Adoption: Where Do I Start?

Bookmark Article

This is an introduction to the many paths to building your family through adoption. It will give you an understanding of the basics in any adoption process and guide you to resources at each step.

Step 1: Educate Yourself

Many resources exist to help prospective adoptive parents educate themselves about adoption.

Local community colleges, adoption exchanges, adoption agencies, hospitals, religious groups, and other organizations may offer adoption preparation programs.

Adoptive parent support groups often are willing to assist people considering adoption. In addition, regional adoption exchanges, local agencies, and State Adoption Program Managers can send you information to help get you started.

There are also many books, magazines, and websites on this topic; some are listed at the end of this factsheet.

Some Places to Go

The National Foster Care & Adoption Directory allows users to search for adoption resources in every State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to assist families in their pursuit of adoption.

Step 2: Understand the Law

State laws and regulations govern U.S. adoptions. Learning about the adoption laws in your State, or any States involved with your adoption, can smooth the process and help you avoid frustrating situations.

Some Places to Go

The State Statutes Search on the Information Gateway website highlights adoption topics and provides a brief overview and summaries of State laws on each topic. Information regarding who may adopt, timeframes for consent and revocation of consent to adoption, termination of parental rights laws, and more are provided in the database and can be searched by State, Territory, or region.

In many States, the process to adopt a stepchild is different from other kinds of adoption.

Step 3: Explore Your Options/Select an Agency

Families wishing to adopt have many options. The following is one way to think about how choices in adoption may flow from one another:

Where will our family's child come from? (Domestic or inter-country adoption?)

If we adopt domestically, what type of adoption is best for our family? (Public agency, licensed private agency, independent, or facilitated/unlicensed agency adoption?)

If we choose inter-country adoption, what country will our child come from? (Hague Convention or non-Hague Convention country? See box below.)

The way you choose to adopt will depend on the characteristics of the child you wish to adopt, how long you are willing to wait for your child, and other concerns.

Some Places to Go

If you choose to adopt a child from another country, you will need to know whether the country from which you plan to adopt is a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption. Countries that are parties to the Hague Convention have specific requirements for the adoption process, including the home study, parent training and eligibility, applicable forms, and more. The mission of the Hague Convention is to safeguard the children and parents involved in the adoption process.

Step 4: Complete a Home Study

No matter which type of adoption you choose to pursue, all prospective adoptive parents must have a home study or family study. A home study involves education, preparation, and gathering information about the prospective adoptive parents. This process can take from 2 to 10 months to complete, depending on agency waiting lists and training requirements. States vary regarding home study requirements, so you should check with your State Adoption Program to learn the specific regulations in your State. Inter-country adoption may carry special home study requirements, depending on the country and agency involved.

Step 5: Engage in the Placement Process

Once your home study is completed, you are ready to begin the placement process—the time when a specific child is identified for your family. Depending on the type of adoption you are pursuing, the characteristics of the child or children you are seeking, and a variety of other factors, this process and the time involved in waiting for your child can vary greatly.

If you are pursuing a foster care adoption, you may review information about a number of children who are waiting for families. Your agency may have adoption events, a photo-listing service, TV or video segments describing waiting children, or other ways to let you know about available children waiting for families. You can also view waiting children at the national photo-listing website. You will often have the opportunity for pre-placement visits to get to know a child before he or she moves into your home. Your family may also be able to serve as a resource, foster, or concurrent planning family, working with the agency to support the child's return to his or her birth family as well as being considered as a potential permanent family for the child if reunification does not occur.