Adoption: Where Do I Start?

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In weighing your options, you should evaluate your ability to tolerate risk. Of the options outlined above, agency adoptions provide the greatest assurance of monitoring and oversight since agencies are required to adhere to licensing and procedural standards. Independent adoptions by attorneys at least provide assurance that attorneys must adhere to the standards of the Bar Association, and some attorneys who specialize in adoption are members of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, a professional membership organization with standards of ethical practice. Adoptive placements by facilitators offer the least amount of supervision and oversight. This does not mean that there are not ethical professionals with good standards of practice; it simply means there are few or no oversight mechanisms in place at this time.

 

Who Can Adopt?

Adoptive parents may be married or single, childless or already parenting other children. Having a disability does not automatically disqualify you from adopting a child; rather, agencies will want to ensure that you can care for a child and meet his or her needs throughout his or her childhood. Divorce or a history of marital or personal counseling does not automatically eliminate you as a candidate. You are not required to own your own home or to have a high income in order to give children what they need-permanence, stability, a lifetime commitment, and a chance to be part of a family. Children do not need "perfect" parents-they need one or more caring and committed individuals willing to meet their needs and to incorporate them into a nurturing family environment.

Increasing numbers of agencies and some foreign countries are now placing children with single applicants. Follow-up research studies of successful single parent adoptions have shown single adoptive parents as mature, independent, and having a wide and supportive network of family and friends. In fact, single adoptive parents are often the placement of choice for children who have trouble dealing with two parents due to a history of abuse or neglect.

For many infant adoptions in the United States, however, agency criteria for applicants are more restrictive. Often agencies will only consider couples married at least one to three years, between the ages of 25 and 40, and with stable employment income. Some agencies accept applicants who are older than 40. Some agencies require that the couple have no other children and be unable to bear children. Some agencies require that one parent not work outside the home for at least six months after the adoption. Agencies placing infants will discuss their specific eligibility regulations and placement options with you.

 

Steps in Agency Adoption

There are several steps you must complete for any type of adoption through an agency. In addition to the four basic procedures described below, other procedures may be necessary, depending upon your particular needs and those of the child and the birthparents.

(1) Select an Adoption Agency

There are both private and public adoption agencies. A private adoption agency is supported by private funds and should be licensed or approved by the State in which it operates. A public agency is the local branch of your State Social Service Agency. Most public agencies handle only special needs adoptions-not infant or intercountry adoptions. Following are descriptions of both types of agencies.

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