Adoption and
Counseling Services
Located at:
700-A River Road
Wilmington, DE 19809
Phone: 302-764-1890
Fax: 302-764-1893
And downstate at:
3249 Midstate Road (RT.12)
Felton, DE 19943
Phone: 302-335-1690
Fax: 302-335-1691
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We
provide visibility for the children waiting in foster care for permanent adoptive
homes. We
assist families who are seeking to adopt both nationally and
internationally. We
help prepare foster children for the transition to a permanent family. We
support our families over the lifespan of the adoption. We
educate the community on the many issues related to adoption and
thereby, increase the support network for our families and their
children.
Upper Bay's Adoption Program focuses on placing
sibling groups and special needs children who are
waiting for permanent homes. The term ‘special needs’ has many meanings,
encompassing children who are African-American,
Latino, or bi-racial, often
between the ages of eight and eighteen with physical, emotional, and/or mental challenges.
Infants with ‘special needs’ may have significant medical needs.
Often, these children are part of a sibling group and should be placed
together.
Our program is grounded in a strength-based family
self-assessment model. This means that our adoption workers support
prospective families in assessing their fit between their strengths and the
needs of particular children. We place with a wide range of families
including many non-traditional families. We strongly believe that
preparation and support are critical factors in insuring the permanency of
adoptive placements.
We begin with a specialized interactive family
preparation course. this twenty four hour course is geared to the special
challenges of parenting children with various special needs. Next we work
with a family to complete an Adoptive Family Profile. then we assist
families in the search for a child (or sibling group). After the child is
placed with the family, we conduct monthly home visits. We prepare the
necessary court reports for the finalization of the adoption.
Our program offers specialized adoption counseling
which is open to the community. This service can help children prepare for
the transition to a new family or provide assistance to families who have
already adopted. This specialized approach to counseling is sensitive to
issues of adoption, trauma, and attachment. Our adoption workers and
therapists often work collaboratively to provide support to adoptive
families. Most importantly, we remain available to our families over the
lifetime of the adoption.
Currently, the Upper Bay Adoption Program provides
services to only Delaware families due to licensing restrictions. However,
we hope to extend our services to Maryland families in the future.
Keep checking for an update.
Services offerred:
- Specialized training for foster parents who are adopting their
foster children.
- Specialized parenting education classes and support groups.
- Counseling groups for foster children.
- Summer Therapeutic Activity Programs for children.
- Training and consultation for child welfare and mental health
agencies and parent organizations.
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