS Adoptive Family Survey (2006)

• 77 of respondents reported seeking therapeutic
  treatment
• 51 of respondents sought treatment for an
  adoption related concern
• 26 of respondents believed their therapists had
  no knowledge of adoption issues
• 82 of respondents indicated they would tend to
  use a therapist who they knew received adoption
  therapy
• Anderson, Ernest, Rivera, Brenda (10-21-06)
  MALDI Presentation Adoption Competency in New
  York State Developing a Post Adoption
  Certificate Program.

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Parent Comment

• The professionals who helped me the most were
  the ones who didnt know anything about my
  childs issues and admitted it, but were willing
  to listen and learn.
• Grillo, Linda, Meany, Dee Rich, Christine. In
  Their Own Words (1998)

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Some Earlier Efforts

• The Adoption Community of New England, Inc
• Programs for Professionals
• The 13th Annual Training Day for
• Professionals Who Work with Adoptive
• and Foster Families

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Adoption Clinical TrainingA Curriculum for
Professionals Servingall Members of
theAdoption Constellation
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• We go to workshops and come away with
  information, but not with a feeling of competence
  in adoptive family therapy. We need more!
• WA State licensed therapist

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Adoption Certificate Programs

• New Jersey / Rutgers University
• Washington / NWAE
• Oregon / Portland State University
• New York/ Hunter College

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Survey of Program Graduates
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Survey of Program Graduates
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Survey of Program Graduates
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Overall Results
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Additional Student Comments

• The quality of the information presented has
  been excellent.
• The curriculum offered opportunity to explore an
  important topic in depth.
• The program was invaluable to my understanding
  of parent-child interactions.
• The materials used were fantastic.
• Recommend replication of a model (this one) that
  works.

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Curricula Core Topics

• The life-cycle of adoption / adoption as a
  life-long process
• The significance of birth family members
  relationships among triad members
• Diversity in adoption, including trans-racial and
  trans-cultural placements
• Grief and loss in adoption
• Impact of abuse, neglect, and trauma
• Attachment in adoption
• The effects of drug or alcohol exposure

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Sample NJ Course Curriculum

• Required Workshops
• 1. The Psychology of Adoption
• 2. Life Cycle Experience of Adoption Infant
  Placement
• 3. Life Cycle Experience of Adoption Older Child
  Placement

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NJ Curriculum (cont.)

• Core Clinical Workshops (Required)
• 4. Attachment-Focused Therapy for
  Post-Institutionalized Children
• 5. Family-Focused Therapy for Post-Institutionaliz
  ed Children
• 6. Behavior Management and Discipline with
  Traumatized Children
• 7. Individual Therapy with Adopted Children

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NJ Curriculum (cont.)

• Sample Elective Workshops
• Trans-racial Issues in Adoption
• Therapeutic Group Services in Adoption
• The Impact of Deprivation and Trauma on
  Development Implications for Adoption
• Birth Family Issues in Adoption
• Clinical Services to Birth Families
• Diversity in Adoption
• Understanding and Responding to Children who
  have Sexual Behavior Problems

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On the Horizon

• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Kansas
• Minnesota
• Ohio

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Six Steps to Creating Your Program

• 1 Establish the Need for Your Program
• 2 Determine the Target Audience
• 3 Secure the Funding
• 4 Identify Community Partners
• 5 Develop Committees and Identify
  Responsibilities
• 6 Execute and Test a Pilot Program

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Step 1 Establish the Need for Your Program

• Write a brief summary of the need.
• Include current national literature and research.
  
• The Casey Center for Effective Child Welfare
  Practice Strengthening Families and Communities
  Promising Practices in Adoption-Competent Mental
  Health Services. 2005
• Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute Whats
  Working for Children A Policy Study of Adoption
  Stability and Termination. 2004.

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Step 1 Establish the Need for Your Program
(cont.)

• Include documentation of the need within your
  state
• Survey of adoptive parents
• (Sample in Tools section)

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Step 2 Determine the Target Audience

• Who are the students?
• Mental health professionals?
• Caseworkers and social workers?
• Both?
• Masters level only?

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Program Developers Views

• Much of the casework of adoption is therapeutic.
• WA Advisory Committee
• We find that the new post-adoption specialists
  may know very little about adoption.
• NJ Program Instructor

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Program Developers Views

• We offer a therapy program, not social work or
  caseworker training. The training of adoption
  staff requires a different curriculum you
  cannot effectively mix the two.
• Oregon Program University Partner

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Student comments

• Decide who is being targeted for the program
  clinicians or child welfare adoption staff
  somewhat different focus and needs.
• Separate the Masters from the others, and create
  a much more clinically based program for
  therapists.

