Questions to Ask Child's Caseworker

The questions you ask and the information you receive will depend on the child's age. For infants, the birth mother's prenatal history is crucial. With an older child, you will seek more comprehensive information. This may include social, developmental, educational, and mental health histories.

The questions asked may also depend on the type of child and the type of adoption, such as an international adoption or a private adoption. The questions you ask foster parents are likely more complex. There might be detailed information available about why the child came to be placed in the foster care system.

See below for frequently asked questions (FAQs) prospective adoptive parents ask a child's adoption agency. You can also find more information about specific types of adoption and the process in the adoption law guide.

Questions for Choosing the Adoption Agency

You are not only choosing a child to adopt, but you’re also selecting the agency to work with during your adoption journey.

Here are a few important questions to find the right adoption agency for your needs:

• What is the average wait time to receive approval for a placement?
• How long is the waiting list of hopeful adoptive parents?
• How do you keep waiting families updated?
• How many children did you place with adoptive families in the last year?
• Do you primarily focus on infant adoption or placing older children?
• Is this a state-licensed adoption agency?
• Can you describe the adoption costs? What are the upfront fees?
• Do you offer financial assistance or payment plans?

A successful adoption experience partly depends on the agency or caseworker involved. Choosing a transparent, reputable agency can help you avoid wasting time and money.

Getting To Know Your Potential Adoptee

You will likely reach a point when your home study is complete and you have expressed an interest in a particular child. After the adoption home study process, you can speak in-depth with the child's caseworkers and other important people in the child's life. 

The Child's Background Information

Just like the background checks that the state law requires for adoptive parents, it's essential to know about the child's upbringing and history. The adoption services may vary. But any adoption agency (public or private agency) asks for information about the people who want to adopt. Likewise, you'll need to learn as much about a child as possible before adopting, including the child's background.

As you learn more about a child's history, it's critical to keep the following questions in mind:

• What beliefs and views about self might this child have?
• What would a child with this history believe about parents/caregivers/the world?
• What types of behaviors should I expect from a child with this history?
• What special skills, abilities, or resources might be necessary to parent this child? (e.g., medical knowledge or skills, accessible housing, special cultural or parenting training)?

Get help with interpreting the information by talking to the following:

• Doctors
• Mental health professionals
• Education professionals
• Adoptive parents with children with similar issues
• Adoption professionals or caseworkers
• Your adoption attorney

The Adoptive Child’s Family History

You want to obtain as much information as possible about the social history of the birth family. Questions about what is missing are just as important. Be sure to ask where you can get more information. You may be able to talk to teachers, ministers, and social workers.

Consider asking the following questions, if relevant:

• What is the birth family's racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious background?
• What is the general physical description of the child's birth parents, siblings, and other close relatives?
• Are there pictures? (Attempt to get photos of a child's birth parents and relatives whenever possible because this will enable you to answer the questions frequently asked by adopted children: "What did my birth parents look like?" or "Who do I look like?")
• What is the educational background of the birth parents and the child's siblings?
• What are the unique skills, abilities, talents, or interests of the birth parents and family members?
• Are there letters, pictures, videos, and gifts from the birth family?

Depending on the adoption circumstances, you might not share this information with the child until they are older. Taking notes and saving mementos or photos can be personally valuable later in their life.

The Adoptive Child’s Medical History

In addition to the child's family history, you'll want to ask about the birth parents' medical history, especially if they know of any hereditary conditions or diseases. Again, find out where you may obtain additional information about the family's medical history.

Questions adoptive parents may ask about the child’s medical needs include:

• Is there a family history of drug or alcohol abuse?
• Is there a family history of mental illness, other genetic conditions, or predispositions to diabetes or heart disease?
• What were the age and causes of death of close relatives in the birth family?
• What is known about the birth parents' developmental history physically, emotionally, and cognitively, including language development?
• What was the birth mother's health like during pregnancy, and what was the health of each parent like at the time of the child's birth?
• What prenatal care did the child receive, and what was their condition at delivery?
• When did they achieve developmental milestones, and have any developmental assessments reflected deviation from typical development?
• Are there prior medical, dental, psychological, or psychiatric examinations or diagnoses for this child?
• Are there records of any immunizations or health care received while the child was in out-of-home care?
• What is the child's current need for medical, dental, developmental, psychological, or psychiatric care?
• Does the child receive any benefits such as SSI or Medicaid due to illness?

Adoptable children have medical privacy, but certain conditions may affect their placement. Once the adoption process is complete, medical and family history records from the adoption can be hard to find. Asking these questions early in the process is wise for the sake of the child’s care — both now and long into the future.

The Child’s Social and Placement History

You will also want to ask questions about the needs of the child. They include the social and emotional well-being of the child. The agency or caseworker’s response can help you determine how well-adjusted the child is and decide what additional counseling the child may need. The caseworker may give you a referral for family services.

A few questions about the child’s adoption history include:

• Why did the birth parents make an adoption plan for the child, or why was the child removed from their birth family? Did the parents voluntarily terminate their parental rights?
• Did the child suffer any child abuse? Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or neglect? At what point in the child's life did they experience these traumas? How often? By whom? Are there any Child Welfare System reports?
• How many placements did the child have, and where (e.g., relative placements, foster homes, orphanages, residential treatment facilities, hospitals)?
• What were the reasons for placements or replacements?
• What does the child remember about their placements?
• What does the child believe about why they were placed or moved from one placement to another? (The child's belief may or may not be accurate, but it is essential to understand their perception of their placement history).
• What are the past and existing relationships in the child's life with people they have regularly lived with or visited (e.g., siblings, birth parents, foster parents, orphanage workers, teachers, therapists, and nurses)? How has the child responded to visits with these people in the past?
• Is future contact planned with any of those people? How often?
• Who is responsible for seeing that the contact with those people happens? How will this work post-adoption?

In an open adoption, the birth parents will continue to have contact with you and the child post-placement. There are varying levels of openness in these adoptions. In a closed adoption, the biological parents will not maintain contact.

The Child’s Education History

Depending on the child's age, you can ask about their developmental abilities or if they have any "special needs." There are developmental milestones for children at each stage of their lives.

Learn about these milestones and ask the child's caseworker whether the child has met these milestones with questions like the following:

• What are the results of any educational testing, and are there any special educational needs?
• Where is the child currently enrolled?
• How is the child’s performance at school?
• Where is the child currently enrolled in daycare, childcare, or preschool? What is their performance like in school or daycare?
• Are there significant events (early separations, multiple caretakers, abuse/neglect) in the child's life that could affect their capacity to relate to a new family? Is there anything that will impact their interaction with their adoptive family?
• What are the child's strengths?
• What are the child's special interests, talents, and hobbies?

Children develop differently. So, just because a child did not meet a particular milestone does not necessarily indicate a disability is present. Yet, it may prompt more questions about their care needs.

More Adoption Questions? An Attorney Can Help

There are seemingly endless questions about the adoption process and how to find an adoptive placement. You can receive adoption assistance from support groups and social services.

The list of questions above is a good starting point, but an attorney is perhaps the most vital resource available. Contact a family law attorney today to receive guidance through the adoption process in your state and advocacy as you navigate the process.