View the replay of the webinar “Adoption Paperwork, Explained,” with Ketiwe Boahene, to learn about all the documentation required for your adoption home study, why you need it, and how to obtain it.
The Home Study in Seven Steps
There’s no set format for home studies, but most include the following seven steps.
Should I Adopt a Child with “Special Needs”?
Peg Studaker, supervisor of the Waiting International Child Program at Children’s Home Society and Family Services, in Minnesota, says: “Parenting children with special needs should be a family’s first choice. Adopting a special-needs child should never be a second choice because the family could not get the child they really wanted to parent.”
Choosing Which Age Group to Adopt
For lots of adoptive parents, the hardest part of the process is the “choice” — particularly what age they should adopt.
Share Your Story: Must Pack Items
We asked our readers which items no adopting family should leave home without.
Expectant and Birth Parent Rights
Openness in adoption should begin long before the expectant mother and adoptive family navigate ongoing contact. An agency and an attorney discuss best practices for working with prospective birth parents.
“My Endless Summer of Waiting”
This was to have been my first summer as a mom. Instead, we’re waiting for the clearing of one final hurdle.
“From Heartbreak to Hope”
When our first adoption match fell through, we were devastated.
Finding an Expectant Mother Match
How you go about searching for your child’s birth mother will depend on what you feel comfortable with.
Ask AF: What’s Typical in Adoption Agency Contact?
Answers to your parenting questions.
Ask AF: Adopting an Acquaintance’s Baby
Answers to your parenting questions.
“Waiting for a Girl Like You”
A few years after marrying the man of my dreams, I was surprised to once again feel like an insecure single woman, willing the phone to ring.
Tips for Creating Your Profile from Birth Mothers
When creating your family profile, be authentic.
“Through the Glass”
When people learned I was pregnant, they were surprised that I was still planning to adopt.
“Picture of Love”
In the photos our agency sent, I saw a serious little boy growing up without a mother. Halfway around the world, I waited and longed for the day when I could fill that role.
“Everything Counts”
When you’re waiting to adopt, you count each day that passes. But how should I count my daughter-to-be, who is already a part of me?
“Why Tae Kwon Do?”
So far, each step I have taken into my future daughter’s world has taught me nearly as much about myself as it has about her culture.
“My Adoption (And Bunko) Support Group”
My Bunko buddies were the ones who were there for me when I suddenly got “the call.”
Marriage and Parentage for LGBT Families: Are the Walls Tumbling Down?
What has also changed dramatically is that no matter how you choose to build your family, when your child arrives at school, he or she is no longer going to be the only one with two mommies, two daddies, or even a single mom or dad.
The Name Game
Although a baby as young as seven months reacts when called by name, a name change isn’t a significant issue until age two.