Domestic Vs International Adoption

The first thing you have to decide is whether you are interested in an international or domestic adoption. Unless you have made up your mind regarding this, you will not be able to start your research in the right direction to find children for adoption. The procedure also varies accordingly. For example, if you choose to adopt a child from a foreign country, the process will involve international air fair and a visa for the child. Besides that, you will have to avail the services of an agency – it can be an international agency or a domestic one that specializes in this type of adoption. On the other hand, if it is a domestic adoption, you can simply contact a state agency and obtain a detailed list of children who are waiting to be adopted. The list usually include photo of the children along with their brief bios. In ether case, once you choose the child, you will have to go through extensive financial and background check and a series of interviews. A thorough home study is also conducted in order to make sure that your home is safe and appropriate for the child from all possible aspects.

The Local Orphanage

When it comes to finding children for adoption, you can start your search right from your city or local orphanage. To make the process simpler, you can do your research with the help of a government-approved agency. Alternatively, you also have an option to contact a non-profit private agency. These agencies will help you find a detailed list of children who are waiting for permanent adoption.

Adopting A Child With Special Needs

You may be tempted emotionally to adopt a child with special needs. But, before you make a final decision about it, make sure that you are capable to take care of such a child. These children may take a lot of time to adjust with families. If you are not sure, do not hesitate to meet an adoption counselor first.

Get Prepared For The Home Study

Once you finalize a child, you will have to meet some legal requirements that include getting a homes study conducted thoroughly. You must present a clear view of your family structure (without making any attempt to hide anything). Get all your financial records ready for the review. Though the exact process of home study varies from one state to another, the basic objective is common – the study is conducted to make sure whether the child will fit well with the existing family of the adopting parent. You will also be asked an array of questions regarding your daily routine and work schedule. Whether you are adopting through a private or government-approved agency, the home study is always conducted by a social worker.

Overall, before you start your research to find children for adoption, make sure you are well prepared for the process.

Review Your Reasons Why You Prefer This Method

When it comes to adopting a child through closed adoption, the first thing you have to do is to review your reasons why you want to go for this option. A common situation is when you find that the birth parents are alcohol or drug addict or that their behavior with the child is quite abusive. If this is the case, your reason is quite justified why you do not want to have any contact with the birth parents during or after the process of adoption. This method is often preferred in most international adoptions.

Study The Various Aspects Of This Method

Before you make a final decision in this regard, it will be a wise idea to get yourself educated on the different aspects associated with the provision of closed adoption. The more informed you are, the easier it will be to decide if adopting using this method is the right choice in your case. Make sure you review other methods also, as it will get you a better picture on what is most suitable for you.

Understand The Financial Aspects

Depending upon which type of child you are adopting and from which place, the cost of the process may range from just none to thousands of dollars. For example, if you are adopting a child from a foreign country, you must be willing to spend a significantly very high amount of money. Adopting a domestic infant is also often very expensive. However, adopting an older domestic child should cost you almost nothing. Your selection of the adoption agency also plays an important role in this regard.

Choose A Government Agency

To be on a safer side, you are recommended to follow the procedure with the help of a Government-approved agency that specializes in closed adoption. You can get a list of these agencies by contacting your local Child Welfare Department.

Set An Appointment And Attend The Initial Meeting

Once you choose a suitable agency, the next step is to get an appointment and attend the meeting with an objective to know more about the various aspects of adopting a child using this method. If you have already made up your mind and are firm in your decision, you can get the process started by filing out preliminary paperwork.

Attend Workshops And Classes

If you are going through the process with the help of a state agency, you will also be required to attend some pre-adoption workshops and classes. This will help you make preparations to bring a new child to your home. You will also get a clear idea on how the process works in closed adoption.

Get A Home Study Conducted By An Authorized Professional

The agency will also appoint an authorized person or a group of persons (usually social workers) to conduct home study in order to make sure your home is a safe and nice place for the child you are adopting.

You will then receive a list of children who are waiting to be adopted. You can browse through their personal details and photographs. You can also meet them in person. You can have as many meetings with the children as you want. Once you finalize the child, you can complete the necessary paperwork for closed adoption. The child will be officially yours only after you receive a court order in this regard.

The Age Factor

The legal requirements for child adoption especially in terms of age are usually different in different states. For example, in California, the age difference between the child that is being adopted and the person who is adopting the child must be at least ten years. But, there can be exceptions as well. In cases, where the court finds that the adoption is in the best interest of the child, this rule may be overlooked. Besides that, children over the age of twelve cannot be adopted without their own consent. In Oklahoma, the minimum age to be eligible to adopt a child is 21. However, this minimum age ceiling is only 18 in several other states, such as New Jersey, Washington, and Montana. In Idaho, the required minimum age of adoptive parent is 25; besides that, they must also be at least 15 years older than the child (it means a 25-year man cannot adopt a child above 10 years of age).

