Has anyone adopted before?

Question

What happens when you go to adopt a child and what do you need to be able to adopt?- (how old do you need to be? etc)

Answer 1

It depends on the type of adoption.

With a foster child adoption, you go through the foster/adoptive parent training classes, fingerprint, background and child abuse/neglect checks, home study, etc.  Each state has its own requirements on the age of the adoptive family.  You can go to:

http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/reslist...

to find the requirements & procedures in your state.

With an international adoption the adoptive family goes through much of the same things as above, plus they need to get permission from the US government and the foreign government to adopt.  It's a much more lengthy and costly process.  You can go to:

http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/...

to find the process and requirements for the country you'd be interested in.  The family also needs to travel generally at least once and stay in country while the court process happens.

For a private domestic adoption, the same approval process happens, but the birth mother generally chooses the adoptive parents & how open she wants the adoption to be.  This is generally done through an attorney or agency.

The age and all that other stuff depends on where & how you adopt.  Look into the one you're wanting to do & go from there.

Answer 2

We have an adoption forum and Buddy Group on our site.

Answer 3

my family adopted a baby girl from haiti..her name is ania and she is three and she is the best thing that has happened to our family in so long!!

Answer 4

Typically ideal adoptive parents are married, financially stable, have a safe home and are able to devote enough attention to the adoptive child. I don't think age is considered as much as maturity, responsibility and stability. Also, for different children, there are different needs in adoptive parents.

However, if you are single, that definitely does not mean you won't be chosen as an adoptive parent. I know of cases where single parents were chosen over couples.

Expect interviews with a social worker, a lot of waiting (depending on the age and ethnicity of the child you want to adopt--the younger the child is, the longer the wait will be, and if you don't specify an ethnicity, the wait will be shorter) and maybe some heartbreak if something doesn't work out the way you wanted it to. You may have to take a few classes as well.

Answer 5

Every case is different.

You need to be at least 18 (so you can legally sign paperwork)

You need to be financially stable (an easy adoption is likely to cost at least $15,000.  If there are any complications, if the birth parents don't have insurance, if the birth mother is a well paid person that is looking for lost wages, etc. it can cost A LOT more)

You need to complete a home study

People will tell you that you should be married.  You don't need to be.  

The bottom line is that, with most adoptions, the birth mother will receive a pile of "profiles".  These are short reports about you, a general idea of the area of the country where you live, what your hobbies are, what your extended family is like, etc.  They will review all of these, and determine which one (if any) best suits the model that they have in their head.

Put yourself in her position, and then just think what type of person you would want to raise your baby.

Answer 6

I wish I could answer your question with solid answers, but the truth is that many agencies and states have their own regulations and guidelines.  I would suggest contacting a local adoption agency that specializes in adoption who can answer your questions as well as explain all of the options available to you.  Typically there is no fee for the initial consultation and if they are a reputable agency, they can give you information on agency adoptions, as well as private adoptions and foster care programs.  

Good luck to you.

Answer 7

The age varies from agency to agency.  A good average age is about 21, but some agencies require you to be 25 and married for 2 + years.

When you start the adoption process, one of the very first steps is a homestudy.  Now depending on the agency, some agencies like you to do the homestudy through them, and some allow you to have independant studies.  We chose to have independant study done because that didn't tie us to a certain agency.  However we are now forever tied to Family To Family Adoptions Inc. in Richmond Texas (we are from the Dakotas.)  They treated us so wonderful and took care of our needs, we will use them every time we adopt from now on!

The homestudy will include background checks, mental stability evaluations, financial evals, home checks, marriage evaluation (make sure you are stable and committed to eachother), previous marriage questions, among other things.

After the homestudy is completed you will either be recommended for adoption or not.  If you are, you will then need to put together a profile (including why you want to adopt, how you will include this child in your family, how you will raise the child, your connection to your extended family, your support system (friends & family ~ how they responded to you wanting to adopt ~ leave out if there are negative responses), if you have pets, what kind of neighborhood you live in, if you have a room set up for the child~include a description of it, and include pictures of you/your family/your house/pets/family/activities you do together/the room the child will be in/etc.

Just remember that this is the link the birthmother has to the family that she will be picking  for her child.  You want her to feel like she knows you after reading your profile, what your expectations on education and things of that sort.  You do not want it to be too long.  Ours was 3 1/2 pages (front only) and two pages of pictures.

After the profile is put together, the agency you select will start showing it to prospective birthmothers...depending on what you decide for openness, after a birthmother selects you...she may want to meet you before the birth to see that you live up to the profile you created.

There are many ups and downs in the adoption process.  Other than Family to Family Adoptions Inc, I would suggest either Bethany Christian or Catholic Social Service (you don't have to be Catholic.)

Contact Info is

Family to Family ADoptions Inc.

fam2fam.org

281-342-4042

Bethany Christian

&CSS can be found in your yellow pages under adoption.

Good Luck....if you have any more questions email me!