mel@ahuta.UUCP (m.haas) (04/27/85)
Adoption of a child involves the following steps: 1. Decision on the part of the parents that they want to adopt. 2. Survey of adoption agencies to find one that the parents can work with. Agencies are not the same. They differ in personality, number and background of the kids they serve, amount of paperwork, cost, and delay. We will post a note about agencies we know of and the names of books with more information. Adoption from some countries involves one or both parents going to the country and dealing with a lawyer there. 3. Preliminary interaction with the agency. This is often a scheduled group meeting with scores of prospective parents. 4. Written application specifying: age, sex, race, handlable physical handicaps, etc. of the desired child, financial data and job history, health, former addresses, etc. etc. Sometimes a lengthy written biography is required. Usually bank statements, income tax forms, a letter from employer, and references are required. 5. A social worker from the agency visits the home. Usually just a short visit for tea, but sometimes a full tour of the house and intense questioning of the parents. (4. and 5. are used to prepare a "Home Study" required by the courts for adoption, and immigration for visa classification.) 6. The social agency matches an available child with the parents. For a foreign adoption, the parents are usually given a picture and one page summary of the child. 7. Arrangements are made to place the child in the home. Sometimes this involves a couple of visits with the foster family, if that is the situation. For foreign adoption, immigration has to be dealt with (we will post another note on this). 8. After the child has been in the home a few months (varies state to state), the parents can file for formal adoption and name change with the court. The social worker will probably visit a few times to see how things are going (the child is a ward of the agency during this period). 9. Parents of a child from a foreign country can apply for naturalization after the adoption is final in the state court. The child does not have to know English or answer questions on history or laws. This all sounds complicated and nasty, and it is, but these things develop over time and are not too hard to get together. It sure is worth it.