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Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
What type of adoptions
are there and how do they compare to one another?
Where do we start?
When should a home study begin and what does the home study entail?
What are the costs of adopting a child?
Will the child be covered by my health insurance?
Is The Family Center of Hope able to provide adoption services for
out-of-state residents?
Domestic Questions
What are the advantages of
adopting domestically?
What are the disadvantages of adopting domestically?
When can we expect placement of an adoptive child in our home?
What are the legal timeframes for parental placements?
Military Questions
Will our
mobile lifestyle allow us to be considered for adoption?
I am only stationed here for three years. Will we be able to
adopt in that amount of time?
Can I adopt if I have sea duty or am deployed?
How does the military support adoption?
(Q) What
type of adoptions are there and how do they compare to one another?
(A.) There are four types of adoptions in Virginia:
parental placement, international adoption, agency placement (public agency) and
agency placement (private agency). You decide which is right for you and best
fits your individual circumstances.
Families may:
-
Plan to adopt an infant of
similar race/ethnicity/cultural heritage
-
Plan to adopt an older child
through social services
-
Plan to adopt a child already
known to you
-
Plan to adopt a relative
-
Plan to adopt from another
country
Parental Placement is
when the adoptive parents and birth parents seek each other out. By law,
identifying information is shared. It is for this reason that this is sometimes
called "Open Adoption". However, any decision to maintain contact after the
adoption occurs is totally the legal decision of the adoptive parents. There
are fees charged for the homestudy, counseling time, and legal representation.
These children are typically newborns directly from the hospital or slightly
older infants and toddlers.
International adoptions are
facilitated by specialized agencies and organizations. The agency or their
representative can match the child with the adoptive parents or, in some
specific countries, families are able to review several profiles and choose the
child themselves. Typically, by its nature, an international adoption is a
closed adoption, and there is limited information about the child available.
There are fees charged for the homestudy, country fees, and legal
representation. These children are typically ages toddler and older. Currently
we do not provide international adoption services.
Agency
placement (public agency) is
typically a closed adoption. The agency (usually a department of social
services) matches the child to the adoptive parents and sometimes limited family
information is shared depending on why the child was removed from their
biological family. The agency supervises the placement and pays most of the
fees. These children are typically school age and older.
Agency
placement (private agency) can
be open or closed placements depending on the requests of the birth and adoptive
parents. Each agency works differently and some create matches themselves and
others allow the birth parents to make the decision. The agency retains legal
custody of the child until the adoption is finalized. The adoptive family may
receive the child directly from the hospital or may wait until the birth mother
has completed her consent to the adoption. There are fees charged for the home
study, counseling, legal representation, plus an additional placement fee when a
child is placed in a home.
At The Family Center of Hope, we specialize in parental placements and can assist
families with agency placements, family adoptions, and social services
placements.
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(Q.) Where do we start?
(A.) The adoption process begins with a confidential,
one on one orientation at The Family Center of Hope, with one of our adoption
experts. This meeting is free and holds no obligation to our agency. We would
like to get an idea of where you are in the process and how we can assist you
best. Because you are creating your own adoption plan, you decide how much
additional support you want from us. Most clients who are new to adoption feel
more confident when they have ongoing support and professional guidance.
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(Q.) When should a home
study begin and what does the home study entail?
(A.) A home study should begin as soon as you have
made the decision to pursue adoption. You cannot gain
legal custody until you have completed the home study.
Required by law, a home study must be done by a state designated or licensed
agency, like The Family Center of Hope. A home study is comprised of: a series
of interviews, one of which will be in your home; completion of an
autobiography; background checks; submission and review of other required
paperwork. The goal of the home study is to confirm that you are morally,
financially, emotionally, and physically able to parent a child to adulthood.
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(Q.) What are the costs
of adopting a child?
(A.) The cost can range anywhere from $8,000 to over
$60,000 depending on the type of adoption you choose. International adoptions
are usually the most expensive because there can be several agencies involved,
as well as international travel expenses to the country of the child's birth and
subsequent care. Attorney fees are additional and also vary depending on the
type of adoption. We recommend using an attorney who is well versed in adoption
law and have several local lawyers who we can refer clients to.
