When deciding to add to your family through a foster care adoption, it's important to take many factors into consideration. Can you be the type of parent that a former abused or neglected child needs? Take a moment and truly assess your parenting needs, which ones can your adoptive family fulfill and not fulfill? Can you meet the behavioral needs of the child? Lastly, school and community needs are also important. Can your school and community successfully meet the child's needs? Some children need to have strong community support in order to be successful in the home, family, and school environments.
Here are a few of the most common phrases used in waiting children profiles to describe the school and community needs of waiting children.
Be able to access services within the community. This child may need a variety of services such as individual and family therapy, physical, speech, or occupational therapy. Some children benefit from social skills group, anger management group, and case management services. If children are prescribed medication to help with behaviors or emotional issues that often come from past abuse and neglect, children will also then need medication management services. All of these services can usually be found within community based mental health centers. If you don't have resources close to home, research options in other communities and consider how far you are willing and able to drive on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Ask: What types of services is the child currently receiving? What other types of services does the team think the child will need in the future? How is the child progressing?
Other phrases used in waiting children profiles with similar meaning include: Child needs medication management. Adoptive parents need to make sure that they have access to any mental health services the child may need. Child needs ongoing mental health services.
Child is under an IEP. An Individual Education Plan(IEP) sets out goals and directives for the special education services the child needs to receive in school in order for the child to be successful at school. Ask: What type of special education services does the child need at school? Does the child need any other services in the school setting?
May need help with speech. This child may need speech therapy in the future. This is a service that the child can receive through the school system with an IEP.
Child has significant medical needs. This child will need additional medical and/or physical supports from the community, perhaps throughout the child's life. Some children with significant medical needs require constant monitoring and in-home services. Ask: What types of community needs will this child require as he continues to grow? What community supports is the child utilizing at this time?
Other phrases used in waiting children profiles with similar meaning include: Child has severe physical needs. Child has global developmental delays
Child receives support services from school. This child needs additional support in order to make it throughout a school day. The support may be an attendant care worker that sits with him during the day or a special needs classroom. Ask: What type of supports does the child utilize during the day in order to be successful? What behaviors has the child been struggling with in school? What helps a child's day go smoother? What tends to make for a rocky or hard day for the child?
Other phrases used in waiting children profiles with similar meaning include:Child struggles with his behaviors in school; he will need supports in place in order to be successful.
Return to How to Better Understand the Profiles of Waiting Children.
