Family Focus Adoptions Services- In-House Transition

The Family Focus Adoption In-House Transition service focuses on the period of time when a child moves into a pre-adoptive home, until the adoption is finalized (or the placement is disrupted). Each transition has a team of workers: one worker assigned exclusively to the child, one worker assigned exclusively to the family, a continuity worker, agency caseworker, and county caseworker. It is imperative that both the child and maybe parent(s) have their own workers who provide separate supports and services, so open and honest discussions about the transition can happen. The continuity worker is the first team member to meet the child and introduce them to the idea of a specific family, and where possible should see the case from beginning to end. The agency caseworker meets with the maybe-family and child together monthly for supervision and group style-support, and the county worker is the authority for each transition. This team of workers act as the advocates for children and maybe-families, giving support, troubleshooting problems, and guiding the child and family through the 3-step transition process: (1) Introductions between maybe-parents and child; (2) Adoption Steps; and (3) Adoption Covenant Ceremony.