Children are our joy and hope. For those who cannot bring a child into the world, that does not have to stop them from being loving, caring, terrific parents. Baby adoption is a great thing, and there are plenty of agencies available to help bring families together.
Types of baby adoptions:
There are public baby adoptions. With these, children who are currently in the public child welfare system are placed in permanent homes by contracted public, government, or private agencies.
There are private agency baby adoptions. Here, children are placed in non-relatives homes’ through the services of an agency that is licensed and is either nonprofit or for-profit.
Next are independent baby adoptions. With these, children are placed in people’s homes directly by the birth parents or through the services of either a medical doctor, a member of the clergy, a lawyer, or a facilitator. In some states, this is illegal.
There is also kinship adoption. Children go into the homes of relatives, with or without the help of an agency.
Finally you have stepparent baby adoptions where children are adopted by the spouse of one birth parent. You can go to www.americanbaby.com for this and more information on how to adopt. All kinds of questions are answered there.
Using agencies:
If you decide to use a private agency for baby adoption, look in the yellow pages. Look under the heading “Adoption Agencies” or “Social Services.” Obtain a free copy of your state’s agency listing from NAIC. They have a Web site at www.calib.com/naic.
Some sources for the baby adoption process are books such as The Essential Adoption Handbook by Colleen Alexander-Roberts or Launching a Baby’s Adoption: Practical Strategies for Parents and Professionals by Patricia Johnson. Organizations provide practical information too. There’s the National Adoption Center in Philadelphia. Their number is 215-735-9988 and their Web site is www.nationaladoptioncenter.org. The National Adoption Foundation in Danbury, Conn. is 203-791-3811. Also there are agencies for baby adoptions such as the National Resource Center for Special Needs Adoption in Southfield, Mich. Their number is 248-443-7080. You can find this adoption agency at www.spaulding.org/adoption/NRC-adoption.
International Baby Adoptions:
When you choose a country, check which countries have political situations that are stable and have well-established adoption processes. Check with the U.S. State Department’s Web site at http://travel.state.gov/adopt. It has a country-by-country guide to adoption processing in more than 60 countries.
The steps to baby adoption:
If you have decided to go through an agency that’s public or private—that’s good. But before you make an agency choice, do your research so as to compare agencies before you decide which one to go with. Then you will need to fill out an application and go through some questioning. If you’re accepted, you’ll probably wait for a while. International adoptions could take longer than a year. Finally, you will have to deal with legal procedures. A lawyer would come in handy at this point.
Adoption Online at www.adoptions.com has good information for those interested in adoption. Whether you are hoping to adopt or are pregnant and considering baby adoption for your child, Adoption Online might be able to help you.
By Laura Hogg
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