Interstate Compact On The Placement Of Children (ICPC)

The legal requirements for child adoption through ICPC have been designed in a way to protect the interest of the child who has to move to another state after adoption. It is the responsibility of the ICPC to make sure that the child gets a safe home and that the adoptive parents take good care of him/her. That is the reason a thorough home review is conducted by the ICPC before the child is finally adopted. The home review includes a detailed report regarding the safety aspects of the home, Interviews with the family members of the adopting parent, and a thorough background check on the adopting parent. Once an adoption request is made, the ICPC must conduct this home review within two months.

Residential Status

The legal requirements for child adoption in terms of residential status of the parties involved also vary from one state to another. There are 17 states (including South Carolina and Indiana) as well as areas like the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico that allow adoption to only those people who are residents of these places. However, Indiana and South Carolina allow non-residents to adopt children with special needs. States like Mississippi, Rhode Island, New Mexico, and Illinois allow even non-residents to adopt all types of children, but they must follow the procedure with the help of a licensed adoption agency.

Overall, the legal requirements for child adoption have been designed in a way to make sure the adoptive parents are in good financial and psychological state to provide the child a proper living environment in a stable home.

The Records Cannot Be Accessed Even With The Consent Of All Parties

Some people have the false assumption that if all parties give their consent, the records may be unsealed. This is not true in most states. Nothing of this sort happens if there is no court order. As per adoption laws, anybody who is trying to access this record must first provide evidences to support that there is a compelling need to unseal the records.

Permanent Sealing

The birth information of the adopted child is sealed permanently. Even a 50-year old man or woman cannot access the records. Because of these strict laws, an adult adoptee who wants to reunite with his/her birth parents feels a deep sense of loss. As per latest surveys, the majority of people is against these laws and finds it inhuman and unethical. For them, these laws seem to service no public interest.

What The Lawmakers Say In Defense?

Though there are people who think adoption laws regarding sealing of birth records serve no public interest, the law authorities defend these legal provisions by stating that the absence of these laws can result in disorders in personal lives of the same people who are speaking out against these laws. As per them, the main objective is to protect the identities of the birth parents because when the process of adoption occurs most of these parents want to conceal their identities forever.

Equal Protection Clause And The Controversy

The controversy regarding these adoption laws gets more flame with the very fact that there is an Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment in place. If the Equal Protection Clause is taken into consideration, it seems the lawmakers have been racial toward adoptee children because no other class of people has such restriction that prohibits them from accessing their own original birth records.

Recently, a class action lawsuit has also been filed in the Supreme Court of the United States of America, where it has been claimed that the adoption laws to seal birth records of the adoptee child is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

However, there can be different types of adoption, depending upon an array of factors. Following is a brief rundown on six different forms.

Stepparent Adoptions

As compared to other forms, this type of adoption is usually not very complicated, especially if none of the biological parents have any objection. Things become complex only when one of them is not willing to allow a stepparent to gain custody of the child.

Identified Adoptions

In this process, the adoptive parents and the biological parents locate each other and reach a mutual agreement regarding the custody of child. They can then meet an adoption agency to make sure that all legal requirements are thoroughly fulfilled.

Independent Adoptions

In cases, where no adoption agency is contacted and the process takes place independently, this is termed as independent adoption as per family laws. Such situations usually involve an agreement between the adoptive parents and the biological parents who meet all legal requirements with the help of a clergyman, family law expert, or doctor.

International Adoptions

When someone adopts a child who is a foreign citizen, it is termed as international adoption. In these cases, the adoptive parents have to fulfill the adoption requirements in both countries – the country where they are residing and the country where the child is a citizen of. This type of child adoption also requires the adoptive parents to obtain an immigrant visa for the child who they are taking custody of.

Relative Adoptions

Family laws in the United States of America also have specific provisions for relative adoptions, where a child is adopted by a member of the family. This type of child adoption usually occur when the actual parents are not able to take care of the child, such as when they are drug or alcohol addict and are undertaking a faith based treatment, are spending time in jail because of some crime they have been convicted for, and any other such situation. Relative adoption of child also becomes a possibility when the actual parents die.

Agency Adoptions

These are the most common types of adoptions where a couple contacts a state-approved agency when they want to adopt a child. The agency helps them gain the custody of a child by fulfilling all necessary legal formalities on their behalf.

Gay adoptions are not legalized in all states. States like Florida have put ban on any such thing while Washington DC with nine other states have permitted this type of adoption and have made room for relevant provisions in family laws applicable to those states.

However if it happened that you’re an adoptee trying to find birth parents, accessing your sealed adoption records is a first step. You just must do so to achieve this properly!