(a) Eligibility.  The adoption agency (agency) determines in the initial contact(s) if there is any reason the adoptive applicants do not meet agency eligibility requirements.  If the family is ineligible, this is communicated to the family in a timely manner.  The agency may offer assistance in helping applicants adjust to this decision and identify other alternatives available to them.

(b) Orientation.  The agency provides orientation about agency services and the adoption process to prospective adoptive parents.  Orientation includes the:

• (1) agency's eligibility requirements;
• (2) characteristics of children available;
• (3) agency's policy on openness in adoptions;
• (4) adoptive family assessment procedure;
• (5) approximate time for the approval process;
• (6) agency fees, refund policy, and other related fees;
• (7) availability of the Adoption Assistance Program administered through the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS);
• (8) adoption risks;
• (9) confidentiality policy; and
• (10) overview of the legal process of adoption.

(c) Education.  The agency provides information to adoptive families regarding:

• (1) coping with the particular behaviors of the child's developmental history;
• (2) the child's psychological needs that are related to the child's racial, ethnic, or cultural background;
• (3) how to help the child understand adoption;
• (4) the birth parents' perspective;
• (5) coping with loss; and
• (6) search and reunion issues.