Nothing can be as rewarding as welcoming a new child into the household. And while most individuals experience this joy with the arrival of their newborn, some individuals resort to experiencing this moment with the arrival of an adopted child into the house.
True! Adoption can be a wonderful experience that can brighten up both your life and the life of the child you choose to adopt. But it is a tiring process that needs careful scrutinizing, wading past several systematic routines and bureaucratic procedures.
For those of you who don?t have an idea of how to go about the adoption process, this article will help you understand the basis facts about adopting and the cumbersome process involved.
Understanding The Difference Between Adoption And Foster Care
Many individuals tend to confuse foster care with adoption. Even though both terms signify the process of individuals caring for children of other blood, there is a significant difference between the two that needs to be understood earlier on in the adoption process.
While adoption involves total, permanent care of the child by the parents involved, foster care would give parents only temporary rights over the child (including care). In the case of foster care, the legal and financial responsibility of the child remains with the foster care agency, while adoption lets parents gain full legal and financial responsibility of the child they adopt.
Another striking difference between foster care and adoption is that while the former focuses on providing a temporary family for the child with the intention of reuniting the child with his/her parents after a stipulated amount of time; the latter focuses mainly on providing a new, permanent home for the child to start a new life altogether.
A Quick Summary Of The Process Involved
Submission Of Application
Parents intending to adopt a childshould first fill in an application handed out by the respective adoption (or foster care) agency. It pays to be truthful about the details you fill in the form. For any issues later on will hamper your thought of adopting a child ever again. After you fill in the application, the agency would assign a dedicated helper (a social worker in most cases) to your case. This helper would be your guide throughout the adoption process.
Home Study Assignment
Following the submission of your application and the selection of a social worker to help you out, you will be asked to cooperate for the next step in the adoption process which would involve a careful examination of your house and family by the social worker.
This step may feel intrusive and uncomfortable. However, it is in the best interests of the child and so, needs to be handled calmly. Ranging from a few weeks to several months, the home study assignment will involve the helper interviewing you, your family members, close friends,? relatives and personal references (given by the applicants) to ascertain details about current circumstances, emotional and financial stability of the family and essential information on family background.
Health Study History
This process may also sound a bit uncomfortable for the adoptive parents. However, like before, it is in the best interests of the child and so is considered necessary. Prior to finishing the home study evaluation, you would be asked to give essential details about your family?s health history. This includes details about previous and current illnesses, life threatening conditions/disorders, allergies and other issues that require regular treatment.
Submission Of The Home Study Evaluation
At the end of it all, the helper would ascertain whether you are physically, emotionally and financially fit to adopt the child and would provide the result of the home study assignment to the adoption/foster care agency. Of course, the report would be shown to you first and would be sent to the agency only after you approve of the same.
Final Stage Of The Adoption Process
Your application, health reports and the home study evaluation report would be jointly considered by the adoption agency which would then notify you if they find all the details satisfactory. The entire process could take anywhere from a few months to over a year depending on the agency and the nature of the adoption.
Source: http://www.ladyzona.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-adoption-process/
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