Abstract
Adoptive parents experience a great number of challenges throughout the adoption process. Hence, there is a need for thorough preparation of prospective adoptive parents prior to them receiving a child into their family. This study aimed to evaluate a Norwegian pre-adoption course from the view of both adoptive parents and trainers. Participants were 10 adoptive parents and six trainers. Focus groups and semi-structured SWOT interviews were used for the parents and trainers, respectively. Thematic analysis was used as a framework for analyzing the interview data. The course was described in terms of various strengths and weaknesses, concerning the course framework, content, administrative support and informants' personal experiences. Multiple suggestions for improving the course were suggested, such as updating the course material, providing trainers with regular updates and ensuring a nuanced presentation of the material. Participants also reported a need for post-adoptive services and had various suggestions for what this kind of service should be like, whether it be a continuation of the pre-adoption course, a maternity or support group, or a resource center for adoptive families. These findings are in line with previous research, showing that adoptive families need specialized support that is suited to their unique situation.
Highlights
IntroductionWaiting times have increased and adoptive children tend to be older and have more special needs (e.g., physical and mental illnesses; Baden, Gibbons, Wilson, & McGinnis, 2013; McKay & Ross, 2010; Tirella, Tickle-Degnen, Miller, & Bedell, 2012)
The number of children adopted internationally has decreased dramatically over the past decade (Statistics Norway, 2018; U.S Department of State, 2018)
Some themes were specific to one group of informants (e.g., “Administrative support” was only reported by trainers), though most themes were reported by both adoptive parents and trainers (e.g., “Course content”; see Table 2 for an overview)
Summary
Waiting times have increased and adoptive children tend to be older and have more special needs (e.g., physical and mental illnesses; Baden, Gibbons, Wilson, & McGinnis, 2013; McKay & Ross, 2010; Tirella, Tickle-Degnen, Miller, & Bedell, 2012). This adds to the already existing demands of becoming and being an adoptive parent. One of the challenges for prospective adoptive parents includes going through a long period of undeliberate childlessness and infertility treatment attempts (Hogström et al, 2012). The need for high-quality preadoption courses that prepare prospective parents for adoption, must be a priority in receiving countries, and has led some foreign countries to require documentation that adoptive parents have participated in such a pre-adoption course
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