How Adoption Works for Adoptive Parents

It is important to prepare for adoption and know the inside information on how the process works. Read on to learn more about how the adoption process works for adoptive parents.

The Process For Adoptive Parents

The adoption process for adoptive parents starts when the adoptive families complete the home study process and become approved for the placement of a child for the purposes of adoption. adoptive parents are required to pass background checks and abuse registries during this process. A home study is a complete assessment of a potential adoptive family including a history of family life, employment verifications, medical assessments, financial security verifications, reference letters, and home inspection. During the home study process, the adoptive family creates a profile book with pictures and details of what life is like in your family. Families share details about relatives, vacations, daily routines, values, and animals, etc. Adoptive families are then in the waiting stage.

Matching Families

When this agency is ready to match a birth family, a match summary is developed. Adoptive families review the match budget which includes details that are known such as budget, estimated due date, gender, race, mental health in the family, substances during pregnancy, background health history, type of future contact (open, semi-open, closed), hospital plan, and more.

If matched, a fee schedule and matching documents are sent to the adoptive parents to commit to the match. Then the bonding process begins. The process of bonding may include phone calls, zoom calls, or face-to-face interactions. Some birth parents are open to adoptive parents going to prenatal visits, ultrasounds, and more.

The Adoption Process At Birth And Beyond

The birth mother will sign her documents at 48 hours usually right at the hospital. The adoptive family is often at the hospital during the birth or shortly after to start bonding with the baby. Often, birth families and adoptive families share time together at the hospital and continue getting to know each other. A birth record is filled out by the birth mother at the hospital and that will be the name she has chosen for the child with her last name or birth father’s last name if he is available to sign. If the adoption plan is open, most times a visit is coordinated before the adoptive parents leave the area for home.

In the state of Florida, the baby must be in the care of the adoptive parents for a minimum of 90 days with monthly post placement supervision reports prior to the finalization of the adoption. The first court date is the termination of parental rights for the birth parents scheduled shortly after the consents are signed, and the second court date is the finalization hearing scheduled after 90 days of placement. After finalization, the attorney will request the birth certificate to reflect the baby’s new name and new parents.

We Are Here To Help

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you and your family prepare for the adoption process. If you are pregnant and need help, visit our site to find the resources you need.