The session today was extremely informative. The social workers spoke about every aspect of adoption and welcomed questions from the couples in attendance. I was happy to find the two social workers as very warm, open and approachable people. They made us feel at ease, while explaining the good and possible bad about adoption.
They started the session by telling us more about the agency. We have chosen to work though Johannesburg Child Welfare (http://www.jhbchildwelfare.org.za/). They receive about thirty abandoned babies every month. They also work with birth mothers who consent to give their baby up for adoption, children taken away from their families for various reasons, as well as child-headed households. The City of Johannesburg places most of these children in the care of Johannesburg Child Welfare.
In the five hour session, we came to understand the process of adoption better. There are no set rules about the length of time or number of interviews, as there are many factors that can influence this. We expect to be busy with the screening process for at least four months, but it could be a year. We will attend a number of interviews with the social worker assigned to us- anything from 4 to 6, or more- each lasting two to three hours. Apart from these interviews, we have do undergo a basic medical assessment, to check for underlying chronic conditions or disease that we are unaware of. We will also have a psychological assessment done, as well as a marriage assessment. Some people seem to find this process very intrusive. I suppose it can be, but these social workers need to make decisions that are in the best interest of the children in their custody. They need all the information that they can get about the families that want to adopt the children.
In South Africa, the Child Protection Act requires all persons who work with children to get a clearance from the police stating that they are not registered on the National Child Protection Register, as well as that they do not have a criminal record.
The social worker will also do a home visit and screen our support system. They explained how important our support system is and we are confident that the people close to us are just as excited about our baby as we are.
The inevitable race discussion also came up. Since we are applying for a transrace (or transculture) adoption, we need to be prepared for different reactions and questions, not only from strangers, but also from our child. I am glad that I already started reading some books and blogs and have been fairly prepared for all the questions and reactions up to this point. We are privileged to know another couple who have adopted two beautiful babies through transrace adoption and have already started to spend time with them. The social workers also referred us to a group of parents who have gone through the process and meet on a regular basis.
We are confident that we will find favour through the process and that God will give us our child at the right time, whether in four months time, or in a year's time. The process sounds daunting, but exciting at the same time!
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