There are few things more difficult or strenuous than the adoption process. Adding any member to a family is life-changing, but adoption is different for a multitude of reasons. Knowing whether the child is the right fit for the family or vice versa can make all the difference and can lead to a very strong emotional outcome regardless of the end result. However, when adoption does work, it is beautiful. It gives both the child and family the opportunity to start something new, marking it as a truly new beginning for everyone involved, but just like with every journey there are bound to be some bumps in the road.
The adoption process is complex, and many families will face unexpected difficulties in interacting with the varied emotional, behavioral, and psychological needs of an adopted child. To aid in this endeavor, post-adoption services can be crucial in helping families work through some of these issues and ease them into their new settings. These services are influential in offering guidance, helping families address issues such as attachment difficulties, trauma recovery, and most importantly adjusting to new family dynamics. By offering a wide range of services such as counseling and family therapy, there are resources available to aid families in creating as stable and nurturing environment for the child.
The adoption process for most children are plagued by neglect, abuse, and a general feeling of unwelcoming. It is therefore no surprise that many children are untrusting or lash out at their new families. Coming from a place of hurt makes it hard to love, but that is where post-adoptive services can help. By giving specialized services to help children process their past and help them believe that they are wanted, adopted children can begin to not feel like a last option. This primarily builds a foundation for a loving family, but it most importantly can help the child learn to trust and love again, opening the door for more positive relationships in their lives.
Adoption services are often marked by disruption or the dissolvement of the adoption. Further damage is brought upon the child and the adoptive family now faces immense guilt or resentment for themselves, the situation, or the child, when really no one person or reason can be blamed. Adoption is difficult, and it takes strong people on both sides to work through the complexities that come with being a new family to make a happy one. Post-adoption services do their best to be part of that positive change, making sure the new family receives the necessary tools and support to facilitate growth. Sonoma, California is looking to help new families grow together by soliciting proposals for the services of a single contractor to provide the Post-Adoption Services Program to families that have completed the adoption process. These services will offer adoptive families an array of supports to assist with developing connections and accessing resource and support to enhance the well-being and stability of the family and adopted child(ren). If interested in this opportunity, click on the link to learn more. The bid closes January 16, 2025.