On October 17, 2000 the U.S. Congress, under Public Law 103-310, amended the Public Health Services Act to authorize specific activities pertaining to Infant Adoption Awareness (title XII, Subtitle A). The legislation requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to award grants to adoption organizations to develop and implement programs to train the designated staff of eligible health centers in providing adoption information and referral to pregnant women on an equal basis with all other courses of action included in nondirective counseling for pregnant women. The term "eligible health centers" means public and nonprofit private entities that provide health services to pregnant women. The legislation also requires the Secretary to establish a set of best-practice guidelines to which the DHHS-funded training programs will adhere in providing training to staff of eligible health centers.

In response to these legislative requirements, the Department of Health and Human Services has developed the following "best-practice" guidelines to be followed by recipients of cooperative agreements in developing curriculum and providing training to implement the Infant Adoption Awareness Training Program (IAATP). This "best-practice" guideline is critical for attaining the primary IAATP goal- enhancing the ability of health center personnel to provide adoption information and referral on an equal basis with all other courses of action included in nondirective counseling for pregnant women.

Consistent with the intent of the legislation, these guidelines were developed in consultation with 29 experts in the fields of adoption, child welfare, health services, medicine, law, and adoption counseling, as well as adoptive parents.

Training Goals

Basic Skills

Curriculum

Training Structure

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