OAR 419-420-0040: Adoption Agencies: Staff Training Requirements

An adoption agency must meet all of the following requirements related to its staff: (1) The adoption agency must have a comprehensive plan for providing basic training to newly hired social services employees on the issues that arise with adoptive placement. (2) The adoption agency must ensure that all social services staff and contracted social services providers obtain a minimum of 10 hours of training annually on issues related to adoption. (3) The adoption agency must ensure that all social services staff and all persons who provide adoption services complete training in all of the following areas: (a) The potential short- and long-term effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol, drugs, and poor nutrition. (b) The potential effects of separation and loss. (c) The process of developing emotional ties to an adoptive family. (d) Normal child and adolescent development. (e) The potential effects of physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and institutionalization on the development of the child. (f) The potential issues of race, culture, and identity; issues of acculturation and assimilation; and, if applicable, the effects of having been adopted internationally. (g) The emotional adjustment of adopted children and their families. (h) Open adoption.