Through your adoption journey, please keep these 3 things in mind when working with your Adoption Choices of Texas social worker:
1) We love transparency
Adoption specialists expect honesty and openness from potential adoptive parents AND birth parents. We are not looking for perfect couples, we are looking for homes that will provide a stable, consistent home for children that have never experienced that in their lives. We are not looking for perfect birth mothers, we are looking for honesty and a desire to provide your child love. We expect transparency.
2) We use our “Spidey Senses”
Spider-Man had “spidey senses” where he knew trouble was coming before he could see it. Adoption workers are very much the same. Sometimes, we just can’t pinpoint it, but we know when there’s something wrong. Whether it’s with the relationship between the parents or the relationship with the child, we need to rely on more than just rules and regulations to assess a situation. This is where intuition comes in. We adoption workers sometimes need to go with our “gut” especially when we are on the fence about something. So if I feel uneasy, I–as an experienced adoption worker–need to act upon that feeling. Or not act upon a request. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
3) We are always on duty
This may seem to contradict the above statement, but in Arizona all child welfare workers are mandated reporters. Meaning, if we suspect child abuse or neglect, we are obligated to report it on the state’s child abuse hotline. This is anywhere or anytime we are interacting with the pubic including in grocery stores, in the park, at the movies and yes, in church. We need to always be vigilant.
Adoption social workers are a unique breed. We genuinely love the families we work with and want to see the best outcomes for all involved. Derek Williams, an adoption social worker shared these wishes along with several others in his original article retrieved from adoption.com
Orignial article retrieved from adoption.com here.
