Step-By-Step Adoption Guide

5 March 2015
 Categories: Relationships & Family, Blog

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Choosing to adopt a child can be a life changing experience. Many couples cannot have children naturally, but they certainly want a child of their own. Often, birth parents simply cannot support a child and offer their children to be adopted. If you're considering adoption, there are certain steps that must be followed.

Making the Decision

Determining whether or not adoption is best for your family is the first step in the process. Talk to your spouse about the pros and cons of adoption, and take a look at your state's adoption laws and requirements. Go over your budget and decide if you think you will be able to provide for a new member of the household. Think about the many emotions involved in adoption and always remember that the decision is permanent.

Deciding on Your New Family Member

Most people go into the adoption process with a newborn infant in mind. But for some, an older child might be more viable. Do you want a child of a certain race or gender? How about children with health issues or special needs? Can the child be adopted from a foreign country, or do they have to be born in the United States? If you already have other children, how well will the new addition fit into your current family structure?

Getting Help

Once you've talked about your adoption decision, it's time to enlist the help of a professional adoption agency. These agencies are designed to help couples navigate the often complicated process. They can sit down with you and discuss your specific desires for certain types of children and assist you with the paperwork process. Decide if you'd prefer a public state-funded agency or a private one. The private agencies do tend to charge higher fees for their services, so keep this in mind.

Home Study

Of course, before a child can be adopted, an assessment of their potential new home will need to be made. With a home study, a lot of documentation will need to be provided, such as financial records, proof of employment, social security records, your marriage license, and even health records. This process is rather involved and can take anywhere from two to six months to complete. The agencies want to be sure the children are going to be adopted by a stable and loving home. Once you've been approved, you will be placed on a waiting list and contacted once a potential child is up for adoption.

For more information, contact a business such as A Child's Dream.