Referral for Adoption Services

As you embark on this phenomenal and life-altering journey, this service is designed to make sure that you know what your options are in choosing an adoption practitioner and that you are referred to the right place or person where your needs will be met. The service also aims to assist you with your post-adoption processes in respect of the Registrar of Adoptions and Home Affairs, and to provide referrals for post-adoption after-care and support.

Exploratory Conversation

This conversation is to explore your specific needs in adoption so as to make recommendations and referrals. Each adoptive family will have unique needs and therefore an individualised adoption packages needs be tailored to fit each family, and this starts with the right referral to the right practitioner for you.

Once you have been referred, the following areas will be covered in your screening and preparation process with your adoption social worker, or adoption accredited Child Protection Organisation:

• Best Interests of Child Paramount and the Child-Centric Approach to Adoption;

• Availability of Children and Specification of Child;

• Suitability Screening and what to Expect;

• Timeframes and Expectations;

• Costs

• Challenges and Risks;

• Motivation for Adoption;

• Local Adoption Process;Open Adoption versus Semi-Open Adoption versus Closed Adoption;

• RACAP and Matching (same race and cross-racial);

• Child’s Process: abandonment versus consent versus removal versus orphaned;

• Care Options Available to Adoptable Children and What to Expect;

• Medical Information;

• Older Child Adoption;

• Special Needs Adoption;

• Meeting your Child for the First Time: Transfer of Care and Support in the First Weeks of Becoming a Family;

• Selecting Guardians for your Child and Amending your Last Will and Testament prior to the Adoption;

• Adoption Legislation (Children’s Act 38 of 2005).

• Adoption Order and Court process;

• After care services and support;