Overview

Although there are children of all ages awaiting adoption, many people choose infant adoption because they believe it will be easier to assimilate a baby into their family.

There are many roads to infant adoption. The old-fashioned closed adoption kept a permanent veil between the birthmother and the adoptive parents. An adopted infant had little chance of ever finding info on his/her biological parents.

Today, birth parents and adoptive parents have the option of an open adoption. They may choose to meet before the adoption takes place, and maintain contact throughout the child's life. In some cases, this leads to life long friendships.

Whatever type of adoption you ultimately choose, you will still go through some basic steps during the course of the adoption proceedings. Let's take a closer look.

* Choose between a private or public adoption agency. Ask lots of questions. What are the fees involved? What is the average wait for an infant? Will the health histories of the birth parents be disclosed?
* Fill out an application. This is a pre-screening process that every agency goes through to gather detailed information on prospective parents. An agency will either accept or reject you as clients based on the information you provide.
* Participate in a home study evaluation. A home study investigates the total environment into which the child will be brought. A social worker will come to visit your home to see where the infant would be living. The social worker will interview you extensively to evaluate what kind of a parent you'll make. You'll also have a background check. Your finances will be examined to make sure you are prepared to handle the costs of raising a child. A medical exam will also be necessary.
* Hurry up and wait. While some prospective parents are lucky enough to receive an infant right away, many will have to wait depending on what type of infant they wish to adopt. Caucasian infants are not as readily available as African American or infants with special needs.
* Once you finally receive placement of an infant, there is a period of during which you will be further evaluated while caring for the infant in order to ensure that everything is going well. If the social worker gives you a written recommendation, you and your lawyer will then be able to file a formal petition for adoption with the court.

Infant adoption is not a quick and easy process, but is well worth all the work the moment you hold your new child in your arms.

Locating a Private Infant Adoption Situation

Infants waiting for adoption are perhaps the smallest group of all children hoping to find parents. There simply aren't enough infants to fulfill every prospective adoptive couple's wish. Expect to wait perhaps as long as one to three years for an infant if you are using a traditional adoption agency.

Let's look at some different approaches to finding infants waiting for adoption.

Facilitators

Facilitators are often a faster route for finding infants waiting for adoption, although they are not permitted to operate in a handful of states. Facilitators bring prospective parents and infants together, for a fee. As in any business, there are good and bad facilitators. Check out all adoption professionals thoroughly. There are some facilitators that have been in business for many, many years. Get your contract ahead of time and be sure your questions are all answered. This is good advice for hiring every adoption professional!

Independent Adoptions

This type of adoption is usually overseen by attorneys. The best are members of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. These attorneys must follow regulations set by the American Bar Association; however, not every state allows independent adoptions, so check your local laws first.

Independent adoption usually involves direct communication between adopting and placing parents. Quite often placing parents select the prospective adoptive parents based on several applications and home studies, and every situation is unique. There is no standard predictable waiting time to receive an infant.

Licensed Private Adoption Agencies

Since these types of private agencies are licensed by the state, they must follow the state regulations governing adoptions, and are therefore a secure way of locating infants waiting for adoption. Placing parents may relinquish their parental rights directly to the agency, and social workers may handle screening and recommendations of prospective parents.

Finding infants waiting for adoption is no easy task, so stay committed and persistent.

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