Ten steps to your new Family

Now that you have decided on adoption, here are some steps which will help you make the process smoother:

Research. Learn more about adoption through the internet, books, news articles, and seminars. Should you wish to talk to a qualified person regarding your concerns, feel free to call Adoption Services Worldwide.
Contact. As soon as you reach a final decision to adopt, keep in touch with us right away so we could help you prepare the necessary requirements.
Home Study. A Home Study Program is required for both local and international adoptions. This requirement not only aims to prepare you for your new role as parents, it is also to evaluate the different aspects of your life. Our social worker will be working with you in this process.
Search for a Child. You have to decide on your adoption preferences. Do you plan to adopt a boy, or a girl? Would you rather have an infant, a toddler, a school-aged child or a teenager? Do you prefer to adopt one child, or you would rather care for siblings? We will help you search for whichever you prefer as we network with other child-placement agencies.
Exchange of Information. When you have selected a child, we will send your profile and home study to the child’s agency or birthparents together with that of other waiting families. If they are interested in your family, we will send you the child’s profile.
Termination of Parental Rights. When you are approved by the child’s agency and/or the birth parents, more confidential information will be exchanged for you to come up with the final decision to adopt the child. If you choose Open adoption, you will have the chance to meet the birthparents of the child. Legal termination of their parental rights will be done in this phase.
Meet the Child. After meeting the child for the first time, you may be required to make more visits before adoption is finalized. The number of required visits depends whether the adoption is done within your state, inter-state, or international. Several paperwork and adoption agreements are completed at this point.
Placement. Our social worker will work with you for a span of several weeks after the child is introduced into your home. This is to assist you with the issues that may come up along the way. This is what you call a Post-Placement supervision. At this point, you may as well file a Legal Intent to Adopt petition.
Finalization. You will be required to attend a court session wherein the judge finalizes the adoption. After which, you will receive an amended Birth Certificate and a Certificate of Adoption.
Life after Adoption. Adoption is forever. The adoption process does not end at the finalization stage. Your child may feel like a stranger in his new environment. You have to make simple, yet meaningful efforts to make your child feel that he belongs to your family now.