Services to adoptive families may include:

• Evaluation with the family of their readiness to parent and reach a decision about adoptive planning including assistance in resolution of issues related to infertility: determination with them of the characteristics of a child whom they can parent: discussion of the role of the birth parents in the planning, especially in regard to open adoption: and openness to sharing information with the child about the adoptive process.
  
  -- Assistance understanding the complexities of adoption
  
  --Helping the adoptive family to assess the type of placement (infant, older child, traditional, intercultural, open, ect.) that would be most appropriate for them.
  
  --Helping the adoptive parents understand the emotional needs and behavior dynamics of older children who may have experienced neglect or abuse and of children with special needs.
  
  --Providing links with community resources according to the placement situation.
  
  --Assisting the adoptive parents with the dynamics of open adoption and providing training if that is their placement choice.
• Supportive Services to Adoptive parents if there is an extended waiting period between approval and placement of a child.
• Assistance in completing legal adoption of the child
• Written disclosure of information known to the agency about the child, the child’s parents, and the circumstances leading to adoption with the careful attention paid to the details of genetic and medical history.
• Provision of further medical or other information of a familial or hereditary nature obtained after adoption.
• Providing resources that enable adoptive parents of children of other races or cultures to help the children attain a positive sense of racial and ethnic identity.
• Preparation for discussion of adoption issues with the child
• Opportunities for adoptive families to have contact with one another to encourage awareness, provide support, prevent isolation, and influence public policy.
• Services, upon request, to assist with problems associated with child rearing and development.
• Provision of counseling or referral for counseling, to the former adoptive parents, if disruption of an adoptive placement occurs.

Source: Text 1994 Catholic Charities USA