Ky.gov
Effective: 8/9/2023

13.4 Matching an Adoptive Family with a Waiting Child

Legal Authority

Introduction

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Practice Guidance

  • ​​​If all parties cannot agree on what is in the best interest of the child(ren) regarding the adoption, including the proposed adoptive family, the referral is withdrawn in TWIST. ​​​​
  • If at any time a referral does not result in a finalized adoption, all materials and information related to the child will be returned to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS/Cabinet).

Procedure

The following steps are initiated to match a family with a child who is available for adoption:

Inquiring Adoptive Families:
  1. The Kentucky Adoption Profile Exchange (KAPE) specialist in central office (CO) receives current home studies for prospective adoptive families interested in a specific child(ren) registered with the KAPE program. 
  2. The KAPE specialist e-mails a copy of the family’s home study to the child’s SSW and Child Focused Recruitment Model (CFRM) specialist to review with other members of the adoptive review committee, within three (3) working days of receiving the home study. 
  3. After reviewing the home study, if the family appears to be a potential match, the SSW and/or CFRM specialist contacts the adoptive family's recruitment and certification (R&C) worker or private-child-placing (PCP) case manager to discuss the family’s availability and suitability to meet the child’s needs. 
  4. The adoption review committee reviews each family’s home study and attachments, documents their comments on the DPP-193-Adoption Review Committee Comments Form, and consults/selects an appropriate prospective adoptive family within fifteen (15) working days of receiving the home study. 1 
  5. The CFRM specialist or child's SSW, depending on regional protocols, returns the DPP-193 to the KAPE specialist within fifteen (15) working days of receiving the home study. If the DPP-193 is not received within fifteen (15) working days of receiving the home study, the KAPE specialist will send a follow-up email to the CFRM specialist and the child's SSW within one (1) month of the original date that the home study was sent to inquire about the status of the review. 
  6. In cases where the family was not identified as a potential match, the KAPE specialist informs the family of the adoption review committee's decision. The KAPE specialist explains that the family may submit an inquiry for another child at this time if the family is interested in other children. 
  7. When the committee selects a family for consideration of an adoptive referral, the SSW completes the referral in the TWIST permanency/agency case. The SSW and/or the CFRM specialist will notify the KAPE specialist within three (3) working days of the committee's selection so the child's status can be updated on the AdoptUSKids and KAPE websites. 
  8. The SSW retains the home study and attachments of the selected family. 
  9. The SSW and/or CFRM specialist will send the family’s SSW​ a DPP-171A Verbal Exchange of Information Acknowledgment Form ​to be given to and signed by the family to begin verbally sharing information with the family. 
  10. The SSW and/or CFRM specialist should verbally share as much information as known about the child’s needs and behaviors with the family and the family’s SSW once he/she receives the signed DPP-171A. 
  11. The family’s SSW, the child’s SSW, and the CFRM specialist will discuss the match and when everyone agrees to proceed witht the next step, they begin planning the pre-placement conference. 
  12. The notification of interest can also be shared with the FSOS for the child and the adoptive family, KAPE (if the child is registered), the adoption review committee permanency lead (if the child is still registered), and the service region pre-placement conference chair (if applicable). 
Propective Adoptive Families: 
Once all parties agree that the inquiring family is a good match for the child, the following steps begin: 

