For the adoption family

We offer mandatory PAS-counseling when bringing home a child, PAS-counseling for adoption families (20 hours per child), adoptive parent groups and theme-afternoons.

Mandatory PAS-Counseling when bringing home a child (phase 4)

The mandatory PAS counseling is to support the adoption process in order to make sure the Childs’ needs are met in the best way.

The mandatory PAS counseling is called Step 4 because it is the fourth step made in the evaluation and approval system.

The counseling is free and if you are adopting as a couple you are both required to attend.

Before bringing home a child

When you are matched with a child - and have said yes to receive the child - you have to receive 3 hours of mandatory counseling (phase 4) before you bring home your child. It requires that you make contact and schedule an appointment. In collaboration with the counselor, you decide whether you want all 3 hours in one session or if you want to divide the hours into one, two or three sessions. The counseling takes place in the counselors’ place.

It is not possible to transfer any hours from before the home bringing to after the child is back home with you.

In case you need help to consider, whether to bring home the child matched with you or not we recommend that you contact the Adoption-boards pediatricians. You also have the option of contacting one of our PAS counselors who will be helpful in covering the care needs of the child and the requirements from you as a parent.

After bringing home the child

Within the first three months after your child has arrived to Denmark you have to receive an additional three hours mandatory counseling (phase 4). It requires that you make contact and schedule an appointment. In collaboration with the counselor you decide whether you want to divide the hours into one, two or three hours per session.

The counseling can take place at your home for the sake of the child. However, it will also be possible to agree with the adviser that the counseling takes place in the counselors’ facilities.

The counseling must be completed three months after the date the child is brought home. Any unused hours cannot be used after the three months.

It is not possible to transfer any unused counseling hours from before the home bringing to after the child is brought home.

What is the counseling about?

The counseling both before and after the adoption is based on the adoptive parents' own thoughts and feelings about the adoption and the new life as an adoptive family. It is about creating a good and safe environment for the child right from the first meeting. It therefore does not require that there is problems or something else that has given the parents reason to seek support.

PAS-Counseling for the adoptive families

With PAS-counseling we want to help the families to sort out and understand whether what they experience are common reactions on the adoption, or if it is a more specific and personal reaction from your child. This counseling offers you tools to understand the needs of your child in order to support a healthy development.

All adoptive families has 20 hours counseling with a PAS-counselor regardless of the time of adoption.

The counseling is for you as an adoptive parent or family. We offer 20 hours of counseling for each adopted child. It is possible to split the 20 hours between you as parents.

The 20 counseling hours is available in both international and national adoptions until the child turns 18 years.

The 20-hour counseling

When you as a parent have chosen one of our counselors, it is up to you to contact the counselor and make an appointment. The counseling will take place in the counselors’ consultation.

We are required to charge 100 DKK per counseling hour and you pay the fee directly to the counselor.

When finishing the 20 hours of counseling (or when you have a break) you will receive an evaluation-form we hope you will fill out. The evaluations are 100% anonymous and used to document the need for the PAS system, as well as develop and improve the PAS system.

Counseling with dispensation

In special cases, we can grant dispensation and offer more than the mentioned 20 hours counseling.

This means you can apply for more than the 20 hours in special situations. This could be in cases where the child is temporary placed in the adoption family before the legal process is finished.

Dispensations is granted in rare situations with unforeseen and/or long processed adoptions, life threatening illness for one of the adoptive parents or the child, which would be described as a life crisis.

It is a requirement for the dispensation that you describe the challenges you and your family have, and what you imagine the you can gain having more counseling.

We consider every case individually and therefore we cannot guarantee that we can accommodate your requirement. You have to fill out the following form from our website and we will respond within four weeks:

Apply for PAS-Counceling - more than 20 hours

Parent groups for adoptive parents with teenagers

We now offer parenting groups for parents with teenagers, as we have experienced that adolescence is a time when identity and questions about "who am I" are expressed in all forms and all kinds of behavior. At the same time all kinds of emotions and reactions arise from you as parents. It is pervasive – and often to great frustration for everyone.

If adoption is your start in life, quite often more needs to fall in place and sometimes does not really seem to fall in place by itself.

That is why we have made groups for you as parents of one or more teenagers. Here you can - together with other equal parents - work with:

  • How can you understand why your teenager is doing whatever?
  • What is he/she telling you with his/her behavior that there are no words for?
  • What is developmental needs from you as a parent of this young person?
  • What is at stake?
  • How do I avoid making it worse?
  • How can it be that previously learned skills have suddenly disappeared in the young person?
  • How bad will it go and will it ever stop?

If you can recognize some of this in yourself and in your teenager, then a parenting group may be for you. We already have experience that parenting groups are a good place to be - a good place to share - and a good place to learn.

PAS-Counselors

We strive to make the waiting time as short as possible when contacting and requiring the PAS-counselor you wish.

If you experience too long of a waiting time regarding your next scheduled PAS-counseling, you are always free to choose any of our other PAS-counselors.

Find PAS-counselors / Adoptionsrådgivere