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 Child
Adoptions can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. A child is
God's gift. No matter how a child enters a family, each must be loved and valued
for who he or she is. Children come into the world with different talents,
abilities, and characteristics. But for a mother her child is the best. By
adopting a child you not only give a homeless child love and support but you
also give yourself the honour of being a mother. However, the adoption process
can be emotionally trying, tedious, time consuming, and frustrating. This
article provides some general information about adoption and its procedure.
Getting Started
It happens almost all the times that if you want to adopt a child then maybe
your husband or in-laws are not comfortable with the idea. Families, friends,
and even your spouse can have misconceptions about adoption and your decision
may require some explaining. People normally shun adoption because they think
that if they adopt they may be bringing home some deformed or a sick child or a
child who may grow up to be a criminal or thug since the child's parent might be
having such a background. That is not true. A child is not born with criminal
instincts or nature. It is very important that before adopting a child one has
to understand the meaning of adoption and the fact that you will be bringing up
a child who is not your own but who is going to come into your life and family
and shower you with all the love and respect that you are entitled to and as
that child's parent you have to take up entire responsibility and love her as
your own. It is also important to make your family understand this so that the
child gets all the love, caring and respect from everyone. You and your family
should be ready to accept the child with all your heart and should have all your
misconceptions clear before you adopt since that will be beneficial for the
child, for you as well as for the entire family.
How To Adopt
The traditional eligibility requirements for adoptive parents are changing now a
days with more and more relaxing rules and requirements but still what is most
importantly required is that adoptive parents should be able to give the child a
healthy and secure future and adoption agencies are seeking families or single
adults who can love, care for, and raise these children with total dedication
and responsibility. However, for many infant adoptions, agencies will only
consider couples married at least once or divorced or single parent, between the
ages of 25 and 40, and with stable employment income. There are a few agencies
that accept applicants who are older than 40; you just have to look a little
harder for them. Some agencies require that the couple have no other children
and be unable to bear children. Some require that at least one parent should not
work outside the home for at least 6 months after the adoption so that total
care can be taken of the adoptive child. Whatever be the adoption agency be it
private or public there are steps you have to follow before you can adopt and
these agencies will discuss the various eligibility regulations and
possibilities with you depending upon your particular needs and those of the
child and the birth parents.
Adoption Agency
There are both private and public adoption agencies. A private adoption agency
is supported by private funds and should be licensed or approved by the State in
which it operates. A public agency is the local branch of your State social
service agency and is funded through State or Central Government. To obtain the
names of local private agencies, look under "Social Services" or "Adoption
Agencies" in the Yellow Pages. Also, ask adoptive parents and your public agency
for their recommendations. Regarding public agencies each State organizes its
agencies somewhat differently. In general, public agencies will accept adoption
applications from families wanting to adopt older children, infants, or children
with special physical or psychological needs. Generally children in the custody
of
a public agency are abused, neglected, or abandoned by their birth parents.
Abuse and neglect can normally leave physical and emotional scars upon the minds
of the child, which has to be very carefully healed after adoption, or before
you adopt. It is important to discuss all aspects of a child's history with the
agency social workers so that later on you don't have to face complications and
also discuss the availability of counseling or other services, just in case the
child might need it, before deciding to adopt such a child.
Home study and other formalities
After you contact any agency and after you have decided to go ahead with the
adoption you will first learn about the agency's procedures, parents
requirements and available children and receive the application forms. The
agency will review your completed application to determine whether to accept you
as a client or intended adoptive parent. If accepted at a private agency, you
will probably have to pay a registration fee at that time. The next step is the
"home study" Which is most important since it gives the agency an opportunity to
evaluate your economical status as well as find out whether you are eligible to
adopt and take care of the child.
The home study is thus an evaluation of you as a prospective adoptive family and
the physical and emotional environment into which the child would be placed. It
consists of a series of interviews and meetings with a social worker, including
at least one interview in your home where not only you will be interviewed but
also all the family members will be questioned as to whether they want to adopt
a child and give it love and compassion. During this process, you will, with the
social worker's assistance, consider all aspects of adoptive parenthood and
identify the type of child you wish to adopt. Please note that many of the
questions asked in the home study are personal. Some of the questions are about
your income, assets, and health and the stability of the marriage (if married)
and/or family relationships. Physical exams to ensure that you are healthy may
also be required. A home study is usually completed in a few months, depending
upon the agency's requirements and the number of other clients.
Be prepared to wait
Adopting a child always requires a waiting period. After making up your mind and
selecting the child you want to adopt you will have to wait to for at least 6
months to a year to finish all the formalities like home study and other legal
formalities. For any type of adoption, even after a child is found, you may have
to wait weeks or months while final arrangements are made.
Complete the legal formalities
Normally completing all the legal formalities is provided by the adoptive
agencies itself and you need not worry about anything. First of all permission
is taken from Indian Child Welfare Association for the purpose of adoption,
which is provided to you by the agencies. Usually legal formality of adopting
the child is completed during the waiting period when you have decided upon
which child to adopt and all the other formalities regarding interview is over.
An application is made to the Court for adoption which is granted and there
after you can take the child home. If suppose the child is above 3 years old
then in that case a child lives with the adoptive family for a few months in
foster care before the adoption is finalized legally, the agency will then
submit a written recommendation of approval of the adoption to the court, and
you or your attorney can then file with the court to complete the adoption.
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