ADOPTION
Here are two good sources from Adoptive Families magazine on adoption to help you get educated on the process:
For a quick overview on adoption use the chart below:
| Type of Adoption |
Definition |
Children Available |
Approximate Cost |
Who Can Adopt |
How Long It Takes |
| Public agency adoption
(Domestic -
Foster Care) |
an adoption directed and supervised by a state (DCFS) or local Department of Human Services (or Social Services, or Human Resources, or Health and Welfare, or Child and Family Services, etc.) |
children with special needs (kids who are harder to place due to emotional or physical disorders, age, race, membership in a sibling group, backgrounds); rarely infants |
from $0 to $2,500 (depending on the state, up to $2,000 of “nonrecurring” adoption costs for eligible special needs children may be reimbursed) |
flexible eligibility requirements for adoptive parents; on a case-by-case basis, will consider single parents, parents over the age of 40, parents who have other children, parents with low incomes, etc. |
starts slowly, but for those who have an updated home study, placement can occur as soon as a few months after selecting a child |
| Private agency adoption
(Domestic – Agency) |
an adoption directed and supervised by a privately funded, licensed adoption agency |
sometimes handle special needs children; more commonly associated with younger children and infants |
$6,000 to $40,000; lower for special needs children; some agencies have sliding fee scales |
agencies may recruit parents based on race, religious affiliation, etc.; for infant adoptions, birth mother often chooses |
a few months to a few years (sometimes longer for infant adoption) |
| International adoption |
process of adopting a child who is not a U.S citizen, which may be accomplished privately through an attorney, or through an international adoption agency |
nearly 50 countries allow their children to be adopted by U.S. citizens; ages range from infant to teens; health conditions vary |
$9,000 to $30,000 (varies by country; travel and travel- related expenses may be additional) |
depends on agency and country requirements; some will accept single parents, most prospective parents are between 25 and 45 years old |
six months to several years depending on the child’s age and health, and the country’s political climate |
| Independent adoption
(not legal in all states; also known as private adoption. – Domestic) |
an adoption initiated by prospective adopters and completed with help from an attorney or adoption counselor |
generally infants |
$5,000 to $40,000 (includes prospective parents’ cost of finding a birth mother, certain birth mother expenses, and attorney’s fees) |
birth mothers typically choose the adoptive parent– preferences tend to run toward younger, affluent, married couples |
variable; as long as it takes to find a birth mother who will see the process through to finalization |
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| Source: North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) |
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