  1. The SSW or CFRM specialist will send the presentation summary packet to the adoptive family’s R&C worker or PCP case manager. 
  2. The family’s SSW, after reviewing the presentation summary packet, contacts the child’s SSW and CFRM specialist to discuss the placement. When both workers agree to proceed, the child's SSW or CFRM specialist: 
    1. Contacts the prospective adoptive family within five (5) working days either by telephone, email, or letter; 
    2. Provides the prospective adoptive family with the sex, age, and a brief description of the child without disclosing identifying information of the biological family, (i.e., names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and other identifying government program numbers); 
    3. Makes an appointment to meet with the prospective adoptive family to: 
      1. Request the family sign the DPP-171 Notice of Confidentiality Requirements Acknowledgement Cover Sheet and explain the importance of maintaining the child’s information and their biological family’s information confidential; 
      2. Encourage the prospective adoptive parents to discuss feelings and reactions to the information;
      3. Determine if additional information is needed to assist the family in making an informed decision; 
      4. Provide a copy of the presentation summary packet with all identifying information redacted to the family so they may review the information before the pre-placement conference; 
      5. Discuss the placement process, (e.g., pre-placement conference, visitation, and adoption assistance); 
      6. Offer the family time to make their decision about the referral; and 
      7. Ensure the original DPP-171 is uploaded in the foster/adoptive family's TWIST case file and in the child’s TWIST agency case; 
  3. When the family does not accept the referral, the familiy's SSW notifies the following staff in writing identifying the reason for non-acceptance: 
    1. The FSOS for the child and the adoptive family; 
    2. The KAPE specialist (if the child is registered); ​
    3. The child's SSW and CFRM specialist; 
    4. The adoption review committee permanency lead; and 
    5. The service region pre-placement conference chair. 
  4. The SSW for the prospective adoptive family obtains all information regarding the child from the prospective adoptive family and returns it to the child’s SSW. 
  5. If any other staff has information regarding a child, they also return this information to the child’s worker if the adoption is not finalized.​
  6. When the family and all involved parties agree to move forward with the referral, please refer to SOP 13.17 Planning the Placement/Pre-Placement Conference​ for information and guidance.

Contingencies and Clarifications 

  1. When the prospective adoptive family resides in another state, the pre-placement conference may be held before submitting the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) referral to ensure that all parties are still interested in moving forward with the adoptive process after all relevant information has been shared and discussed. However, no contact or visits shall be held until after the ICPC referral has been completed and both states have signed the ICPC-100A as outlined in SOP Chapter 10. The SSW follows all requirements in SOP Chapter 10​ regarding making interstate adoptive placements.




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​​​Footnotes

  1. ​The KAPE specialist may assist with reviewing home studies if needed as a member of the adoption review committee as outlined in SOP 13.13 Placement Resources​. 

Documents

Revisions

​8//8/2023

1. The Kentucky Adoption Profile Exchange (KAPE) specialist in central office (CO) receives current adoptive home studies for prospective adoptive families interested in specific children registered with the KAPE program. 

​ 3.  After reviewing the home study, if the family appears to be a potential match, the SSW and/or CFRM specialist contacts the adoptive family’s recruitment and certification (R&C) worker or private-child-placing (PCP) case manager to discuss the family’s availability and suitability to meet the child’s needs. 
9.  The SSW and/or CFRM specialist will send the family’s worker (only non-DCBS families) ​a DPP-171A Verbal Exchange of Information Acknowledgment Form ​to be given to and signed by the family to begin verbally sharing information with the family. ​
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​12.  The notification of interest can also be shared with the FSOS for the child and the adoptive family, KAPE (if the child is registered), the adoption review committee permanency lead (if the child is still registered), and the service region pre-placement conference chair (if applicable). 
13.  If making an interstate placement, the SSW follows all requirements in SOP 10 regarding making interstate adoptive placements, prior to planning or holding the pre-placement conference. 

Propective Adoptive Families: 
Once all parties agree that the inquiring family is a good match for the child the following steps begin: 
1.  The SSW or CFRM specialist will send the presentation summary packet to the adoptive family’s R&C worker or PCP case manager. 

ii. Sign the confidentiality agreement after specifying what information has been shared with the prospective adoptive parent; Verbally share all presentation information; 

​vii.  Ensures the Places the original DPP-171 is uploaded in the foster/adoptive family's TWIST case and  file and a copy in the child’s TWIST agency case; 
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6.  When the family and all involved parties agree to move forward with the referral please refer to SOP 13.17 Planning the Placement/Pre-Placement Conference for information and guidance.

Contingencies and Clarifications 

  1. When the prospective adoptive family resides in another state, the pre-placement conference may be held before submitting the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) referral to ensure that all parties are still interested in moving forward with the adoptive process after all relevant information has been shared and discussed.  However, no contact or visits shall be held until after the ICPC referral has been completed and both states have signed the ICPC-100A as outlined in SOP Chapter 10.  The SSW follows all requirements in SOP Chapter 10​ regarding making interstate adoptive placements.





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