How To Adopt
This is a general guide to adoption. Each country and state has their own set of regulations and requirements. In addition, this information may change at any time. For more information on specific adoption how to’s please contact an adoption agency.
Let’s face the facts, just thinking about adopting can be a daunting task! Fortunately, with a little planning, knowledge, organization and support the process of adoption is very doable.
Getting Started
- Locate Good Information
When considering and beginning an adoption the first thing that can be of great help is basic research on the topic. Prospective adoptive parents, thanks to modern day web technology, have easy access to a wide variety of adoption related resources. At this part of the process consider:- Reading adoption related magazines and books
- Speaking to other adoptive parents
- Attending an adoption conference
- Joining one of many online adoption forums
- Requesting information packets from as many adoption agencies as needed.
Begin the entire process with organization in mind. It will be helpful to establish a file folder system of information and documents for this portion of the process as well as later when the papers are flying in from all over! This is also the time to ask questions of potential agencies. This will not only help you choose an agency to work with, but also provide clarification and a greater understanding of the entire process. It is completely acceptable to call an agency and ask specific questions about their timetables, costs, ethical principles on adoption, special programs, and services.
- Choosing a Country
There are many questions to ask regarding choosing the country and program to adopt from. Considering the fact that adoption is an act of parenthood the questions to ask are both practical and introspective.
Prospective parents should ask themselves:- Which country has fees that I can afford?
- Which country do I meet the parental requirements for?
- Does is matter to me if my child resembles me or not?
- Do I have reservations about caring for a child of a different race and ethnicity?
- Is my community going to be a safe haven for my child to live? If not, am I willing to relocate for the healthy upbringing of my child and our family?
- Is there a country I have lived in, visited, or simply have a special affinity for?
Most importantly, what is your gut feeling about the country you are choosing to adopt from? After all, you are the parent to be. You are making this commitment and here is the first opportunity to make a wise informed decision in the best interest of your child!
- Choosing an Adoption Agency
Working along side a good adoption agency will make a tremendous difference in your adoption experience. Even in the face of difficult times that can arise during an adoption a good agency will be able to effectively inform, guide, and advocate for you and your child to be. After receiving information packets from a variety of agencies that work within the country you desire to adopt from there are several questions to ask. Finding the answers to these questions will increase the likelihood of finding a great agency for your adoption.- Which agency answered your questions in a timely and informative manner?
- Which agency made you feel comfortable and supported in the start of this process?
After narrowing down agencies based on the above it is good to follow the guide created by adoption author Myra Alperson.
A good adoption agency has/is:- A Complete Infrastructure
- Experts to Guide You
- Will Communicate Services Clearly
- A Good Track Record
- Licensed
- Accredited (or rapidly working towards accreditation)
- Upfront in regard to fees and program costs
- Payment Plan
- Support
- Pre Placement Services
- Post Placement Services
- Organized
- Offer Lists of Required Paperwork
- Sensitive to the Special Needs of You and Your Family
- The Foundation of Their Organization Based on Ethical Adoption Principles
Be aware of agencies that require payment for the adoption upfront, badmouth other agencies, and refuse to offer up information about their agency infrastructure and processes. Agencies that treat you like a nuisance during your research phase should not be used. Adoption agencies are busy places, but the good ones do make time to teach and inform prospective parents. Although there are many new adoption agencies often begun by adoptive parents with a heart for children keep in mind that the more experience an agency has within a particular country the more likely the process will be a smooth one.
- The Paperwork Begins
Once you have chosen an adoption agency to work with the agency will guide you though each step of the process. This typically begins with filling out an application for adoption and submitting an application fee. This fee, in general, ranges from $50-$350 and is non refundable. Once an application is accepted the adoption agency has officially taken you and your family on as prospective parents. Although over the next few months you will fill out, copy and send more paperwork than ever before the task can be an exciting one. Consider the home study, the dossier and the INS requirements your paperwork pregnancy!The INS Requirements
INS stands for U.S Immigration and Naturalization Services. United States citizens must open an adoption file with the INS in order to complete an adoption. This is done through the filing of forms and then waiting for their approval. The first form that prospective parents fill out is the 1-600A or the I-600. Both forms should be available through your adoption agency or you can contact INS directly and receive the forms. The 1-600A is the form used for prospective parents that do not have a specific child in mind at the start of the adoption process. The official name for the I-600A is the Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition. This form informs that government that you are adopting and will need a variety of forms available to you when the adoption takes place. The I-600 is the form used for prospective parents that have chosen a child, through a photo listing, for example. This form is officially called the Petition to Classify An Orphan as An Immediate Relative. Both of these forms require a processing fee and additional paper work attached with them. When preparing these forms call your adoption agency if questions arise, as the forms can be confusing. In addition, the check included for the processing fee should be a certified check- not a personal check.
