The Process of Adoption

If you are like us, about six months ago we knew very little about international adoption. We basically knew that it cost a bunch of money and took a really long time. Those things are true...but some things we assumed were much different than expected. We found out that the Home Study isn't some old crazy lady coming over with a white glove and rummaging around your home looking for any and all reasons to keep you from being a parent...it is just the opposite. The Home Study is to prepare you for the adoption, making sure this is the best thing for your family and for the child. We've loved every minute of our Home Study.

But many people still have tons of questions...why is it so long...how much paperwork is it...how much of a sure thing is international adoption. Here is a short version of the process and some answers to our questions...

It starts with getting Agency approved. We filled out an extensive application with financial statements, references, personal histories and more to America World Adoption Agency. Once they approved us for a specific 'program' (which means a specific country that we will be seeking to adopt from) we were officially considered Paper Pregnant. At that point we were given a Family Coordinator who is walking us through the entire process, point-by-point and item-by-item. We also were connected with a Home Study social worker who would be conducting our Home Study.

The Home Study gained first priority because we couldn't move forward without this approval (grants and scholarship applications are available after the home study) and the home study provides much of the paperwork needed for the final Dossier.

After the Home Study we will need to complete a parent training course on-line, get approved by the government as prospective adoptive parents (which includes our fingerprinting), get letters of reference, and write our own hopes and dreams on paper.

The Home Study and all these other items combined will create our Dossier, which will get approved by the agency and then translated into Ethiopian; then finally be sent to Ethiopia. Once the Dossier reaches Ethiopia we will just have to wait...and wait...and wait. When we first started this process the average wait once a Dossier was submitted was 10-12 months. At this time, the average wait is 6-7 months!

After our Dossier is reviewed by Ethiopia and we are deemed worthy of adoption, they will send us a referral. This will include a picture of a perspective child and a medical history. We will be given about 24 hours to make a decision. Every couple must specify their preference for the child they will be adopting. Michelle and I have asked for a boy, 0-9 months old.

After accepting a referral (which is dumb to keep saying because he will be our son) we will need to wait roughly 1-2 months in order for travel arrangements to be made so we can go to Ethiopia to get him. We will spend about 7-10 days in Ethiopia before coming home with our baby boy.

Once he is in the US we will need to officially do adoption procedures in the court system. The Home Study also requires us to have three visits in the first year to make sure the adoption is going well and to offer any assistance that is necessary.

So, why so long...basically, there is just a ton of paperwork and other hoops to jump through. From fingerprints to background checks, ordering birth certificates to physicals, and getting references to the Home Study...it is just a ton of paperwork. But the faster this gets done the sooner we can get to the waiting period. This is also where the process slows down. We essentially are at the mercy of the Ethiopian government and the timely manner in which they get through hundreds of adoption paperwork for people who would be prospective parents. We are actually very fortunate the wait isn't longer...in China, the wait for a baby girl is over 4 years!

How much paperwork is it...tons and tons. But once you get started and start seeing items on the checklist get checked off you start to feel like it is do-able. At first it seems overwhelming, but our agency has really made the paperwork manageable and clear to follow. We haven't been fooled by anything, so things are happening when we want them to.

Is international adoption a sure thing...no it isn't. But the agency we are using has a great history with Ethiopia and they don't approve people for their Ethiopia program unless they are confident that things will work out as long as laws or policies aren't changed on Ethiopia's side of things...which there is no indication that that will happen. So basically, no adoption is a sure thing, but this is as sure as it's going to be considering the unavoidable risks.

I could go on and on, but I'll save some for a later post. Please let me know your questions so I can best explain the process and where we are at.

Grace and Peace.