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Starting
an Adoptive Family:
The Process
Bright-Futures divides the adoption process into the following
steps:
Learning about Adoption
The Homestudy Process
Networking/Connecting with Birth Families
Making an Adoption Plan
Surrender of Parental Rights
Post-Placement and Legal Finalization
Learning about Adoption
As an adopting parent, the adoption process begins with learning
about the different types of adoption available to you, analyzing
your parenting strengths and considering what type of child you
are comfortable parenting. Bright Futures will assist you in beginning
this process with an Orientation Packet and an Initial Educational
Consultation. The Orientation Packet will include information about
different types of adoption, starting the adoption process, and
an Adoptive Parent Application and Intake Form that will help you
begin to consider and discuss your feelings about adoption. During
the Initial Educational Consultation, we will talk with you about
why you have decided to build your family through adoption, your
specific needs, desires and concerns about adoption, and what type
of adoption is right for you. We will also explain the services
offered by Bright Futures, our policies and procedures, and how
you can get started. top
The Home Study Process
Once you have decided to build your family through adoption and
you have a sense of what type of child you are comfortable parenting,
the next step is to begin the home study process. During the home
study process, an independent social worker or agency (depending
on your state of residence) will evaluate your ability to meet the
physical, developmental, emotional and educational needs of a child
and will write a written report stating the evaluator's conclusions
as to the characteristics of children which your home can safely
accommodate and which you can best serve. Home study requirements
vary from state to state, but your home study will likely involve:
(i) a series of meetings with the evaluator, some in your home,
some elsewhere, (ii) a criminal record check, (iii) a child abuse
and neglect report clearance, (iv) character references, (v) certification
as to your health by your doctor, and (vi) analysis of your financial
situation. Bright Futures is licensed to do your home study if you
reside in Massachusetts. top
Networking/Connecting with Birth Families
When you have a completed home study, you are ready to begin the
process of connecting with a pregnant woman or couple. This process
is called networking. As part of the networking process, Bright
Futures assists adopting parents in the preparation of a family
profile that gives birth parents a sense of who you are and what
you have to offer a child. Bright Futures then shares your profile
with birth parents who most closely share your needs and expectations
about the adoption (including expectations about the racial, cultural
or religious identity of the child, ongoing contact, and financial
ability/needs) so that they may select the adoptive family they
wish to have parent their child. top
Making an Adoption Plan
Once you have been selected by a pregnant woman or couple, Bright
Futures will notify you, provide you with certain non-identifying
information about the pregnant woman or couple, and arrange a time
for you to speak with the pregnant woman or couple. This is your
opportunity to begin to build a relationship with the birth parents
and assess whether you would feel comfortable parenting their child.
If you and the birth parents feel comfortable with one another,
Bright Futures will help you develop an adoption plan that is comfortable
for you and for the birthparents. Making the adoption plan will
include discussion of all of the details relating to the planned
adoption, including what degree of openness is appropriate, what
will happen when the baby is born, what birth parent expenses you
will be expected (within your budget) to pay, whether you will accompany
the birth mother to doctor's appointments prior to delivery, and
what type of ongoing contact each of the parties wants to have after
the baby is born. During this process, Bright Futures will be available
to provide counsel, to assist you in assessing the risks associated
with a particular situation, and to assist you in managing your
relationship with the birth parents. top
Surrender of Parental Rights
When the baby is born, the birth parents will be asked to voluntarily
surrender or terminate their parental rights. State laws vary greatly
with respect to the process of surrendering a baby for adoption
and terminating the birth parents' parental rights. If your baby
is born outside of Massachusetts, you will be working with an agency
or attorney in that state that should be able to provide you with
information about the process of surrendering a baby for adoption
and terminating parental rights. You should know that some states
permit birth parents to place a baby in the custody of the adopting
parents before the surrender becomes final and irrevocable. This
means that the birth parents can change their mind and decide to
parent their baby.
If your baby is born in Massachusetts, the
birth parents may not sign the surrender until the fourth day after
the baby is born. The surrender must say that it is final and cannot
be revoked. This means that once the birth parents sign the surrender
they may not change their mind and decide to parent.
If you live in a different state than the
state where your baby is born, you will need to comply with the
Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children in order to take
your baby out of the state of birth and bring your baby into your
state of residence. This compliance is typically handled by Bright
Futures and the attorney or agency in the other state and takes
approximately seven to ten days. top
Post-Placement and Legal Finalization
After your baby is placed with you there is generally a period of
time between placement and legal finalization of the adoption. Again
rules vary greatly from state to state with respect to this post-placement
period and the process of legal finalization. In most cases, the
law of the state where you reside will control the post-placement
period and the legal finalization process.
If you reside in Massachusetts, there is
a six-month post-placement waiting period (beginning on the date
you return to Massachusetts with your baby). During that time, a
social worker from Bright Futures will visit with you and your baby
once a month to assess how the placement is working. Based on these
visits, Bright Futures will complete a monthly report setting forth
the developmental milestones of the baby, your and your family's
adjustment to the role of parent and adoptive family, and the social
worker's conclusions about the appropriateness of the placement.
At the conclusion of the six-month period, Bright Futures' attorney
will prepare and file a Petition of Adoption with the Probate and
Family Court Department of the Trial Court. Once the Petition is
filed, Bright Futures' attorney will obtain a court date for a hearing
on the Petition of Adoption. The court date is usually at least
2 to 3 months from the date of the Petition. Bright Futures' attorney
will accompany you to the hearing. At the hearing, the judge will
confirm your commitment to parenting the child and execute the adoption
decree finalizing the adoption of your child. top
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