The Adoption Process

Preparing

Home Study:  The first thing a family needs is a current home study, also called a pre-placement evaluation.  This is a report discusses the adoptive family and their readiness to adopt.  It should be completed by a person qualified to do home studies in your area.  Included in that will be a criminal background checks, letter of reference, and medical recommendations.  We also require 10-12 hours of adoption training.  Please submit your home study with the application and application fee for approval by our agency to adopt a child.

 

Profile:  This is a complication of pictures and text that represents your family.  We present the profile of the birth mother to help her choose the adoptive family for her child.  We need 3 or 4 copies of you profile book.  If you need help on what to include in your profile let us know and we can help you.

We strongly encourage adoptive families to create an electronic profile on our website.  We will send you instructions to do so.  This provides three advantages.

  1. If provides the opportunity for you to be seen by birthmothers when they come to our website.
  2. It attracts birthmothers to you and the agency when they see families they are interested in on the website
  3. We have partnered with Adoption.com to also how your profile on that website. Adoption.com is the most visited adoption site in the world.  Thousands of birthmothers a year visit adoption.com looking for an adoptive family.  Because you are on of our families, your profile can be included on their website free of charge.  This will allow you to be seen by more birthparents.  If a birthmother is interested in you she will message our agency and we will contact you.  If you are interested in her, we will support her and match or connect the two of you.

Delivery and Placement

Our adoptive families come from all over the United States and travel to the city where the child is born and she delivers.  As often as possible, we will be there, too.  There are few states where we need to involve a local agency or attorney to assist with the laws of that state.  Nevertheless, if we can, we will still be there to support you and the birthparents.

We will use the laws allowed by the state that best assures the placement is safe and permanent.

Part of the placement is compliance with ICPC (Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children).  We, or a local adoption service provider, will do this if the child has to cross state lines.  Is usually takes 10-14 business days to complete, after the baby is discharged from the hospital.

After Placement

After you have the baby, we will assist you navigate the best way to communicate with your birthparents by helping you share letters, pictures, and have conference calls, if desired.  Part of this is HeartsConnect, a new service that helps adoptive families and birthparents connect in a non-obtrusive, secure way that will benefit the adoptive triad.  This is a free service to all Heart to Heart Families.

Finalization

Generally, there is a period of time once the child is in your home until you can finalize the adoption.  Most commonly, this is a 6 month period.  During this time, you will need to do 1-6 post-placement visit.  This is when a social worker comes to your home and supports the adjustment of the baby into your home.  We will receive reports of those visits and be able to recommend that the court finalize your adoption.  This removes the agency from the process and makes you the legal parent and guardians with the rights and responsibilities for your child.

For more information, please call

Wendy at

801.838.8016

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