A Role for Residential Treatment in Preparation for Adoption

Residential treatment can play a unique role in preparing emotionally disturbed children for adoptive placement. Many children aided by treatment can grow and change in ways that will likely make family and community living more satisfying. The staff of treatment centers in concert with social service workers from adoptive and referring agencies can use the residential experience as time to plan and work together on behalf of adoptable children. This paper gives suggestions for professional workers and illustrates several cases of children who have used residential experiences as a preparatory step for adoption.