What is the Adoption Process Like?
Adoption is a complicated process, but it’s also a beautiful one. It brings together hopeful parents and babies, and it is a powerful act of love. Whether you’re considering adoption as a first step toward creating your family or you’ve been through the journey already, it’s important to know what the process is like so you can make an informed decision.
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Choosing the Right Agency: It’s important to pick an agency that works with your needs in mind, especially during the initial stages of the process. Look for agencies that have a proven track record, have been around for a long time and have stability.
A good agency is going to be staffed with people who have experience with adoption. This means that they understand the nuances of the adoption process, from the time you’re matched with your child through placement and beyond.
Your agency’s social workers should be trained to help you answer your questions and provide support and encouragement as the adoption process unfolds. They should also have an understanding of the legal aspects of adoption, including how your state’s laws affect your family.
The home study is a series of meetings with your adoption agency’s social worker that will determine if you are ready to adopt a child and how well you will fit in with the child’s birth family. Usually completed within four months of submitting your Application to Adopt, a home study is an essential part of the adoption process and helps ensure that a child is placed with a family that’s right for them.
During the home study, you’ll meet with your agency’s social worker and complete a detailed questionnaire about yourself and your family’s current situation, past relationships, health and other factors that could impact your ability to parent. Some agencies will conduct a group home study with several families at once while others will meet with individual members of your family separately.
You’ll also work with your agency to develop an Adoptive Parent profile that will be shared with potential birth parents. This is something that ANLC does in-house, but other adoption agencies may require you to build your own profile or work with an outside entity to create it.
Your family will also need to complete the Post Adoption Supervisory Report, a very thorough account of your family’s adjustment to adoption. It will include information on the child’s physical and emotional development, daily activities, academic progress and any other significant events or issues.
A home study is a crucial part of the adoption process, so it’s important to choose an agency that provides quality service and supports you throughout your journey.
The Match: It’s an incredible moment when you learn that you have been matched with a child or a baby’s birth mother. You’ll meet the birth mother and spend time together, and your agency will help you prepare for this milestone.
This is an emotionally-charged time for you, your birth mother and your agency. It is also a time when you will be making decisions that will change your life forever.