Understanding the adoption process and your family building options can be challenging.   When deciding what is best for you, it is important to research the adoption process in your state and consult with experienced and trustworthy professionals.  This first post in our “Adoption 101” series outlines key aspects of starting the adoption process, such as the home study report and deciding what path in adoption is best for your family. Our next post highlights legal considerations in Pennsylvania and resources to get started with your adoption journey.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION – HOME STUDY REPORT OR FAMILY PROFILE

Whether you are seeking a public or private adoption, or domestic or intercountry adoption, you will have to complete background pre-placement paperwork to show you are able to care for a child in a safe environment.  This often includes criminal, child abuse, and FBI background clearances, a medical report, references, and a review of your home and finances for a safe and stable placement. Both the home study report or family profile and its attachments, such as clearances, medical report, and references, expire based on your state’s laws and often is on a yearly basis.  These are usually completed by a licensed agency and/or social worker. It is important to know both the requirements of the home study report or family profile, and the timeline to complete and to update them, prior to moving forward with an adoption plan. In Pennsylvania, the home study report is valid for one year from the date the report is signed by the agency and/or social worker, and must be updated yearly, and fully expires after three years. The clearances, medical report, and references that are incorporated into the home study report must be updated on a yearly basis. You can read our article on how to get your clearances here and learn more about clearances in Pennsylvania for adoptive and foster parents here.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF ADOPTION

Public and Private Adoption.

When choosing an adoption plan that is right for your family, you may be considering between public, meaning foster care through the state, and private, meaning placement directly by the biological parents or through an agency.

• Private adoption refers to biological parents choosing to make an adoption plan for their unborn or young child, to voluntarily relinquish their parental rights, and place the child with a prospective adoptive family.  The adoptive family will have a valid home study report and complete post placement visits as well as the legal requirements for the adoption. The adoptive family covers the cost for legal for themselves and the biological family, which may include paying for an adoption agency and social worker.  Depending on your state’s laws, you could have the option for independent adoption through an attorney or an agency placement through an adoption agency. This process is not subsidized by the state, though families may look to grants options and the adoption tax credit for reimbursement.

• Public adoption refers to the foster care system in which the state is removing children from their home for neglect or abuse reasons and placing them in foster homes for care while working to reunify the children with their parents or a close relative. If the child is not able to be reunified, the state looks for a permanent placement for the child to be adopted, usually with a relative if possible, or with the foster family they are currently placed in if it is a pre-adoptive home.  The initial goal is often to reunify the child with their biological parent(s), if that is not possible, to place the child with a relative (known as kinship foster placement) or in a pre-adoptive home. The state will not move towards adoption until the parental rights are terminated, which will happen if reunification is unsuccessful. 

Families interested in public adoption, also known as foster-to-adopt programs, should have a realistic expectation of their role in the child’s life, the timeline, and legal process. There are often siblings involved as well. This process is subsidized by the state. If you are interested in public adoption, reach out to your state’s local chapter of children and youth services to learn more. In Pennsylvania, you can learn more about your options at the Statewide Adoption & Permanency Network (SWAN). You can also review your county’s child welfare data on the State of Child Welfare by PA Partnerships for Children to see how many foster youth are in your area and how many adoptions occur each year.

Domestic and Intercountry Adoption.

When choosing an adoption plan that is right for your family, you may be considering between domestic, meaning adopting a child within the US, or intercountry, meaning adopting a child from outside the US.

• In a Domestic Adoption, the biological parents to the child often have parental rights until several days and even months after the baby is born.  The child may be placed with the adoptive family understanding the legal risk. Adoptive parents often maintain open communication with biological parents, such as through picture and letter updates, family visits, and sharing medical and social information. Depending on the state, maintaining contact between the adoptee and biological family may be court-enforceable and the child may have access to their adoption records through the court.

• In an Intercountry Adoption, or International adoption, the child often is either an orphan or the biological parents’ rights have already been terminated/relinquished according to the country’s laws.  The children are often older and the adoptive parents may have limited information on the child’s background or contact with the child’s biological family. This process may involve longer stays abroad, and requires cooperation in immigration and passport services, as well as government and international requirements regarding cross border adoption.  Visit the U.S. Department of State Intercountry Adoption page to learn more about the process and statistics on Intercountry adoption.

Whether choosing to grow your family through foster-to-adopt or through private domestic or intercountry adoption, it is paramount to understand the legal aspects that guide your adoption plan. Our next aticle will feature an outline of the legal aspects of adoption in Pennsylvania and generally nationwide. 

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