Mich. Admin. Code R. 400.12605 - Adoptive family evaluation
Rule 605.
(1) An
agency social service worker shall complete a written adoptive evaluation
within 90 days of the family signing an adoption application and prior to
approving a family for adoption.
(2) The report must include the dates and
places of contacts and persons interviewed or observed.
(3) The report must assess all the following:
(a) A minimum of 1 visit at the residence of
the applicants for adoption to conduct observations of, and interviews with,
each member of the household to determine all the following:
(i) Marital and family status and history,
including current and previous level of family functioning and relationships
and any incidents of domestic violence.
(ii) Educational history and any special
skills and interests.
(iii)
Employment history, current financial status, including property and income,
money management skills, and outstanding financial obligations.
(iv) Physical, mental, and emotional health
of each member of the household.
(v) Any history of substance use disorder of
each member of the household.
(vi)
Parenting skills and attitudes toward children.
(vii) Methods of calming children and
responding to challenging behaviors.
(viii) Adjustment and special needs of the
applicant's own children, including children not living in the home.
(ix) Strengths and weaknesses of each member
of the household.
(x) Experiences
with own parents and any history of out-of-home care.
(xi) Reasons for adopting.
(xii) Previous licenses or experience in
providing child foster care, child day care, or adult foster care.
(xiii) Willingness to accept and support an
adoptive child with the child's individual characteristics, needs, and
background.
(xiv) Willingness to
parent cross-racially or cross-culturally and to create an atmosphere that
fosters the racial identity and culture of an adopted child.
(xv) Willingness and ability to understand an
adopted child's attachment to the birth family and other significant
relationships.
(xvi) An
understanding of and willingness to participate in concurrent
planning.
(xvii) Willingness and
ability to give an adopted child guidance, love, and affection and accept the
child as a member of the household.
(xviii) Existence of social support system
and alternate care providers.
(b) Previous adoption evaluations or
placements.
(c) Previous criminal
convictions and confirmed child abuse or neglect or concerns brought to the
agency or department's attention for any member of the household.
(d) Three current references from persons not
related to the applicants. There must be an evaluation of any negative
references.
(e) A medical statement
for each member of the household that indicates that the member has no known
condition which would affect the care of an adoptive child. The statement must
be signed by a physician within the 12-month period before the adoptive
evaluation.
(f) Safety and
maintenance of the applicant's house and property, including, but not limited
to, the following:
(i) Sufficient beds and
sleeping space.
(ii)
Pets.
(iii) Weapons.
(iv) Fire and water hazards.
(g) Assessment of the
neighborhood, schools, community, and available resources for the purpose of
adoption.
(h) The plan for
guardianship of the child or children in the event of the parent or parents'
death or permanent disability preventing continuation of parental
responsibility.
(i) The family's
plan to discuss adoption with any child adopted.
(j) Training needs of the family.
(k) The age, number, gender, race, ethnic
background, and characteristics of children preferred by the
applicants.
Notes
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