Meeting Adoptive Parents

Last night I co-hosted a training for potential adoptive parents. It was early in the process for the prospective parents. Many were considering adoption after struggling with issues of infertility. Attending such a training is actually a big deal for them. When crossing the bridge from infertility to adoption, they are accepting their infertility and inability to produce a genetic child.

At trainings like the one last night we discuss the adoption process. This process is quite a journey for adoptive parents. Let me explain.

Adoptive parents working with an adoption agency are required to satisfy a list of agency requirements demonstrating that they would be good parents, able to provide a stable home filled with love and opportunity. They must undergo a home study process, where a licensed social worker interviews them extensively about their backgrounds, their lifestyle and reasons for adopting. The adoptive parents have to undergo criminal background checks and fingerprinting. They must submit financial documentation showing they are financially stable and references from work colleagues and personal contacts to speak of their character. They must, at least at Adoption House International, undergo a minimum of 10 hours of adoptive parent training to educate them about the issues faced by children who were adopted. And after satisfying all of these requirements, the adoptive parents must wait, and wait some more, to be selected by a birth mother making an adoption plan.

Understanding the adoption process, from the perspective of the adoptive parent, is important. It should give the birth mother some relief to know that adoptive parents at a reputable adoption agency are carefully screened. In addition, it demonstrates the great lengths to which an adoptive parent will go in effort to become a parent. If such care and effort is given to become a parent, one can only imagine the amount of care that will be provided to their child in the future.

Do you have any questions about working with adoptive parents? If so, please email me. In the alternative, you may call an Adoption House International counselor directly (at no charge) 24/7 at 1-877-921-1102.

All the best,

M.J.