ABC's OF ADOPTION

Overview

This is only meant to be a general statement of the adoption process.  The order may vary somewhat in individual cases ad at different points during the process, several things may be happening simultaneously.  Adoption Advantage will give you an accurate step by step procedure for your adoption.

1. Sign Up

Contact our Adoptive Parent Coordinator-Toll free: 877-349-9334

Our adoptive parent coordinator will answer all the questions you may have regarding adoption.  After you are comfortable with the emotional, legal and financial aspects of adoption you will be given an adoption application(.pdf) which can be faxed or mailed back to us.  The most prevalent misconception about adoption is that it takes years to get a child, when in fact, most people put off this initial commitment and rob themselves of valuable time they could have had with a child.  SIGNING UP IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP, so don’t delay! 

2. Prepare your Pictorial Portfolio

We urge adoptive parents to begin this immediately upon signing up.  It can be one of the most enjoyable parts of the process.  Get a scrapbook and select enough photos of you and your extended family and friends to fill approximately a dozen pages. Add short descriptions with the photos to give the birth mothers an idea of who you are, your home life, your pets, your hobbies, interests etc.  Include a one page “Dear Birth Mother” letter that shares why you have chosen adoption and what her sacrifice will mean to you.

3. Schedule the Home Study

After you are officially a client of the agency one of our social workers will work with you to get your home study started.  A home study is required by law, but it is not anything that should be cause for anxiety or stress.  The primary focus is to discover what your motivation for adoption is and your plans for parenting.  An inspection of your home is done to insure that there would be no safety hazards for a child.  At this time you would also need to gather and have available to the social worker documents such as your birth certificates, marriage license, etc.  A list of the necessary documents will be provided in advance of the study.

4.  The Match

Your portfolio is shown to approved birth mothers who choose to have a part in selecting the adoptive parent(s) for their baby.  If the birth mother chooses your family, all her pertinent information will be presented to you and you will have approximately 24 hours to decide if this birth mother and baby is the right match for you.  If for any reason you do not think it is a good match, you will be put back into our pool of available parents and will be contacted when another birth mother becomes available.  Once you are matched, the coordinator assigned to the birth mother will also be assigned to you.  She will be a liaison between the adoptive family and birth family.

5. The Delivery

When the birth mother goes into labor and contacts the coordinator, the coordinator will contact the adoptive parents.  You should plan to spend at least one night in the hospital and then in most cases you will be able to take your new baby home the next day.  Hospital policy and the birth plan will determine whether you will be allowed to “room in” with the baby.  The agency will advocate for you and negotiate with the birth mother, if needed; in order to get the adoptive parents as much time with the new baby as possible.  If you live in a different state than where your baby is born, you should prepare to have to stay in that state for a couple of weeks until the agency can get permission, from the state, for you to leave with the baby.

6. Finalizing the Adoption

Every attempt is made to schedule the adoption hearing immediately at the end of the statutory waiting period, which varies from state to state.  Some states will allow adoptive parents to adopt the child as soon as the birth mother’s waiting period (period of time in which a birth mother has to change her mind about the adoption) is over and others require that the child be in the parents home for at least six months before the final adoption hearing.  When you are matched, the legal specifics will be explained to you. 

Once a hearing is set, the adoptive parents and the baby will appear before the judge who will grant the adoption.  So Congratulations, the baby is now officially a part of your family.

7. Post Placement Reviews

After a baby has been placed in the home of adoptive parents the agency is required to follow the placement for at least six months or until the adoption is final.  Currently the agency requires a minimum of five post-placement contacts.  Three of these are phone contacts, one is a face-to-face visit, usually at the agency office and the last one is an in-home visit.