Domestic Adoption

OK so a while ago I posted about foster care & adoption.....and will in the future post about international too.....but for now this is all about domestic adoption!

If you would have asked me after adopting 7 children already that a domestic adoption would be possible- yeah, I would have totally laughed in your face!!!!  Seriously!  BUT now that we have become a lot more familiar with domestic adoption....I know the TRUTH!!!  Truth is there are many many many children each and every year here in the US that need families!  They are children of every skin color (although darker skinned children are still placed on the "hard to place" listings- SAD).

There are families of all shapes and sizes needed- single moms, large families, small families- and everyone in between!  If you would have said that domestic adoption does NOT consist of waiting for years and years....I would have said- you are CRAZY!!!!  Yeah, well I know a lot better now!

So what does a domestic adoption take?  It takes a homestudy ready family.  That is people who have hired a local social worker or agency to come into their home and do interviews with them- usually 3 or so visits.  The cost of this varies but is usually $1,000-$3,000, and usually takes a month to 4 months.  Up front - ask them how long it will take so you don't get your hopes up and you know reality!!!  (hmmmm.....maybe I will do another post just on the homestudy aspect because it is pretty specific and is needed for domestic and international adoptions).

So now that you know the rumors are NOT TRUE!  ANYONE who has space, time, love, and earns enough to support another child (YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE RICH) can adopt!

So what are some of the perks & hard spots to domestic adoption.....
*Compared to international adoption it is a much more stable - politically.
*Your child/ren are usually infants- sometimes weeks old, but usually days old or less....
*You usually know a lot more about your child and the birth family medically speaking and socially speaking.
*There is usually some continued contact with the birth family like letters and photos- sometimes more sometimes less (again another post about the different kinds of ongoing contact- open, semi-open, and closed terminology)
*Sometimes it fails..............*The travel is usually a lot cheaper as opposed to international.  Sometimes it is within your own state....sometimes it is across the country- depends on your agency.  If it is out of state the travel time is usually 1-2 weeks for the consents to be signed and for the interstate compac agreement to be cleared.  The interstate compac agreement is just the bureaucracy of each state sending and receiving the child.  It is not a "test" just a formality that has to be done for your adoption across state lines.
*You have little control in being "picked" in domestic adoptions, but there are times when the agency does the pick as well.  This can feel helpless, but it can also reassure you that the birth family wants you too!
*You have to make up profiles for the birth family to view- giving an outline of your family, who you are, and why you want to adopt...reassuring them that you are a loving family.  This can be stressful, but there are many people out there ready and willing to help you do this too!

SO- there is risk, but as with any adoption the risk you take to love a child.  Contrary to popular belief though there are many children that STILL NEED HOMES!!!!!

Great Questions to ask of a domestic adoption agency:
Do you work with other states....if so which ones?
***Keep in mind that there are a few states that have harsh consent laws that take a long time, but MOST states the signing of parental rights or consent happens within 48-72 hours or upon release from the hospital. 
How many adoptions does the agency complete in one year?
Approximate costs?  Does it vary with children of different skin color?  Or children with special needs?
Do they work with other agencies for homestudies or do they do all the homestudies themselves?
Are there situations when the agency does the pick?
Are there certain situations where there are last minute placements- how many?
Is your agency comfortable with you working with other agencies at the same time? **Sometimes you can get access to an agencies "waiting" situations page and ask to be referred to different situations, as long as they do not all overlap.
Does your agency help with doing profiles?
How many profiles will they need and in what format?  - digital, hard copies, specific binding, etc.
What happens once you are "picked" by a birth family - are there specifics with that agency?
What is your agencies policy when an adoption does not happen either by failed adoption or you are just waiting a longer time?  Do you have to pay additional money- if so how much, are there limits?
How much is usually paid to the birth families- are there limits (this varies by state and adoption agencies) for birth family expenses?

I know that with adoption- MONEY is a HUGE deal.  Make sure you know what you are thinking about with how to raise or save for it.  There are many interest free loans, and grants to be had out there if you do your homework!  There are many fundraising ideas that great creative people have done, that work!

I would say your average costs of domestic adoptions are $15,000-25,000 for dark skinned children.  $20,000-30,000 for children that have parents of different skin colors.  $30,000-40,000 for light skinned children.  It is what it is- I LOATHE writing this....that there is a difference!!!  Notice I don't like using "race" as a word.  This is my opinion- We all came from Adam and Eve.....and later Noah's family.  Therefore even though we come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and skin colors- I don't differentiate in that.  I know I know we all need to be aware that there are differences, how this affects our children, but hey it's my blog- and that is my opinion :)  he he he

So before this gets realllllllyyyyyy loooonnnnnggggg- I will stop and write more later.  BUT please e-mail us if you have ANY QUESTIONS!!!  I would love to hear them.  AND if you want to talk with us about Mother Goose Adoptions....just let me know because we are needing families for some very precious children!!  ;)