Steps to Adoption

1.  Adoption Information Meeting.  You're invited to meet with Christian Family Services (CFS) staff for an initial discussion of your interest in adoption.  This is an optional meeting to answer any questions that may help you decide whether to pursue adoption.  Just phone CFS to set up this meeting, ideally at our offices, so you can get to know us better.

2. Pre-Adoption Meeting.   CFS invites prospective parents to attend a meeting discussing issues related to adoption.  This meeting is a pre-requisite to adoption, and adoptive parents find it to be extremely enightening and encouraging.  We summarize the process and review legal requirements, the homestudy process, fees, principles of open adoption, and comments from couples adopting previously.

3. Application Packet.   A number of forms must be filled out to begin the process and satisfy state requirements.

4. Exploratory Interview.  This interview by a member of the CFS staff is designed to help you and CFS to assess whether you're ready and qualified for adoption.  We discuss your assumptions about the process and get an idea of how we might work together in bringing a child into your home.

5. Homestudy Process and Profile Preparation.  Christian Family Services will visit your home twice and will also meet with the prospective parents individually.  This is obviously to help us make sure that adoptive children are placed in homes that are nurturing and are based on strong, enduring, loving relationships.  It also lets us create a descriptive profile of you that is helpful to birthparents in making their choice of a home for their baby.  The second part of this step involves prospective parents' preparation of information about their home that is also used by birthparents.  This includes a letter to the birthparents, a photo album, and autobiographies.

6. Waiting.  This is undoubtedly the most difficult part of the process.  During this time, your profile materials are made available to birthparents.  We encourage you to make good use of the time to prepare for parenting by reading, getting support from others who are waiting, and enjoying activities that parents often have a hard time finding time for.  In a few months, your priorities will be altered significantly.

7. Mediation.  When birthparents select adoptive parents and they agree to proceed, CFS counsels both parties as they develop their relationship.  CFS also facilitates development of a plan for communication and contact and a birth plan.  Other legal matters must be attended to as well.

8. Placement.  Your CFS counselor coordinates the birth and placement plan and supports the birth parents as they sign the adoption paperwork.

9.  Post-Placement.  CFS provides whatever counseling and mediation are needed after placement.  Both birth and adoptive parents are encouraged to participate in support groups and CFS reunions to facilitate healthy communication.

If you have questions about the process,  email us.    We appreciate your interest.