Parents' and Mental Health Workers' Perceptions of the Therapeutic Needs and Experiences of Services for Dutch Children Adopted from Romania (Report‪)‬

Introduction Some parents of internationally adopted children who have been deprived in their country of origin experience parenting as more of a burden than do non-adoptive parents (Rijk et al, 2006) due to the behavioural problems of their children (Rutter, Kreppner and O'Connor, 2001; Judge, 2003). External help is often required to aid parenting and many families receive this from general mental health services. However, some require mental health services that are specifically aimed at adopted children and their families. In the Netherlands, adoption agencies do not provide standard aftercare for adoptive parents, so those requiring help have to initiate it themselves. With only 54 domestic adoptions versus 1,185 international adoptions in 2005, internationally adopted children form the largest group of adopted children in the country (Ministerie van Justitie, 2005).