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The easiest way for me to do this is through simple numbering.
1. Application & Homestudy
The application & homestudy are done virtually simultaneously. While the application is just submitting general information, the homestudy is an in depth look at the prospective parents. Homestudies take an average of 2-3 months to complete (often up to 4-6 months if done by the state) and is done by a licensed social worker. It consists of three main sections. The first is a gathering and submission of all identifying documents, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, verification of income, and physical documentation (filled out by your PCP). The second section is an interviewing process (two or three interviews on average) in which the adoptive parents answer physiological and situational parenting questions. Thirdly, there is the actual inspection of the home by the social worker. All of these are done simultaneously throughout the homestudy period.
2. Dossier (For international only)
This is essentially a homestudy for international purposes. In fact, material/documents are often gathered for this the same time as the homestudy. The specific documents/interviews required vary from country to country, as can the time of processing. It is also at this point that the homestudy is sent to the country of choice for translation and approval.
3. Approval and wait for Referral or Match
Once all your homestudy/dossier documents are approved by both the U.S. and the country of adoption, the hardest part comes. Waiting for a referral or match. This can take anywhere from 4 months to 4 years depending on how specific the adoptive parents were in requesting a child (i.e. it would take longer for someone waiting for a Caucasian boy under the age of 2, than it would be for someone without preferences for race or gender and open to older children.
*If the adoptive parents are entering into an U.S. infant adoption, they are matched with a birth mother. They have an opportunity to meet and talk before a decision is made to move forward (99% of infant adoptions are open adoptions anymore). If both parties approve of the match, they move forward by planning the pregnancy/birth together and prepare for the adoption, which cannot legally take place until after the child is born.
* If the couple is planning of fostering-to-adopt, they are called, sometimes without warning, when a child is available for placement by the state. The child will be in the parents care until the birth parents are deemed competent by the state. In the state of Ohio, after 6 months of placement the foster parents can file for adoption based on abandonment. If you are fostering a waiting child, they may already be eligible for adoption.
4. Referral
A referral is a recommendation of a child for adoption. Based on the specifications outlined by the adoptive parents, the profile of a child is sent to the adoptive parents for acceptance. The adoptive parents then have an amount of time to decide whether or not to accept the referral (in some cases in the U.S. they would have the ability to visit the child). The referral includes the child’s medical records and it is recommended that the adoptive parents review them with a pediatrician. If the referral is accepted by the couple they move forward, if the referral is rejected, the couple wait for another referral.
*If the adoption is domestic (in the U.S.) once the referral is accepted the formal adoption process begins with the courts, and once the paperwork/hearings are complete, the child is theirs! However it is possible with some older children that the adoptive parents will be asked to foster for some months before continuing the process.
5. Travel to country (several times) and bringing home family! (international only)
At this point most international countries require a series of trips to the country (anywhere from 1 to 3) to meet the child and complete the paperwork and requirements by the foreign government. This is also the point when you will be applying for the child’s visa and other documents. Depending on the government system in the country, this could take 6 months or longer. But when you’re done, you’re bringing the child home! On many occasions a re-adoption must take place within the states once you return with the child.
*There is also the option of private adoption, one in which the adoptive parents hire an attorney to assist them with the process of facilitating the adoption.
Whew. Can you believe that was a brief summary? I’m sure I missed something here or there, but I’m sure I will be reminded as the process goes further. As you can see it is a long road, so buckle up, we’re in it for the long haul!
-Theresa