First Adoption class, what questions to ask?

[sagewinna]

Our first class is tonight, and they said to bring lots of questions... What questions are you glad you ask or do you wish you'd asked?

[Polliwog]

What type of class is it? Does it have a name, such as PATH or MAPP?

[sagewinna]

This is what the info says:

ADOPTION PREPARATION CLASS 1:
A prerequisite to the homestudy, this class is the first of three classes which prepare applicants for adoption of waiting children. Run by volunteer leaders in an adoptive family's home, this is a relaxed session where applicants have a chance to ask questions about the homestudy process and basic adoption information.

[queenjane]

I cant remember the type of child you are hoping to adopt and whether you are doing straight adoption or fostering first....

But here are some possible questions, which may or may not be applicable to your situation(and some of this you may already know from orientation):

What types of children are you typically placing in a given time period (month, six month, or year) (ages/needs/number)...what is the typical wait time from homestudy completion to match with your child?

How many waiting families do you currently have? What types of kids are they waiting for?

Will i be able to review my homestudy before its finalized? Will i be able to correct any errors? Will i get a copy of my homestudy?

Am i able to inquire on kids on my state photolisting? What about other state photolistings? Are you willing to send my homestudy to a group such as AAN which helps match families with children? Do you do out of state adoptions? Have you done any recently?

How is a match made? What kind of info will i get about the child before i am asked to make a decision to accept the match? Will i be able to talk to the current FPs, teachers, therapists etc? Can i see psychological reports/evaluations? Will i see a picture? Will i meet the child before a final decision is made?

Once i have accepted the match, what is the process? Do i make up a family book to give to the child (w/ pics of the family/home/pets etc)...how does the transition typically go? What is the typical time frame from first meeting to final move in? [obviously this will vary based on situation, but my friend is in a very LONG transition now with three young children that i feel is detrimental to everyone and they just keep stringing her along with NO idea about a final move in date]

How is subsidy handled? Nonrecurring adoption expenses?

Once the child moves in, how often does the worker come out to visit? if we are having issues or need further help, what kind of assistance/resources is available to us?

How/when does the adoption finalize? What is the process (in terms of whether you go to court, in front of judge? clerk? here they just mail the papers...) Once the adoption is final, are there post-adoption resources available to me?

Thats about all i can think of right now...not sure if those are the types of questions you had in mind...

[sagewinna]

Many of those are helpful, thank you! Some got answered at the orientation meeting, too.