how to adopt a child

The first question you have to answer is what type of adoption are you looking to do. Regardless of what state you live in, this is where it all starts. There are many ways to adopt including international adoption, foster to adopt, and domestic infant adoption (can be done through an agency, attorney, or private match).

Once you decide what type of adoption is best for you and your family, the next step is to complete a home study. If you are doing foster care to adopt, the state will provide one for you. If you are looking to adopt internationally or domestically though, you will need to hire a social worker to complete your home study for you. The best way to do this is to ask around amongst other adoptive families to see who they would recommend. If you don't have that as an option, call around to local adoption agencies and ask for price quotes and what kind of time frame they have to complete a home study for you.

Once you have a completed home study, you are ready to adopt! If you are doing an international adoption you will need to work with an agency and decide which country you would like to adopt from.

If you are adopting domestically, you will need to decide if you want to work with an agency (or multiple agencies, yes, you can do that!), an attorney, or attempt to find an expectant mom looking to make an adoption plan on your own. There are benefits and drawbacks to each of these methods, so it's important to look them all over carefully. It will help to define your budget, decide what you desire from the professionals you work with (what type of care they provide the women they work with, what is included in their fees, how do they bill their fees), what type of child you are looking to adopt (race, special needs, age, drug or alcohol exposure), and what timeframe you hope to adopt in. Getting a clear picture of what you expect will help you pick the right path to adding a child to your family.