Adoption Process

The adoption process is a time-consuming procedure that, if successful, ends with an individual or couple assuming full parental rights of a child whose biological parents' rights have been voluntarily or involuntarily terminated. All legal responsibility for the child or children is removed from one person and received by the next. However, the road to that point can take anywhere from a few months to a few years and requires financial planning, time and resources. Often, there is also an amount of post-adoption supervision before a placement is finalized and a child is legally the child of an adoptive family.

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The paperwork and time that an adoption takes is only a part of the transition. There is a lot of emotional change that comes with an adoption. Adoptive parents will need to be sure they can love a child who is not biologically related to them. They should be prepared for any lifestyle changes having a child brings as well as any developmental issues that may occur as a child grows older.

The adoption process also doesn't begin with the transfer of parental rights, either. Adoptive parents and pregnant women must both first fill out applications and find the right mode of adoption before waiting for placement.

Most couples will need to apply with an agency or attorney, undergo a home study, create a profile, participate in interviews with case workers and then wait for a child. Once a child is placed with a couple, there are still insurance policies, doctors, work schedules, a child's room and counseling and research to be attended to. There is a growing number of businesses that allow adoptive parents to take paid leave, akin to maternity leave benefits. Prospective parents may want to check into that option.

After a placement has been signed and adoptive parents have their child, there is typically a two- to three-month period during which the family is supervised by a case worker. After this period, a case worker will petition for the finalization of the adoption process. It should be noted that this period can be longer for older children, about a year.

If a couple adopted domestically, there is still a finalization process that requires a court appearance. This is where the government officially accepts the adoption. International adoptions are generally finalized at the time of adoption.