I want to adopt a child. Where do I start?

Answer 1

by askin yourself the real reason why and being honest with yourself and after that you contact the local authorities who will put you in touch with the right people but remember you dont usually get babies and a lot of kids come with a lot of problems

Answer 2

Become a Foster to adopt Parent. Foster Parents have the first option to adopt. Just be sure the child's parential right are removed, meaning there is not parental contact and no visation.It is easier to adopt through a private Foster Parenting agency, not through the county or state, which has too long of a waiting list and too much red tape. Many Private Foster Parent agencies will cover the cost of adopting, and you can adopt more then one child, a sibiling group. Best Wishes and Happy Adpopting!

Answer 3

Adoption agencies are great, but you may have some difficulties. If you're looking to adopt a child that way, you may be waiting for a few years-- especially if you want an international child. The way that my parents adopted me was through an adoption lawyer, also known as a private adoption. It costs a bit more, however, you can specify what criteria the parents must meet (ie., no drug problems, no alcoholism, etc). Also, please consider adopting a child from the States. I know that international children have their appeals, but there are thousands of American babies being shuffled through the system.

Answer 4

It depends on the type of adoption you're looking to do.

To do a domestic adoption through foster care contact your state's child welfare system (Google your state's name and "foster care" and adoption to find that agency). They'll let you know what the requirements & processes are & help you get started. You'll need to be fingerprinted, have a homestudy, go through classes, etc. There are thousands of kids in foster care for whom parental rights have been terminated. They need a forever family to provide them stability.

To do a private domestic adoption you can contact an agency or attorney and begin to seek out your child. These adoptions are often where the birth mother will choose the adoptive family & will choose the level of openness that she feels is in the best interest of all involved. You will have to go through all the background checks, fingerprinting, homestudy & stuff.

To do an international adoption, I recommend you use an agency (some countries allow independent adoption, but I can't imagine doing that with how complicated adoption is). Contact agencies that have programs in the country where you'd like to adopt from. Compile a spreadsheet with useful information about each agency -- costs, time in country, time involved in waiting, what their support services include, etc. Narrow it down to a handful of agencies that are in your "short list". Contact all the short list agencies & interview them, asking them questions that are important to you. Ask for references & check the references (ask for positives and negatives & if they'd use the agency again, etc.). Go online & seek out others who've used the agency & seek out their opinions, too. Contact the Better Business Bureau to see what complaints may have been filed & how they were or were not resolved.

You can use this process to choose an agency or attorney for a domestic adoption, too, just so you know. We did this to choose our agency & we were thrilled with the experience.

Answer 5

I would contact a local reputable adoption agency. They are best able to discuss the different types of adoptions available to you and how you can start the process. Also, networking is great. Let everyone you know that you are interested in adopting. That is how we met our son's bio-family. My neighbor worked with someone who was looking to make an adoption plan for a child.

Good luck to you.

Answer 6

First thing to do is read a book recently released called The Adoption Mystique by Joanne Wolfe Small. It will be worth it for you to read.

This book is a "Hard-Hitting Expose of the Powerful Negative Social Stigma that Permeates Child Adoption in the United States".

Answer 7

You need to go through an adoption agency. However, unless you have a lot of money or contacts chances are you will need to go through an international agency to adopt a child from another country like China.

You can try an online agency like AdoptionNetwork.com

Congratulations on your decision and GOOD LUCK!

Answer 8

I placed my twins for adoption and i went through an excellent adoption agency....its called Project Cuddles. The founder is amazing. She has been on Oprah, Ricki Lake (when she was on) anyway John Stamoes and Paula Abdul sponsor them...you should check there website out. i believe its projectcuddle.org or google Project Cuddle. As a birth mom who did that i really had a great experience. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!!!

Answer 9

In your own back yard. There are infants and babys left or given up on a regular basis that need loving parents. Start the ball rolling with your local Adoption Agency and help one of those poor children find a loving home.

Answer 10

where do you being you being by going to a adoption center and ask or tell that you want to adopt

Answer 11

i would foster then adopt the child. You would be helping a child being moved from home to home and its easer