Hague Training
Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAP) who are seeking to adopt a child from a country that is participating in the Hague Adoption Convention must complete 10 hours of training. IFS requires the following training in Convention cases. For a list of convention countries, see Hague Convention Countries.
Reality Check: Common Health and Developmental Issues of Internationally Adopted Children created in collaboration with University of Alabama-Birmingham, International Adoption clinic.
Educates prospective adoptive parents about the risks, needs and developmental issues of institutionalized children using real-life examples in addition to proven research. Provides extensive information and resources lists on topics such as fetal alcohol, attachment, behavioral issues, as well as, common medical and health concerns as they relate to adopted children (4 hours of training)
Includes a worksheet that must be completed and submitted to the family’s IFS Program Director. IFS offers this material for free for families for which we are conducting a home study or international placement.
Click here to begin download: Reality Check.
With Eyes Wide Open: A Preparation Guide to International Adoption offered by AdoptionLearningPartners.org
Helps parents prepare to adopt an international child and offers creative methods to reconstruct the years families have missed with the child. Leads parents through exercises that help them imagine their child’s life during the first years; research and prepare for the challenges of transitioning; and, think about and plan one’s parenting style. Nineteen chapters; self-study format. (4 hours of training)
Copy of Adoption Learning Partners certificate of training completion must be submitted to the family’s IFS Program Director
Adoption Learning Partners offers this course on line for a fee. Please see http://www.adoptionlearningpartners.org for more information.
Guide for Prospective Adoptive Families
The U.S. Department of State has published this guide to inform prospective adoptive parents about the Hague Convention concerning international adoptions and the applicable law. As part of IFS’s training, we require families who are adopting from a Convention country read this Guide and complete a quiz on the content (2 hours).
This Guide has been modified by IFS; we omitted non-information bearing graphics & photos, added a list of Convention countries and added a Quiz.
Includes a Quiz which must be completed and submitted to the family’s IFS Program Director. IFS offers this material for free for families for which we are conducting a home study or international placement.
Click to begin download: Hague PAP Guide with quiz.
Alternate Training. If a prospective adoptive parent wishes to substitute different training for the above, IFS will consider alternative course offerings. However, the content of the courses are determined by U.S. federal regulation and IFS will have to determine if any alternative training adequately covers the material. Complete the Hague Training Checklist and submit it along with any request to consider alternative training.