There are many things that need to be decided if you are going to adopt. I have been told that one of the biggest decisions is the agency you go with. Here is a list a friend put together for us. These are all reputable and worth using if you are interested.
DOMESTIC ADOPTIONS:
Whether to go Public or Private?
There are basically 2 different types of adoption agencies when thinking Domestic Adoption: private and public/state. Really the only differences are where the kiddos come from and the cost. Private agencies get the kids from the birth parents--the birth parents relinquish their rights or choose and adoptive plan for whatever reason. Public/State agencies get their kids from the state -- meaning the kids have been removed from their birth home by the court system. To adopt privately, we would be looking at $20000-30000! However, to adopt through a state agency, it's about $2000-3000.
Some steps taken by a friend recently in the process:
This is not an "official" list of steps taken - this is a list from a friend we have be praying for in the process. Each agency has their own lists and steps. Please refer to the agencies you are interested in. We do hope that this list will give you an idea of what goes on and what is expected when adopting domestically in the "foster to adopt" program.
1. My husband and I heard about an Adoption Fair on KSBJ and decided to go. We talked to several agencies here and got a lot of information. After doing a little bit of research on each agency, we decided which one to go with. Some things to consider when deciding an agency:
*Do they teach the State curriculum but from a Biblical perspective?
*Do they offer a lot of assistance after the kids come to your home (for ex. if you're having a lot of trouble with one kid, they can help give you suggestions to try and solve the issues).
*Is it close to your home? There are many classes you have to take (11 or so) and this may be an issue.
2. Attended an Orientation class at the agency of your choice.
3. Then you begin taking classes -
* Classes may cover the following topics:
- Communication
- Child Development
- Separation and Grief
- Sexual Abuse
- Behavior Modification
- Family Relations
- CPR and First Aid
- Prevention and Management of Aggressive Behaviors
- Basic Medications
4. Began completing a list of things in order to become licensed foster/adopt parent and fill out an application. To see an example of the Application, go to arrow.org. From the homepage, click on Ministry Network Locations up at the top. Scroll down to "The Arrow Project of Texas - Regional Offices" & click on Adoption Services which is right beneath the title. On the left hand side, you'll see several tabs. Click on Foster/Adopt Parent Application. I had trouble downloading the application (Part 2 was the only one I could get but that is most of it). And on this page it says "Special Needs Adoption" at the top, which is incorrect.
Here is a sample of things that may be on a list:
- Application
- Reference Letters
- Criminal Background Check
- NCIC digital Fingerprints
- TB test on all household members
- Fire Inspection
- Gas Inspection
- Environmental Inspection
- Divorce Decree/Death Certificate on previous marriages
- Marriage License
- CPR
- First Aid
- Class Attendance
- Floor Plan of home
- Pet Vaccinations
- And a few more things
5. Once you have completed a list similar to the one above, a home study will be scheduled. This means that the agency will send someone out to your home for an entire day to check out the environment of your home as well as interview us. This is the very last step that takes place in order to be licensed.
6. Once you are licensed, it is our understanding that is the date in which we could potentially start having kids in our home. This is really only the case if your home is strictly a foster home. Since we are doing the foster to adopt legal risk, our situation will be a little different. Our agency knows what our preferences are for the age of kids we'd like and that is important to decide and communicate.
Supposedly, if everything goes well, when you receive your license, you start receiving information on kids that the agency thinks would be a good match for you and your family. At this point, they will tell you everything there is to know about the kids, and you have the opportunity to say yes or no. If we say that we are interested, then the agency sends our information to CPS (Child Protective Services) who eventually picks a family for the kids.
7. Until the parents' rights are terminated by the TX Courts, the kid is technically a foster kid. At the termination point, the kid becomes available for adoption, which leads to "consumation" meaning that the kids will be legally ours (including a new birth certificate with our names as the birth parents). Once the rights are terminated, there is no chance that the kids can be taken away from you to go and live with the birth family.
Agencies:
This is from a mom Kara that reads our Website: The Arrow Project www.arrow.org is an agency that works with CPS. The Arrow Project gets it's name from that verse in Psalm 127 "Children are a gift of the Lord, like arrows in the hand of a warrior." It is an agency that works with the state of TX (meaning that the kiddos come from CPS--what this ultimately means is that the kiddos have been removed from the home by the TX court system). The main difference in this agency than the others that work with the state of TX is that each agency has to teach the state curriculum to the foster/adoptive families. The Arrow Project of course does this, but with a Biblical perspective. We've been taking classes since the beginning of February and have just been amazed at all this, it just makes me tear up thinking about it all! The Lord has really used this entire losing a baby/secondary infertility/adopting process to teach me more about who He really is, and who I am as His adopted child! What an emotional and humbling experience it's been.
Open or Closed Adoptions:
Open Adoption
In a open adoption, the birth parent(s) meet the adoptive family. There is direct correspondence between parties, which may include participation in the labor and delivery process. The birth parent(s) may choose to have ongoing contact throughout the child's life.
Families involved in a open adoption can communicate directly, alleviating the need and expense of a mediator or adoption agency. This plan allows both families to build their relationship as it naturally develops. However, this arrangement may make it difficult to sever the relationship if problems arise.
Semi-Open Adoption
Semi-open adoption involves using an adoption agency to mediate and gradually introduce the families. The advantage of this arrangement is that both families have the opportunity to develop a relationship slowly, over time, with the assistance of trained professionals.
Closed Adoption
A closed adoption is handled exclusively through an adoption agency. There is no contact between the families during the process or as the child develops. Access to finding a birth parent is restricted by law and must be by mutual agreement when the child reaches legal age. Total confidentiality is provided legally for both the adoptive parents and birth parents.
In closed adoptions, there is no ongoing exchange of information other than court-ordered exchanges in the case of medical necessity. As an adoptive child grows, he may have questions that remain unanswered. Closed adoptions might make it difficult to obtain information, and many adopted children find that they often want more information about their birth families as they reach adulthood. International adoptions are usually closed.
The Waiting Period
Because circumstances surrounding adoption vary, the time between making a decision to adopt and actually receiving a child vary greatly. In an open adoption between acquaintances or the adoption of a foster child, the placement of a child in the home may be almost immediate. The waiting period before the adoption is finalized varies from state to state. The closed adoption of a healthy infant may take significantly more time.
INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION:
International Adoption Agencies
AWAA
America World Adoption Association (out of Virginia)
Focuses on adoptions from China, Russia, El Salvador, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine
CCAI
Chinese Children Adoption International (out of Colorado)
Focuses on adoptions from China.
Harrahs Family Services
hfsadoption.com (out of The Woodlands, Texas)
Focuses on adoptions from China.
Great Wall of China
(out of Austin)
Focuses on adoptions from China
Children's Hope International
Focuses on adoptions from China, Russia, Columbia, Vietnam, and Kazakhstan
Gladney
Domestic and International (out of Dallas)
Focuses on adoptions from China, Columbia, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Mexico, Russia, Ukraine, and Vietnam
All God's Children
Focuses on adoptions from China, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, and Vietnam
Bethany Christian Services
Domestic and International
Focuses on adoptions from Albania, China, Columbia, Guatemala, Haiti, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine
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