Literature Review: Intercountry Adoption and Private Domestic Adoption. National Training & Development Curriculum for Foster and Adoptive Parents

Abstract

The Administration on Children, Youth & Families, Children’s Bureau funded the development of a national training initiative to prepare foster and adoptive parents to effectively parent children exposed to trauma and to provide these families with ongoing skill development needed to understand and promote healthy child development. At the end of the grant period, states, counties, tribes, territories, and private agencies will have access to a free, comprehensive curriculum that has been thoroughly evaluated, which can be used to prepare, train, and develop foster and adoptive parents. The National Training and Development Curriculum for Foster/Adoptive Parents (NTDC) will be designed for families who are fostering and/or adopting children through the public child welfare system as well as those adopting through an intercountry or private domestic process.

This literature review was conducted to help identify characteristics parents who adopt via the intercountry or private domestic process need to embody in order to be successful as well as suggested training themes for these parents. The review resulted in the identification of 10 specific characteristics and 9 training recommendations that parents who want to adopt privately, either domestically or intercountry, need to have exposure to best prepare them for their caretaking roles.