Many employers offer adoption reimbursement programs
for their employees including employees of the state and military personnel.
There is also an income tax credit available in the amount of approximately
$13,000 which is available to most families that apply. It can be used over
several years to offset the cost of adoption. Many of our families have gotten
creative in finding ways to offset their costs including raffles, bake sales,
car washes, and yard sales.
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(Q.) Will the child be
covered by my health insurance?
(A.) Under most major medical policies (including the
military) the child will be covered at the time of birth or placement with the
family.
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(Q.) Is The Family Center of Hope able to provide adoption services for out-of-state residents?
(A.) The Family Center of Hope is only licensed to
complete homestudies, a requirement for adopting a child, for residents of
Virginia.
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Domestic Questions
(Q.)
What are the advantages of adopting domestically?
(A.) Adoptive parents often get more background
information on the birth parents and sometimes have the chance to continue
contact with the birth parents if they
are comfortable with it. The children available are often infants but older
children are available through a social services placement. The costs of
domestic adoption are often much less than international, typically
$8,000-$12,000 for a parental placement adoption and $15,000-$35,000 for an
agency placement. Also, the option to adopt a child who is racially or
ethnically similar to the family is greater with domestic adoption.
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(Q.) What are the
disadvantages of adopting domestically?
(A.) Some families may not be comfortable with the
idea of having ongoing contact with the birth parents or are afraid of the birth
parent changing their mind within the waiting period following the consent to
adoption. This is typically the biggest concern of families adopting
domestically.
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(Q.) When can we expect
placement of an adoptive child in our home?
(A.) Placement may occur anywhere from one day to two
years from the time you begin the process. At The Family Center of Hope, our average length
of time for a placement is approximately 12-24 months for the parental placement
of a Caucasian newborn. Wait times for bi-racial or other minority children may
be shorter depending on the type of child that you are open to adopting. The
more types of placement a family is open to considering the shorter the wait
could be (i.e. race, gender, potential drug or alcohol exposure, ongoing contact
with the birth family, etc).
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(Q.) What are the
legal timeframes for parental placements?
(A.) The birth parent(s) can go to court anytime after
the child is three (3) days old. In court, birth parent(s) consent to the
adoption. Then follows an additional seven (7) days in which the birth parent
can change their mind. If the adoptive parents hire separate legal counsel for
the birth mother then she can waive this 7 day waiting period, thus making her
consent irrevocable from that day in court. The Family Center of Hope encourages
birth parents to seek counseling before the birth of the child so that they know
what to expect after consent is given. Often, the birth father can terminate
his rights without going to court.
An interlocutory order is then entered by the
attorney’s office and a six month supervisory period is started. Within these
six months three visits are done by an agency to ensure that the family and the
child are coping with the change well. Once these visits are completed the
agency recommends that the adoption be finalized by the court and a final order
is entered. Once the final order is given the family may request an amended
birth certificate with the adoptive parents’ names and change the child’s name
if necessary.
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Military Questions
(Q.)
Will our mobile lifestyle allow us to be considered for adoption?
(A.) YES! Homestudies can be transferred to new
agencies when you relocate and the military offers extra reimbursements to
families who adopt.
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(Q.)
I am only stationed here for three years. Will we be able to adopt in that
amount of time?
(A.) If you choose parental placement adoption, most
adoptions occur within two years. If for some reason it does not, you do have
the option of transferring your case to another agency in your new area to
complete the adoption. Additional fees may apply at the new agency.
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(Q.)
Can I adopt if I have sea duty or am deployed?
(A.) The Family Center of Hope recognizes and supports
the need to serve your country, and is flexible to accommodate this reality.
Both spouses must be present for certain events like the homestudy and court
hearing but please discuss this with your case worker to ensure that you
understand any complications that may arise with this.
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(Q.)
How does the military support adoption?
(A.) There is a parental leave policy for which you
may qualify when your child arrives. The military also has a partial
reimbursement program for $2,000 toward adoption expenses.
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