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Student comments (cont.)

• Many students were adoption workers for State or
  private agencies they need an advanced training
  with a slightly different curriculum than a
  course for therapists

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Step 3 Secure the Funding

• Develop your funding strategy BEFORE you approach
  a University
• (One-time private gifts or grants can help with
  program start-up, but) program sustainability
  relies on a steady fiscal base of support.

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Step 4 Identify Community Partners

• A program built in isolation is fragile.
• WA Advisory Committee
• Potential partners
• private adoption agencies
• public mental health division
• seasoned adoption professionals
• adoptive parent leaders

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Mistakes Made and Lessons Learned

• Engage the mental health system much early in the
  process.
• Involve your states adoptive parents at all
  stages of the process.
• Designate a Permanent Program Manager Position

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Lessons Learned (cont.)

• Connection with a university is essential to
  provide an academic stamp of approval and to
  assure academic rigor.
• Washington Advisory Committee

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How important is University affiliation?
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How Important are CEUs?
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Results

• 50 of the respondents would have participated
  in the program if it had not been associated with
  a college or university.
• 70 would have participated had CEUs not been
  offered.

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Lessons Learned Maintain State Involvement!

• Vital state contributions include
• Identifying on-going fiscal support
• Partnering in program planning, execution, and
  evaluation
• Encouraging attendance by therapists who serve
  the states adoptive families
• Disseminating the therapist list
• Educating staff encouraging staff to use the
  list

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Step 5 Develop committees and identify
responsibilities

• Advisory committee
• helps inform program development
• provides oversight and quality assurance
• Assure awareness of current research, literature,
  evidence-based interventions
• continually evaluates the program

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Step 5 (cont.)

• Executive committee
• Program initiation and execution
• (curriculum development, logistics)
• Include high level state adoption program
  representative and high level mental health
  system representative. (to help build capacity
  and sustainability.)

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Step 6 Test a Pilot Program

• Use mid-program input questionnaire
• Use end of year survey
• Make needed changes
• (Sample surveys provided)

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Additional Suggestions

• Identifying core themes to be woven through the
  class sessions.
• ... needs more course integration less
  stand-alone presenting.
• WA Mid-Year Eval

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NJ Core Themes

• Family is primary healing agent for children
• Issues of loss, grief and abandonment underlie
  the adoption experience
• Stage-appropriate rather than age-appropriate
  clinical interventions
• Adoptees placed beyond infancy have experienced
  trauma
• Recognize resiliency de-pathologize treatment

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NY Core Themes

• Adoption is not an isolated event, but a part of
  a life-long process.
• 2. Attachment difficulties and trauma are
  intricately connected.

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Additional Suggestions (cont.)

• Pedagogical Considerations
• 1. Use Top Level Instructors
• 2. Coach Instructors on Adult Learning Theory

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• Reinforce Transfer from Theory into Practice
• Provide ample case examples
• Assign a final project or practicum
• Develop a second tier of case supervision

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Student Comments

• Little opportunity to apply theories
• I learned almost as much preparing for the
  project as I did from the required readings for
  the course.

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Program Delivery

• On-site or Distance Learning?

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PSU Distance Learning Sessions

• Clinical Practice with Children Adopted from the
  Child Welfare System, Gerald Mallon
• Assessment, Diagnosis and Intervention
  Attachment and Bonding, Joyce McGuire Pavao
• Clinical Practice with Diverse Children and
  Families,Carol Spigner
• Clinical Practice Therapeutic Strategies That
  Work For Adoptive Families, Richard Delaney

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Tools You Can Use

• Sample work plan / timeline
• Program Description, Goals, Objectives
• Program Announcement, PR
• Survey to State Child Welfare Workers
• Survey to Adoptive Parents
• Curriculum Topic Survey
• Curriculum Outline, Abstract

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Tools (cont.)

• Course Evaluations
• Recommended Readings
• Videos used in programs
• Application for Admission
• Memorandum of Agreement

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Parting Advice

• Dont re-invent the wheel
• Borrow shamelessly!

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Questions Answers ______________

• Please submit questions for the QA Follow-up to
• spauldingwebcast_at_gmail.com
• Click on the link located lower right to start.