Adoption Process

All adoptions start with a home study. But once completed the process differs depending on whether or not you pursue a domestic agency adoption or international adoption.

Home Study

All adoption regardless of the type (domestic agency adoption, domestic parental placement, international) start with a home study which is a document that describes your family, lifestyle, finances and more. Once approved, you can proceed to the steps in a domestic or international adoption.

To get started on home study, schedule a pre-home study Intake Interview to meet informally with an individual staff member to discuss specific adoption needs and to provide additional information regarding the adoption process; this interview enables prospective adoptive parents to begin their relationship with the agency which will provide service and support throughout the process, At the conclusion of the interview, couples who wish to pursue this agency's services will be given an application and an overview of the Parent Preparation/Home study process.

Return the completed application to assure the next available space in the Parent Preparation/Home study classes scheduled. (The agency takes prospective adoptive families into its Domestic Adoption Program on a first come, first served basis, and
maintains up to twenty approved families in the domestic adoption pool to assure that families are not awaiting a placement for years.)

Attend Parent Preparation/Home study classes which are four (4) weekly meetings designed for education and discussion of adoption issues including motivation, values, communication, and parenting an adopted child. These classes are scheduled twice yearly in groups of five to six couples and afford the opportunity for prospective adoptive parents to eradicate those feelings of isolation by participating in a group process and continuing their relationship with agency staff which will advocate for them now and in the future.

Schedule a Home Visit to be made by an agency caseworker in order to complete the home study. All persons living in the home are interviewed at this time and questions which may have been inappropriate to address in the group sessions can be discussed privately.

Domestic Adoption

• Infertility procedures which are often humiliating, dehumanizing, and expensive;
• The stigma associated with adoption and promoted by the media;
• The pro-choice/pro-life controversy which forgets about justice for the just-born;

• The notorious unethical cases which wreak emotional havoc on the adoptive triad; and a firm belief that adoption as a way of creating a family is exciting, fulfilling, and fun.

Once your home study is completed and you are approved for adoption, you will be asked to write a Prospective Adoptive Parent Letters of Introduction which are presented to birth parents who are selecting prospective parents for their infant. When selected, a meeting will be arranged with you, the birth family and your social worker. 

Once the baby is born, you will be notified and take custody of the baby. Six months of supervision with at least visits will follow before the adoption will take place. 

Note: ABC Adoption Services does conduct home study for families involved in parental placement in which they have located a birth mother themselves but need the required home study. ABC Adoption Services also provides the state required counseling to birth mothers involved in parental placement as well. Contact ABC Adoption for information regarding parental placement adoption.

International Adoption

Like in domestic adoption, international adoption starts with a home study. During the home study process, you can file you application I-600A to INS as well as collect documents needed for the foreign country's dossier. Your social worker and source agency will help you with this process.