Interim Care
Why do we offer Interim Care?
Adoption is an important decision requiring careful thought. When the plan for a child is adoption we all work toward the smoothest transition possible for the child. Even when the most thoughtful planning takes place before the child’s birth, after the baby arrives there are many considerations, feelings and information for everyone to sort through.When the baby arrives, the decision about who will raise the child is often revisited. Interim care is available to assist parents in making the best decision possible at that time under the circumstances. Interim care ensures that no one ever needs to feel rushed in making a permanent decision.
What is Interim Care?
Interim care is safe and loving care for the baby during the adoption process. Interim care means placing the baby into the custody of Bright Futures for the purpose of adoption on a voluntary and temporary basis. Care for the baby is provided in a nurturing family home and is most typically used in the days immediately following the baby’s discharge from the hospital. There are many situations in which interim care is a necessary, helpful, and safe option for the child while the parents are making decisions. Everyone’s situation is unique, but here are some examples of when interim care can be helpful:
- When it is time for the baby to be discharged from the hospital and the adoption plan is not fully developed. This is often the case when a pregnant woman/couple’s first contact with Bright Futures is just before or just after the baby’s birth. In every situation, Bright Futures will provide information about parenting options and about adoption, offer counseling, collect information, and try to contact the child’s father and determine his wishes for the child. People considering adoption need time to understand their options and the process of adoption, and to select and get to know an adoptive family.
- When more time is necessary to determine or confirm the paternity of the babyand to talk to the father to find out what he wants for the baby. We may be seeking more information about the fatheror awaiting the results of DNA testing. We may need more time to provide the baby’s father with information about adoption so that he understands, is able to participate in making the decision, and has the opportunity to receive the same counseling that we provide mothers.
- When a woman/couple has been parenting her/their baby and is considering adoption, a period of time in interim care is necessary during the transition and before making a final decision.
Who are the Interim Care Families?
Interim care families have a special connection to adoption and share a commitment to assist in the process of adoption. Bright Futures assesses and licenses its own interim care homes and providers are screened through the same home study process as pre-adoptive parents, with additional screening and training for this special role. Our interim care providers are not seeking to adopt a child. Each home cares for one baby at a time. Many interim care providers may be adopted people who wish to give to others what was provided to them at the start of their own lives. They may be adoptive parents who understand the need for safe, caring places for babies on a temporary basis. All of the interim care families have experience raising children and have a knack for taking care of babies.
All parents need to know that their children are safe and well taken care of. When babies are in interim care, birth parents and prospective adoptive parents can know how the baby is doing and perhaps visit the child if they wish. A social worker from Bright Futures supervises the placement and contacts the interim care home regularly to check on the baby. Babies receive routine and emergency medical care while in interim care. They are held, fed, changed, bathed, snuggled and played with as every child should be. The interim care providers know that it is their role to help with the child’s transition by making a record of care and feeding, taking photographs of the child and recording important milestones and daily events during the child’s stay in interim care. This information belongs to and goes with the child.
The Adoption Process | Getting Started | Services for Adopting Parents