Search Results for: adoption adoption process

The Adoption Process – Part III – Matching

This is where we are right now, so this is where I will stop… for now. I’ll finish out the process once we have gone through it so that I can give my own perspective on it. So far we have received child studies on three girls. The child study is like the home study, only it describes the personality and life history of a child who is available for adoption. The study is given to us to review together, and if we decide we want to take it further we let the social worker know. She then puts us … Continue reading →

The Adoption Process – Part II – The Home Study

The purpose of the home study is to tell a story about you and your family. The social workers come to your home at least a couple of times, they will look around your home, meet with all family members, and spend hours talking about your lives together. Our home study started with a meeting, in our home, with a social worker. She went over and explained all of the paperwork she needed us to complete, and she went over the process again so that we would know what to expect. The entire first meeting took all of about fifteen … Continue reading →

The Adoption Process – Part I – Orientation & MAPP Classes

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How is the adoption going? Have you heard anything yet? Have you met the child you are going to adopt? How long does it take? So many people ask us these questions, so I thought it would be good to lay it all out here. This is not a quick and easy process; it takes a lot of time and a lot of work. Please keep in mind, also, that this process is actually quicker and easier for people who want to adopt older children, like us! This is an overview of the adoption process in our area, as we … Continue reading →

Understanding The Adoption Process

Before I get much further into searching for a biological parent or searching for a biological child, it’s important to understand how the adoption process works and how it is recorded. It’s important to start any search with a basic knowledge of how you came to be where you are today. It’s also important to understand words and terminology used by the many individuals that you will be requesting help from during your search. Several weeks ago, I wrote a helpful blog with glossary terms that are exactly these terms I am speaking of. Typically an agency or independent adoption … Continue reading →

How We Started the Adoption Process in Our State

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My husband and I reside in the state of Oregon. When we decided we were going to adopt, we didn’t know where to start. Though states vary in how their steps are outlined, my hope is that our experience will give you some idea of how the state adoption process can work. 1. We went to the Government pages in our phone book and looked for our county’s Department of Human Services (DHS). In other states it may be department of social or human services or recourses. Each state has a different name for their program. Sometimes just calling the … Continue reading →

The Adoption Home Study Process, Part 2 – Supporting Documents

There are a number of supporting documents that are required of a couple or person who are going through the Home Study Process. It’s a good idea to collect these documents early on, so you are not scrambling before your social worker comes to complete the Interview portion of the Home Study. The agency that is providing the Home Study will often provide you with a checklist to use to help keep tract of the documents you have and will need to get. If the agency does not provide a list, it is good idea to write up a list, … Continue reading →

The Adoption Home Study Process, Part 1

When you have decided to start the adoption process the first step you will want to take is to start preparing for the Home Study. The Home Study is the process whereby an individual or couple, undergo a study by a licensed public or private agency to assure the well being of the child in the home and the readiness of the family to adopt. The Home Study is required for all prospective adoptive families no matter what type of adoption may be pursued. Home Study requirements will vary from agency to agency, but every Home Study will have state … Continue reading →

Overview of the Agency Adoption Process – Domestic Adoption, Part 3.

The next phase of your adoption journey, before the baby is born, is the time between when you get a match until the birth of your baby. This period can be very exciting with the expectation of a new baby on the way. But yet during this time there can be some fear and apprehension of what could go wrong. For instance, talking and meeting with the birthmother, fear that the birthmother may change her mind, and just hoping that everything will go well with her pregnancy. As a couple, you have already have come far in your adoption journey. … Continue reading →

Overview of the Agency Adoption Process – Domestic Adoption, Part 2.

Once my husband and I were involved in our adoption journey I came to feel that there were three distinct phases to the process. The first phase was getting prepared to become a member of the adoption agency. Tasks that were included in this phase were applying to the agency, filling out questionnaires, completing the Home Study, and completing our Family Profile. I described these steps in my previous post, Overview of the Agency Adoption Process – Domestic Adoption, Part 1. The second part of the phase was the waiting for a match with a birthmother, which I will describe … Continue reading →

Overview of the Agency Adoption Process – Domestic Adoption, Part 1.

When my husband and I started the Adoption Process we were excited and eager. We were finally going to build the family we had intended on building years ago. We told our friends and families. We were going to start the adoption process in September of 2003 and hoped by the same time in 2004 we would have our baby. And one year later in September of 2004 on Labor Day, Connor was born. But looking back to the beginning of our process I remember being prepared for what could have been an overwhelming and complex process. At the time … Continue reading →