REFERENCE: CHILDREN’S DIVISION 

DISCUSSION:

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide policy clarification regarding the requirements of relative care providers seeking to adopt children in Division custody.  The policy change is included in the Child Welfare Manual, Section 6, Chapter 2, Attachment B, Pre-Service and In-Service Training; STARS Competencies.  

Current policy states that those wanting to adopt must complete the 12 hours of “STARS, Making the Commitment to Adoption” Pre-Service training, also known as Spaulding.  Effective with the date of this memorandum, relative care providers are no longer required to complete Spaulding training in order to adopt the relative child placed in their home.  Foster and kinship care providers are still required to complete this training prior to adoption.  The Children’s Division strongly recommends that relatives complete the training as it provides prospective adoptive parents with tools and knowledge to assist in helping the child transition from alternative care to adoption as well as with information on some of the challenges to adopting a child in Division custody.  However, due to the family bond and prior relationship between the provider and foster child, it is no longer mandatory for relative providers to attend this training.  Relative providers are still required to complete the “STARS for the Caregiver Who Knows the Child” training.  

As discussed in memorandum CD06-37 relating to Resource Provider Training, the 27 hours of STARS pre-service training can not be counted toward a provider’s required in-service training hours.  However, Spaulding training may be counted toward those hours as not all providers complete this training prior to licensure and it is not required for licensure as a foster, relative or kinship care provider.