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Adoption Services
Adoption Programs
Home Study
A home study is the term used for the evaluation process of prospective adoptive parents. It is also the term used for the document or report derived from that process. In order to be placed with an adoptive child, placing programs (adoption agencies and adoption attorneys) require that their clients receive an approved home study. Most programs do not permit clients to participate in their placing program until an approved home study is received. A home study is therefore a wise investment of time and money for people who are committed to building their family through adoption. Most states and programs consider a home study valid for 12 months. Once a home study has been completed subsequent changes (such as a change in job, address, health status, or type of child desired etc.) are addressed in an addendum. Usually an addendum can be completed quickly and does not require a home visit, meetings or much paper work. Once a home study is close to expiring, and an adoption is still pending, a home study update is required. The update involves a face to face meeting and a re-do of time sensitive paper work.
A home study includes face to face meetings and paper work that address the following topics:
Motivation to Adopt/Adoption Goals
Identifying and Contact Information-name, address, phone numbers, etc
Background Information (discussion of childhood/upbringing, young adult and life as an adult)
Employment and Financial Status (past and present)
Marital Status and Infertility (if applicable)
Hobbies/Interests/Lifestyle
Health Status
Home Environment (will be evaluated for general safety)
Documents such as birth and marriage certificates, financial statements and employment letters, character references, medical examination reports and background clearances will be requested. Agency forms are also completed and discussed. A home walk-through is required for all home studies.
We will contact your placing program during the process to ensure we are providing the exact evaluation process and reports they desire. As a courtesy, we permit clients to review a rough draft of their reports, as well as to receive a copy of reports upon completion. It is our intention to create accurate reports in a timely and efficient manner.
Post Adoption Services
A majority of adoptions require post-adoption services in order to complete or legally finalize the process. Your placing program can best advice you on specific requirements. AKI can assist you with whatever services are required. Post-adoption typically includes a face to face meeting with the adoptive family and their adoptive child. The AKI social worker will ask to see a letter from your child's pediatrician addressing their current health status. During the post-adoption meeting topics related to adjustment, attachment, the child's health and development, daily routine, etc., will be discussed. A post-adoption report is created to document the current status of the family and adoptive child.
Referral Services
Clients who hire AKI for support services are offered free referral services. Your AKI social worker will discuss various adoption options and make suggestions based on your preferences. Clients who are referred to us by other programs or who have already chosen a placing program can begin immediately with the support services needed to qualify for that program.
When working with clients we assume they meet the requirements for the type of adoption they are pursuing, and enthusiastically assist them with the paper work and process.
Embryo Adoption
Due to increasing medical advances, more and more couples have attempted to achieve pregnancy through in vitro fertilization (IVF). At the end of their process they often have left over embryos which must either be frozen or destroyed. In recent years these same couples have been given the opportunity to give these embryos to other couples who share their desire to become parents. Often it is the genetic parents who choose the prospective adoptive parents for their embryo. Sometimes the genetic parents do not wish to choose and the placing program chooses. The amount of openness or information and contact that occurs between the donor family and adoptive family varies case by case. Ask your AKI social worker for information about embryo adoptions and the services AKI can provide to assist you with this option. Embryo adoption enables adoptive couples the exciting opportunity to experience pregnancy first hand, as well as to establish vital bonding and attachment with their child from the very beginning.
Domestic Adoption
AKI has provided support services to hundreds of clients over the years who have participated in domestic adoption programs. There is a tremendous need for families for minority babies and AKI can definitely refer you to placing programs in need of families for minority infants. We also work with programs that have a sizable Caucasian birthmother population. In a typical agency assisted adoption, birthparents receive counseling about their options and if they choose to place their child for adoption they are chosen profile books that adoptive parents have created with photos and non-identifying information. Placing programs then notify clients when they have been chosen by a birthmother. Programs usually provide as much medical and social background information with the prospective adoptive parents as early in the process as possible. Depending on the laws of the child placing state (or where the case has jurisdiction), the birthparents' rights are voluntarily terminated after a specific number of hours (such as 48 or 72 hours) following the baby's birth. In some states terminated parental rights is "irrevocable" upon signing. In other states there is a grace period. AKI highly advises clients to seek legal advice from a licensed attorney that specializes in adoption. The American Academy of Adoption Attorneys www.adoptionattorneys.org is a an excellent resource for identifying a licensed attorney with an adoption specialization. After a child is placing with an adoptive family through domestic adoption post-adoption (often called post-placement) is generally required. Upon completion of that supervision clients are able to go to court to have their adoption legally finalized. This is typically the last step in the adoption process.
An identified adoption is one in which the prospective adoptive parents find a birthmother on their own (without the aid of an agency/attorney). Once a birthmother is identified many of these situations choose to pursue the case further with the help of an adoption agency and/or licensed attorney. This provides an important safeguard to help ensure that adoption laws are honored and the adoptive family and birth family has the necessary support and resources to have a successful outcome.
A private adoption is an attorney driven program. Prospective adoptive parents who identify a birthmother on their own and hire an attorney to assist them often refer to their case as a private adoption. There are also a few attorneys who have full service adoption programs that include working with birth parents and adoptive parents.
Decades ago almost all domestic adoptions were closed. No (or very little) information of any kind was exchanged between the birth parents and adoptive parents. Currently, most domestic adoption cases are considered semi-open. Birthparents and adoptive parents generally meet or have some type of contact prior to or at the time of placement. They also have basic information about one another. After the child is placed with the adoptive family the contact between the birthparents and adoptive parents is often handled through their agency or placing program in the form of photos or letter updates. AKI has also witnessed full disclosure or open adoption which may also include face to face meetings after the child has been placed. Identifying information is often exchanged and the adoptive child may even form a relationship with their birthfamily during their upbringing. Choosing the degree of openness which is right for you, the birthfamily and the adoptive child is a personal decision. AKI is aware of many reading resources and other sources that can assist you in discovering the pros and cons of these options.
Families who have training or abilities to parent an older child with special needs are also in high demand. There are thousands of children who have been removed from their biological family due to abuse and/or neglect and are in need of forever families. AKI can offer referral sources for this option.
International Adoption
AKI has provided support services for numerous international placing programs throughout the US. Some of the many country options include China, Russia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Taiwan, Nepal and Ukraine. Ask your AKI social worker for information on international program referrals if you have not already chosen a program. You will also want to consult with the U.S. State Department's web site for the latest international adoption program updates. That site is http://travel.state.gov/ On that web site click "Children & Family" and then click on "Adopting from another country." Then "select a country" and click "Go." This site provides a wealth of information about international adoption as well as some of the most up to date information, changes and warning notifications. In the past year there have been notable changes in international adoption brought about by the The Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-Country Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). This is an international agreement to safeguard intercountry adoptions. The U.S. State Department's web site is informative about the Hague and notes which countries are subject to the Hague. Adopt Kids, Incorporated has chosen to not pursue accreditation because it is extremely expensive and would increase our client fees (something we have worked very hard to keep as low as possible to make quality adoption services available for the families we serve). Moreover, accreditation is not necessary since we do not have a placing program with a Hague foreign country. We have partnered with several agencies that are accredited and as a result we are able to provide the same support services (home studies, post-adoption services) we have always provided. International adoption has become increasingly slow and costly. Nevertheless, we work with many fine programs and can discuss with you some excellent international options. There are definitely many children overseas who are in dire need of a family who can love and provide for them.
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