After receiving these forms the INS will conduct a FBI background check on the prospective parents. As this takes several weeks to months it is wise to fill the appropriate form out at the very start of the adoption process.
The Home Study
The adoption home study is a must and a critical part of the adoption process. Many adoption agencies have social workers within the agency to complete the home study for families using an agency within their state. Prospective parents using an agency out of state, which is very common, must work with an additional agency or social worker to perform the home study. Choosing this agency is similar to the guidelines for choosing an adoption agency. Prospective parents should feel comfortable with the agency and receive requested information regarding service and fees.
The home study itself is nothing more than packets of paper work and several interviews. The purpose of a home study is for a professional to acknowledge and recommend prospective parents as suitable people to adopt. In order to do this the home study worker must have a variety of documents in which to base a portion of the assessment on. These documents are, but not limited to:- Birth Certificates
- Marriage License
- Divorce/Death Certificates (if applicable)
- Recent Payment Stub
- Portion of Most Recent 1040 Tax Return
- Notarized letters From Your Bank and Employer
- Most Recent Physical Records/Letter from Physician
- Letter From Your Veterinarian
In addition to the above documents a home study agency generally sends a packet of questions for prospective parents to answer. The questions basically ask for the life story, family experience, and values of the prospective adoptive parents. The questionnaire can be long, but a great opportunity to be introspective and even learn more about your spouse and yourself! Either in the process of filing out paper work or afterwards the interviews will take place. By law a portion of the interviews must be completed in the home environment of the prospective parents. A home study interviewer is not looking for perfection in marriage, home, and finances. They are, however, looking for stable and healthy families that will provide a child with a loving and permanent home. A home study will take several months to complete. The cost varies from several hundred to several thousands of dollars. If a home study cost over a thousand dollars there should be post placement services offered as a part of this fee.
Following the completion of the paperwork and interviews the worker will write the actual home study. A copy of this should be sent to prospective parents for review. A notarized copy will then be sent to the adoption agency to be included in the dossier packet.
The Dossier
Not all countries require a dossier to be compiled. More detailed information on the specific steps for adoption can be located by contacting an adoption agency and inquiring about a particular country program.
The dossier is a large packet of documents that the adoption agency must submit to the country in which prospective parents are adopting from. The agency will provide prospective parents with a list of the documents that they need. Many of these are similar to the documents needed in the home study. The adoption agency will guide families in the specific way to word letters and documents so that they are suitable and diplomatic. These papers are submitted to various countries and therefor are often written slightly different so that they are in accordance with the guidelines and political correctness of the country.
Adoptive parents should make a copy of every document they receive and every document they send out. All documents should be organized in a file folder or another reliable system. When mailing the dossier and homes study the packets should be securely sealed and be sent through certified mail.
- The Waiting
Once prospective parents have turned in all required documents and they have been approved the adoption agency submits the dossier to the chosen country. It is at this time the waiting really begins for many families.- First, prospective parents await the return of the form I-171H. This form is sent from INS when the file for adoption is complete. The form establishes that prospective parents are official candidates for adoption. Upon receiving this form prospective parents should notify the adoption agency and home study agency.
- Secondly, prospective parents await the arrival of the referral. Depending on which country prospective parents are adopting from the wait time will vary greatly. The other factor that affects the referral wait time is the age and needs of the child being adopted. Prospective parents that adopt older children, siblings, and children with special needs have a significantly shorter wait time that those adopting healthy infants. Countries have referral wait time from 0 months to over 2 years. This information can be discussed with your adoption agency at the beginning of the adoption process. Receiving the referral means that prospective parents have been matched with a child in need of adoption. The referral usually comes at first via a phone call from the adoption agency followed by all known information about the child and a photograph. Receiving the referral is a time of high excitement and a major milestone in the process.
- Court, Travel, and Together
The adoption agency will be the liaison between the prospective parents and the country adoption authority and court system. Once a court date is set, which may take weeks to months, the necessary information is presented and the adoption is completed. It is at this time that prospective parents become adoptive parents. Each country has a specific way of completing a international adoption. In addition, the state in which the family resides may have specific requirements as well. For more information on how the adoption is actually completed contact an adoption agency and inquire about a specific country program. Many countries requires post placements reports and visits after the child has come home before the adoption may be finalized.
Parents may choose to travel or have their child escorted. There are several countries that require parents to travel and this will be disclosed through the adoption agency at the time of inquiry into adoption. Either way, through escort or travel, the union of parent and child occurs which begins the first day as a new family.
Sources:
The International Adoption Handbook
Myra Alperson
The Unofficial Guide to Adopting a Child
Andrea DellaVecchio
The Ultimate Insiders Guide to Adoption
Elizabeth Swire Falker
