Adoption can be a complex and confusing process whether you are on the giving or receiving end. To further complicate matters, there are many accepted types of adoption, each with their own protocol. However, certain aspects of agency adoption procedures are largely universal.
Purpose
All good agencies follow certain rules and procedures because the act of giving up a child is one of the most difficult things a parent can do. Protocol is structured to allow both birth parents and adoptive parents time to ensure that a placement is in a child's best interest. American Adoptions, a private agency, utilizes an "adoption specialist" to move with the mother through the adoption process, preparing her for what to expect at any given point along the way.
Steps
All agency adoptions begin with orientation for the adoptive parents, allowing them to familiarize themselves with the procedure. Some prospective parents go through this orientation process with several different agencies before they find one that feels like a good fit. Once an agency is selected, a home study is performed to get the most accurate assessment of both the child's new family and the home she will be delivered into. The social worker who performs the study must then submit his approval of the contemplated adoption before a final hearing can take place. All interested parties must be given notice of the hearing, including the birth parents, the agency and the adoptive parents.
Time Frames
Adopting parents can wait up to five years to be matched to a Caucasian child, although it usually takes much less time to adopt a child of a different race. Anywhere from three to five days after the baby is born, the biological parents can sever their parental rights and the baby can be placed in her adoptive home. The exact time requirements for this consent vary from state to state. A home study takes two to three months on average. Most states require that a child live in the adoptive home for at least six months before a final adoption hearing can take place.
Costs and Expenses
Agency fees vary, but count on them including parent education fees, home study fees and child placement fees. Adoptive parents will usually also pay medical and living expenses for the birth mother after a certain point in her pregnancy over and above the agency fee. According to Adoptive Families magazine, the baby's medical expenses will probably be covered by the adoptive parents' insurance plan.
Considerations
The process is never final until after the birth of the baby. Birth parents cannot consent to the adoption and sign the required paperwork until several days after the child is born. Adoptive parents can have a year or more invested in the process only to have the birth mother change her mind at the last possible moment when she finds herself unable to give her baby up after all.
Misconceptions
Adoption is no longer only a process of an anonymous mother relinquishing her newborn to unknown prospective parents. A mother can now select the family whom she wants to raise her child through a qualified agency. She can also talk to the prospective parents or request photographs and updates over the years.
