One of the first things that you are told as a foster or a pre adoptive parent is that you can request to explore the child case file, if you in fact would like to do so.

Most of the time the file must be kept at the agency. So you may wish to give your self time to be able to scan through it without being rushed.

This is one way to get to know the emotional and mental as well as physical actions or incidents that your child has been through. It can help you to understand your child so much better.

Things that have happened to the child can shed light on what they are feeling and going through emotionally and mentally now. This is very important information if you really want to be the best parent your child is in need of.

One thing to remember is this information is very private. It is to be kept confidential at all times.
Only the basic people like doctors, therapists, counselors and case workers should be made aware of anything that is pertinent in these case files.

There also may be information that even the child should not be aware of. So take into consideration as you read and learn about serious facts involving your child or your child's birth family. This information is kept confidential for good reasons.

Of course there will be information that you will not be able to view. This information is removed by the case worker before you are allowed to see the file.

The case file may include complaints that have been made on other foster families or even on your own family. If the information is found to be private.
It may be removed from the file when someone is viewing it.

Knowing some of the history can help you understand your child now in the present. However it should not be used to determine the future. Children who have had the worst family history have gone on to have very productive lives. In many cases it has been with help of from a very good foster/adoptive parent. A parent who looks past the issues and faces the future one moment at a time with their child.

Some of the beneficial information that can be found are: A.) Where a child was born. B.) What schools they have attended. C.) If the child was healthy at birth or if there were some problems. D.) Birth parent back grounds and medical history.
E.) How many homes the child has been in during their stay in foster care. F.) Counseling and Therapies that have been used to help the child.
G.) How many siblings if any the child has in present foster care.

While this time may be well spent and all information you find out about your child prior to adoption is important. Some files may be very bleak. They may not contain much helpful information at all. In any case this is just one more avenue to use in getting to know more about your child and their family history.