The Adoption Unit is introducing a preparation course for couples who want to adopt a child so as to provide a clear picture of the situation before such a commitment is undertaken.
Prospective adoptive parents did not often realise that their new child could come with a bundle of psychological problems and traumas which the family would have to deal with.
"Sometimes children do not necessarily need charity but they need parents who understand them, their background and culture," Adoption Unit head Laura Agius said.
"Understandably, some parents have certain fantasies and expectations of adoption without realising the problems that come hand in hand with shifting a child from the country of origin into a new home," Ms Agius said.
The six-week preparation course, expected to start in October, is also intended to create a better understanding between the parents and what goes on at the unit.
Ms Agius, together with social worker Edwina Gouder, came forward after an article and an editorial in The Times highlighted the plight and delays families faced when it came to adoption.
While understanding the families' frustrations, the unit was lacking human resources and had just three social workers to handle all applications submitted.
However, Ms Gouder explained that the unit also had to ensure that they matched the child with the best possible family and this took time.
"If a child is a low-achiever we cannot put him in a household where the parents have high educational expectations," she explained.
If there were no complications an application was normally processed in a year. At the moment there are about 110 couples who have been approved as adoptive parents and are now waiting to adopt. Another 68 couples are waiting for their application to be assessed and home study report completed.
The unit's priority is to protect vulnerable children so the home study reports are normally detailed and lengthy, with further investigations by the social workers, if they deemed fit.
Adopted children need adults who give them support to overcome their traumas, losses and separation that the process of adoption brings with it, Ms Gouder said. The adopting couple needs to help these children rebuild their trust in adults who are supposed to care for and protect them.
"Acceptance and a non-judgmental attitude towards the adopted child's background should be fundamental values that are upheld by the adoptive family, especially in inter-country adoptions," Ms Agius said.
"The child's real family, country of origin and ethnicity are issues that should be addressed within the adoptive family and kept alive."