How does it work .. adopting a child?

julie j

Hi Jennica,

That's not a stupid question. Thank you for caring about children who need homes. By the way, most are children rather than babies.

If you have your heart set on adopting a child from England, you would need to live there. The children there who need homes are not offered for sale as they are here in the U.S. as there are no private agencies there. All arrangements are made through the local social services department. Because it is better for children to remain where they are whenever possible, British children are not exported to the U.S. or to other countries for adoption.

If you intend to remain in the U.S. then I would recommend looking into foster care to adopt programs. There are currently half a million children, and about 25% of them are legally free for adoption now. (The rest will eventually return to their families or extended families.) The other 25% are the children who have no permanent homes & no family members able to raise them. This is where the need is the greatest. Adoption should always be about finding the best homes possible for each child who needs one. This is the most ethical way to go about adoption, and the costs are minimal or free.

Adoptions are handled through each individual state and the laws do vary. When you are ready you could start by looking up the Department of Children & Family services for your state. Sometimes it's called Human Services. Every propsective adoptive family must first pass what is called a home study before any child can be placed in their home.

Until then, you could research the effects of adoption on adoptees. Read books & blogs. Talk to adult adoptees. Talk to first mothers and adoptive parents. Stick around here & you will find out a lot about adoption. There is a resolved questions section here that goes back two years. There is so much to learn in order to become the best possible adoptive parent you can be. You will not learn much from an agency. Keep in mind they exist to make money. There are also other ways to help children without adopting them, particularly children in other countries.

Finally, a lot can happen in the coming years. Your plans may change after you finish school and meet someone special. Thanks for asking about adoption. Hope this helps you get started. Come back and ask more any time.

julie j
reunited adoptee

Randy B

Why London or elsewhere in Europe? I don't see the connection BUT you are free to try what you want.

International adoptions can cost $30,000 - $45,000 or more and depending upon where you adopt from it can take a couple of years with no guarantees of a successful placement.

At the same time though, while you shop all over Europe there will still be tens of thousands of children in the US (and Canada) who are eligible for adoption and are waiting in foster care till adoption placements can be made. Those adoptions are free in most cases or, at most, around $1,000.

You've obviously got plenty of time. Do all the research you can in the mean time and adopt where the need is greatest for the children.

rachelrmf@sbcglobal.net

Study the good and bad of adoption for many years and if it is still something you want to do than contact a lawyer...meanwhile save up thousands of dollars.

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