Application
Whether the adoption is domestic or international, prospective adoptive parents begin the adoption process by applying to an adoption agency. Paperwork generally includes an autobiography, questionnaire, letters of recommendation, fingerprints and health form. Paperwork usually requires notarization, or in the case of international adoption, all documents require an additional level of authentication.
Home Study
After the initial paperwork is submitted, prospective adoptive parents undergo a home study. This series of home visits educates the parents about adoption issues and informs the adoption agency about the family. Topics discussed during the home study include types of children available, adoption time frame, siblings, family support, childcare and schooling, parenting, extended family, adoption adjustment period, safety, potential health and mental health issues and more.
Training
Prospective adoptive families participate in parent training that may extend over several weeks or months. This training varies according to state requirements and each adoption agency's particular parent training program. Common training topics include parenting strategies, CPR, first aid, how to attach and bond, dealing with attachment challenges, the adoption triad (adoptee, birth parent, adoptive parent), understanding issues of grief and loss, integrating your child into school and more.
Waiting
After the paperwork and training are completed, there is often a period of waiting. As adoption agencies pursue the most appropriate match between a child's needs and a family's ability to provide, complications often occur. Sometimes a child the age the family is requesting is not available. There may be a child of the right age, but the birth parents' parental rights are not yet terminated. Additional paperwork may be required. For international adoption, the child's country may change legal procedures, causing delays.
Visits
Most adoption processes include one or more visits between the child and parents. In domestic adoption, the child may spend a weekend or two with the prospective family. For international adoption, the parents may visit the child in the child's home country for several days or a week.
Arrival Home
Permanent placement occurs when a child moves from her foster family, group home or orphanage into her new family. The adoptive parents may travel to bring the child home, or the child may be transported to her forever family.
Finalization
Adoption, as a legal procedure, must be finalized in court. Sometimes this occurs before the child moves into the home, and sometimes it occurs later, depending on the type of adoption.
References
- Child Welfare Information Gateway: Adoption
- Dave Thomas Foundation: Adoption Facts
- "The Complete Adoption Book: Everything You Need to Know to Adopt a Child," Laura Beauvais-Godwin and Raymond Godwin; 2005
