Steps To Adoption

Steps to Adoption

Adopting a newborn baby is a process but knowing what to expect can help you prepare for your adoption journey. The steps to adoption can vary from agency to agency. The steps below give a rough outline of how the adoption process works in adopting a child through the Florida Adoption Center, LLC.

We are committed to providing all resources necessary to facilitate your successful adoption. Adoptive Parents are encouraged to share their fears and concerns. We, in turn, provide all of the relevant resources, referrals and guidance to ensure a safe and successful adoption for all parties. While these steps can give you an idea of what to expect, our adoption services are individualized. As we move though the adoption process, we will discuss and provide for any needs which may arise.

Pre-Delivery Steps

1. Review the information on our website: This review may answer some of your basic questions and perhaps some you had not yet thought of.
2. Apply for an Adoption Home Study: Depending on the location where the study needs to take place, Florida Adoption Center will either complete a home study for you or help you locate an agency to help complete this step. Home study requirements can vary from state to state.
   1. Orientation Session: You will meet with one of our Adoption Specialists, who will provide an overview of the Florida Adoption Center and familiarize you with our adoption program. In addition, you will receive an overview of the entire adoption process through to finalization. Orientation is a great opportunity to fact-find and ask questions.
   2. Pre-Adoption Counseling: You will meet with an Adoption Counselor to discuss the different types of adoption. Now it’s time to process what kind of adoption will work best for your family.
      1. Pre-Adoption Education: Our adoptive parents require specific preliminary training. Florida Adoption Center provides you with these important resources.
3. Create your Profile Book: Our staff provides resources to help you put together an attractive family book. This book showcases your family to expectant birth mothers.
4. Enter the Matching Pool: Your profile book can be a work in progress. Once your home study is completed, you enter the matching pool. Florida Adoption Center has a no-waitlist policy. This means that any birth mother who meets your criteria will be considered an immediate possible match for you.
5. Birth Mother Presentation: Your profile book is shown to a potential birth mother.
6. Acceptance of Match: The birth mother chooses your family.
   1. We structure our fee schedule so that most of the financial commitment is made at the time of match. The remainder is due at the time of placement. In addition, our adoption fee schedule is designed so that you know upfront what the financial commitment will be. We also provide you with information on ways to help you afford the adoption.

Post-Delivery Steps

1. Take Placement: After delivery, you now take placement of your infant.
2. Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC) (If sending and receiving states are different): You may have to stay in the state where your baby is born for a few days while the required processes take place. ICPC can take up to thirty days but, in most cases, completes in less than two weeks.
3. Bring Your Baby Home: No explanation needed. Congratulations are in order!
4. Post-Placement Supervision: (aka Post Adoption Reports) These reports must satisfy both your state of residence and the state in which finalization takes place. We will either complete these for you, or if you are out of the area, we provide guidelines, and your local social worker completes these with you.
5. Finalization of Adoption: This takes place roughly 3-6 months from placement. There is a petition for final adoption and then a final hearing. This is the last legal step in the Adoption.
6. Provide the Required Updates to the birth mother: This depends on the agreements made at the time of matching. Florida Adoption Center helps you and the birth mother with updates and contact when needed.

The steps to adoption outlined above are standard to the adoption program of Florida Adoption Center, LLC, and may vary from agency to agency and state to state. Whether you want to learn more about adoption in general, already have a Home Study, or need a Home Study, Contact Us. We will be happy to explain the process and the fees involved. No Obligation for information!