An adoption Home Study is a legal requirement for any adoption and must be completed through an organization in your state licensed to complete Home Studies. This can be the longest part of the process so starting early is the smart thing to do.
Once your Home Study is complete, you will provide us with a signed and notarized copy, along with a few other documents, during the next step. Home Study and supporting documents must be dated within the last 12 months to be valid.
Graceful Adoption’s Application provides the flexibility to convey information about the child, ie., age, gender, race, medical history, you feel comfortable parenting. Once activated, this information is used to determine which families are presented to parent(s) considering adoption for their child.
During this step you will complete the Application, provide initial documents (home study, background clearances, medical forms and taxes), and have your Application Interview. The Application Interview allows you and the Graceful Adoptions’ team to talk about the adoption process and your preparedness for the life-long commitment of adoption. This is a good time to review expectations to ensure we are the right adoption agency for you.
The Activation documents include Graceful Adoptions’ Agency Agreement; Processes, Procedures and Guidelines; Corporal Punishment Policy; Insurance Affidavit and the Activation Fees. Once the Activation documents are completed and returned, it’s time to work on your Family Profile.
Graceful Adoptions’ process makes it easy to provide the information needed to develop your family profile. All profiles are professionally designed and edited, and approved by you prior to finalization. Once completed, the Family Profile is used to present your family to parents considering placing their child for adoption.
While we are working on completing your Family Profile, you use this time to complete the last items needed – submit your supporting documents and complete Graceful Adoptions’ required training. Our objective is to ensure your file is ready to meet the requirements of the states where we work. That way, if there is a last-minute placement, you will be ready!
Making matches is easy, making great matches is much more difficult, but is what we strive for and is what our process is designed to do.
Based on similar history and preferences, adoptive parent profiles are presented to the birth parent(s) for consideration. Once she identifies one or more adoptive families that she is interested in knowing better we arrange phone interviews. Based on the interview, the adoptive family she is most interested in will travel to meet her in person and spend some quality time together. This allows the parents to get to know each other better and identify common values and interests.
Finalizing the paperwork for your Match often feels more like a formality after meeting this amazing woman over the phone and/or in person.
This is usually a very confusing and challenging time for adoptive parents. Even though they may be a part of the child’s birth and/or hospital stay, in most cases they have no legal rights to the child until the birth parents sign documents, usually 24 to 72 hours following the child’s birth.
There will be Hospital Plan created as part of the mother’s Adoption Plan. This Plan outlines the mother’s desire for her hospital experience and is provided to the hospital staff to communicate the mother’s wishes. In addition to the mother’s Hospital Plan, the adoptive parents will receive documents which outline their role and responsibilities during the hospital stay.
If you are placed with an older child, the Transition Plan developed for the mother and child with Graceful Adoptions will be followed. The Transition Plan documents the gradual transfer of care from the placing parent to the adoptive parents. It also includes items that will be transitioned with the child, the child’s schedule, and a list of their favorites.
For a newborn, adoptive parents usually take physical custody of the child when they are discharged from the hospital. If the child is born in a state other than the adoptive parents home state, you must stay in the state of the child’s residence until you receive approval from both state’s ICPC offices. With Graceful Adoptions’ this is usually 4-10 days after the birth of the child.
For infants and toddlers, physical placement usually takes place during the Transition Plan. The Transition Plan will continue until, and perhaps after, you receive ICPC approval.
Just as the adoption Home Study is the adoptive parents’ approval to adopt, Post Placement Supervision is required for the adoptive parents to finalize the adoption. Post Placement Supervision is a process to ensure the child is being cared for and the adoption placement is successful. Upon completion, you will finalize the adoption and the adoption decree will be granted. Approximately six weeks later, you will receive a new birth certificate.
