Date of Award
1990
Document Type
Practicum
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Center for the Advancement of Education
Keywords
adoption, adoptive parents, agency services, board of directors, child abuse, executive director, needs assessment, parent training, placement, preparation for adoption, program development, recruitment, referral agencies, referral sources, residential group care facility, selection, specialized adoption agency, state licensing consultants, youth, sexually abused children
Abstract
The shortage of adoptive parents trained and prepared to successfully parent sexually abused children to youth indicated a need for this residential group care facility to develop a proposal for the addition of a specialized adoption agency as an adjunct to current agency services.
The author developed a proposal for the addition of a specialized adoption agency based upon extensive research and a needs assessment of referral sources. The plan for the addition of the adoption agency was therefore based upon not only the agency's own experience in placement of the graduates of its preparation for adoption program, but also upon the needs of the referral agencies.
The project was received favorably by the referral sources, state licensing consultants, the agency's executive director, and the agency's board of directors. This resulted in continued movement toward the addition of a specialized adoption agency as an additional program service.