Name: Kathy G. Slaughter, LCSW
Title at MLJ: Home Study Coordinator
What do you actually DO with MLJ: I review home study documents submitted by prospective adopting parents and then meet with them in their homes to get to know them. Then, I write the 8-10 page document known as "the home study" or Adoption Preparation Assessment.
What is your favorite part about what you do with MLJ: I get to meet a variety of fascinating people and talk to them about topics near and dear to my heart, like creating families and parenting.
What is the hardest part about what you do: My regular challenge is to write the final document as quickly as possible to help the families bring their children home as fast as possible.
How long have you worked with MLJ: About a year
What do you love about working with MLJ: I get to work with and on behalf of people I am incredibly proud of who handle adoption in an ethical way.
Education: Masters in Social Work (MSW)
What do you think makes you excellent at what you do: Due to my career path, I have a wide, and I mean wide, assortment of experience with different families and different types of people. This experience helps me put families at ease quickly during the interview, which means I get lots of great information to put in the home-study!
What do you love about adoption: As someone with professional experience with the foster care system, I know exactly how much having a committed, legally binding family is to the development of a child. Adoption makes this possible.
If you could change one thing about adoption what would it be, why, and how: I’d like to see adoption, particularly of older children, become more wide-spread. I think the anxiety factor is still upper-most in people’s minds, so they don’t even explore adoption as an option for expanding their family. Because of my work about MLJ, I get to talk about adoption all the time to lots of different people. I hope these conversations get more people to consider adoption.
What is one thing you wish more people understood about the adoption process: Your adoption will happen. There are many uncertainties about pregnancy as well, not to mention the nine month waiting period on top of however long it took to conceive!
When not working, what do you do for fun or to relax: Off the clock, I like to snuggle with my dogter, Zoe, a Border Terrier, hang out on twitter (@MamaKshc), and knit like a fiend while I watch really bad tv on Netflix.
What is your favorite blog article(s) that you have written for MLJ: Life on the Congo River
Do you have a personal/professional blog that you also want to share: www.soaringheartcounseling.com
MLJ Adoptions
MLJ Adoptions is a Non-Profit, Hague-Accredited adoption service provider located in Indianapolis, Indiana, working in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Isles. We are passionate about serving children in need.
MLJ Adoptions
MLJ Adoptions is a Non-Profit, Hague-Accredited adoption service provider located in Indianapolis, Indiana, working in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Isles. We are passionate about serving children in need.