Adoption Medical Clearance Received!

We received some very exciting mail in the post today! Our medical assessments for our adoption application were submitted only last week thanks to the stuff up at our GP, but we have already received our medical clearances!

We are so thrilled to be past this barrier. I was so nervous that despite all the life changes we have implemented, that something would still go wrong, but it didn't.

So onto the next step in the adoption process. We need to pay a $750 registration fee, after which we will be assigned an assessor and proceed to the 'suitability for adoptive parenthood' assessment stage.

While I don't know everything that will be in this stage, I've re-checked some of my original adoption seminar notes, and know that the following things are covered:

• Assessors are contract workers, usually a psychologist or social worker
• Takes 12 weeks to complete the assessment
• Consists of a minimum of 6 interviews, 2-3 hours each at home
• Can come into the office to read the assessors report and can make changes to factual information, and we can also include an appendix if we don't agree with a statement.
• Have to meet a range of different competencies
• Physical environment eg childproofing. Need to lock up poisons and medications, provde proof of income, prove that you can commit to 12 months off work to dedicate to the child, have space for a child to live, and no dangerous pets (!)
• Family life & functioning - How we live on a day to day basis, hours of work, what do we do with our spare time, do we currently have kids in our life. What social and family support will we have. What routines will we have in plae. 
• Child rearing beliefs - How were we brought up, and what our beliefs are regarding child rearing eg discipline, other adopted children, our future plans
• Parenting a child from a different background - What if the child is aboriginal or from a different cultural background? How will you deal with racism? What support will you have?
• Children who have additional needs - Are you ready for this and what access to support do you have? In local adoption this often means intellectual disabilities, downs syndrome and cerebal palsy.
• Personal characteristics - How do you communicate as a couple and relate to others. How do you manage stress. Who makes the decisions and how? Demonstrate relationship skills and how you deal with conflict and crisis. 
• Problem Solving - Will you seek support eg counselling if needed. Being aware of own limitations (eg no sleep)
• Motivation and understanding of adoption - Why do we want to adopt? What will be the impact of our adoption. How will extended family respond to adoption? How have our fertility issues affected us. Our attitudes towards open adoption and what contact we would like to have with the birth family
• After all of that, a recommendation will be made to the Adoption Panel about whether we are approved, and if so recommend an age range of the child suitable for us, and if we are suitable for a child with special needs. The panel meets each month. 
• The assessor and the agency will let you know they are considering not approving you and will discuss issues with us. 
• The panel can impose conditions on approval
• The non-approval rate is around 5%, most people opt out if it is unlikely to be approved
• We can review/appeal a decision within 90 days, but we must provide new information or show a procedural error.

The only thought that possibly worries me is how my new job will affect our adoption plans. To be eligible for parental leave (which covers adoption), I need to be working in my new role for 12 months. I start my new job in April, and I realise that the assessment and approval process is going to take some time, probably six months or so. On top of that, the odds of us being placed in the subsequent six months are sooooooo low, like 3% low. But it's possible. Murray and I have discussed it and we know we would make it work financially, but I guess it's one of those niggly thoughts in the back of my mind - I hate being unprepared!

Onwards and upwards!