Adoption support services

(a) Ensuring the Well-Being of adopted children and their adoptive families Section 421 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621) is amended— (1) in paragraph (4), by striking and at the end; (2) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (6); and (3) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following new paragraph: (5) ensuring the well-being of adopted children and their adoptive families and promoting efforts to prevent such children from entering the foster care system through the provision of pre- and post-adoption support services; and. (b) Pre- and post-Adoption support services Paragraph (8) of section 431(a) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 629a(a)) is amended to read as follows: (8) Adoption promotion and support services (A) In general The term adoption promotion and support services means services and activities designed to encourage more adoptions out of the foster care system and support domestic adoptions and adoptions from other countries, consistent with promoting the best interests of adopted children and their adoptive families. Such services and activities may include pre- and post-adoption support services, as described in subparagraph (B), that are designed to support adopted children and their adoptive families. (B) Pre- and post-adoption support services The term pre- and post-adoption support services means the following: (i) Pre-adoption support services, which may include— (I) direct services, including training, educational support, counseling, and other services for adoptive parents and families that address caregiver interests and concerns regarding common behavioral issues, such as— (aa) issues relating to emotional, behavioral, or developmental health needs; (bb) issues relating to attachment, identity, abandonment, cultural differences, grief, loss, and trauma; and (cc) issues resulting from birth defects due to fetal alcohol syndrome or any other substance abuse-related developmental disorder; (II) the provision of educational resources for adoptive parents regarding the geographic, ethnic, and cultural background of the adopted child; (III) peer-to-peer mentoring and support groups that permit a newly adoptive parent to communicate and learn from more experienced adoptive parents, including programs that enhance communication between adoptive parents with children of similar geographic, ethnic, or cultural backgrounds; and (IV) the provision of informational resources for adoptive parents, including— (aa) resources available through Federal and State agencies, including information regarding benefits for children with a medical condition or a physical, mental, or emotional disability; (bb) newsletters, websites, and other informational resources regarding adoption-related services; (cc) the establishment of lending libraries containing information and resources for adoptive parents; and (dd) conferences, discussion groups, and seminars that are available to adoptive parents and other relevant stakeholders. (ii) Post-adoption support services, which may include— (I) continued provision to adoptive parents of pre-adoption support services described in clause (i); (II) the provision of accessible and reliable respite services for adoptive parents; (III) direct services and counseling for adopted children, including, as appropriate— (aa) support services for an adopted child with emotional, behavioral, or developmental health needs; (bb) support services that address issues relating to attachment, identity, abandonment, cultural differences, grief, and loss; and (cc) treatment services that are specialized for adopted children, including psychiatric residential services, outpatient mental health services, social skills training, intensive in-home supervision services, recreational therapy, suicide prevention, and substance abuse treatment; (IV) peer-to-peer mentoring and support groups that allow adopted children to communicate and socialize with other adopted children, including programs that provide for communication between adopted children from similar geographic, ethnic, or cultural backgrounds; and (V) crisis and family preservation services, including crisis counseling and a 24-hour emergency hotline for adoptive parents..