Oklahoma Adoption Guide

An Oklahoma native, Sylvan Goldman, invented the first shopping cart.    

Source.

Kids in foster care available for adoption in 2012: 4,265
Foster adoptions completed in 2012: 1,462   
International adoptions completed in 2012: 86

Source and source.

Adoption requirements in the state of Oklahoma are as follows:

Age:  21+    
Marital Status: Can be single, married, divorced, or widowed     
Finances:  Must be able to manage your income to meet the needs of your family    
Housing: Can either rent or own home
Personality:  Must be loving, understanding, and accepting of a child     
DISQUALIFYING CRIMES:  You must not have any history of child abuse, neglect, or sexual abuse.

It’s essential to have a good network of family, friends, and neighbors to support you through your adoption process.

It’s also important to connect with other adoptive parents. You can begin making these connections in our forums. You may also want to consider joining a support group for adoptive parents.

Before you get started, click here to learn more about the overall process of adopting an infant in the United States. Then, because laws and processes vary from state to state, come back to get the details about adoption in Oklahoma.

You can either adopt through an adoption agency or a licensed adoption attorney in Oklahoma.     

Some people pursuing a private adoption find it beneficial to work with a professional adoption facilitator, an individual or organization that matches birth parents with adoptive parents in exchange for a fee. While advertising for adoption is allowed in Oklahoma, the use of adoption facilitators is strictly prohibited. Only licensed agencies and attorneys can place a child for adoption.    

You can browse and read reviews about adoption service providers in Oklahoma here.

For more information about picking an adoption agency, learn about the Top Fifteen Things to Look for In An Adoption Agency.

Regardless of whether you complete your adoption, you will need to complete an adoption home study.

Your home study social worker will help educate you about adoption and ensure that you (and your partner, if applicable) meet the requirements outlined on slide four.

Click here to learn more about the Home Study process.

If you have a valid home study, you are allowed to advertise in Oklahoma.

One of the most important things you can do while waiting for an adoption match is to let everyone know about your hope to adopt. Many adoption connections are made through word-of-mouth referrals.

If advertising is allowed in your state, creating a profile on Adoption.com Parent Profiles allows you to easily share your story with those considering placing their child for adoption. Features like videos and photos, posts, Pinterest-like favorites, and recommendations and endorsements make it easy to create a profile as unique as you are, increasing the likelihood that you will stand out and connect with that right person.

Rich communication options like video chat and instant messaging make connecting easy. A mobile-responsive design means that you will never be out of reach.
What’s more, Adoption.com receives over 650,000 monthly visits, which means your profile will receive unparalleled exposure. You can even view and monitor your progress through a detailed statistics page.

Ready to get started? Click here

Adoption Navigators provides you with quality expertise in sharing your dream of adopting. We provide unparalleled adoption marketing and one-on-one coaching to beautifully show expectant parents who you are and tell your story. With Adoption Navigators you receive premier advertising exposure on Adoption.com, assistance building your profile and creating a video, and expanded reach through social media and search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo!. Adoption.com has more than 16 years of experience helping families connect with potential birth parents.

Let us help you increase your exposure to potential birth parents and decrease your adoption wait time.

Click here to get started.

Creating a listing on Adoption.com Parent Profiles is an excellent way to connect with potential birth parents across the country. If you want to maximize your exposure to potential birth parents and receive personalized coaching and support, consider using Adoption Navigators. Coordinate these services with your adoption professional.

Consent to adoption can be given after birth but must come in court in front of a judge. Parental rights must be relinquished before the child can be adopted. Consent is irrevocable upon signing unless the consent came under fraud or duress.

A putative father, or a man who has a child out of wedlock, may relinquish his rights before or after birth. The father of an Indian child must appear in court to contest consent to an adoption, but may waive consent through choosing not to appear.

A parent who is 16 years of age at the time of birth is capable of giving consent to an adoption, while a parent under the age of 16 will need a guardian to give consent for them in court in front of a judge.

Children 12 or older at the time of the adoption must also give their consent to the adoption.

A guardian of the child to be adopted may give consent at any time after receiving court approval to do so.

A child-placing agency may give consent for a child in their custody at any time during or before the court hearing.

SOURCE: oklahomaadoptioncoalition.org

Oklahoma has a putative father registry. This allows men to be notified when their child is placed for adoption. A putative father of a child born out of wedlock may file to receive notice of an adoption proceeding, claim paternity of a child, a waiver of interest, or a denial of paternity. Fathers must give their consent before the adoption can proceed.

SOURCE: §10-7506-1.1.

Hopeful adoptive parents and/or an adoption agency may provide legal and living expenses for an expectant mother. There are, however, requirements governing such support.

Reasonable expenses are allowed, including attorney fees, medical expenses, adoption counseling expenses, living expenses, and travel expenses.

Expenses such as gifts to the birth mother, vacations, or dental visits are strictly prohibited. Double check with the court to make sure the expense is considered reasonable.

Living expenses beyond 2 months post placement are strictly prohibited. Counseling beyond 6 months post placement is also strictly prohibited.

SOURCE: childwelfare.gov

Post adoption contact agreements are a way for birth families and adoptive families to decide how much contact (and what type of contact) the adopted child will have with his/her birth family.

These agreements are legally enforceable in Oklahoma. However, the law attaches no punishment to a broken contact agreement.

You can normally finalize your adoption 6 months after placement, but this can be waived in court if in the best interests of the child.

With private (usually domestic infant) adoptions, it is always possible to adopt a child within Oklahoma, even if you live in a different state.

The Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC) was adopted in the 1960s to provide for oversight and protection of children placed for foster care or adoption between states.

If you are adopting a child from another state, you will need to receive permission from the ICPC office in the state where the child is from. Your agency or attorney will send the office copies of your home study and some other paperwork. They will need to approve your packet before you can bring your child home.

Read more about the ICPC here.

Before you get started, click here to familiarize yourself with the overall process of adopting children through foster care. Then, because laws and processes vary from state to state, come back here to get the details about foster adoption in Oklahoma. 

Oklahoma has thousands of children in foster care. Many of these children are looking for an adoptive home.  

You can complete a foster adoption either through a private agency that is licensed to provide foster care services or directly through the Department of Human Services.  

To find adoption agencies in Oklahoma and to read reviews, click here.

You will still need to complete a home study as part of this process.

You must complete training in order to become part of the foster care system. After you have become an approved family, you can receive children into your home. Some of these children may be considered "legal risk" placements, meaning their parents have not yet relinquished their rights, making the children unavailable for adoption.  

You can petition to finalize your adoption 6 months after placement.  

Post adoption contact agreements are legally enforceable.  

A post adoption contact agreement is a voluntary agreement that can be entered into by adoptive and birth families. The agreement outlines details about how much contact the birth and adoptive families will have after the adoption is finalized.

In instances in which the child’s biological parents’ rights have been involuntarily terminated, the well-being of the child needs to be first and foremost in everyone’s minds if a post-adoption contact agreement is created. Caseworkers and therapists should be consulted in making decisions about contact after adoption.

Adoption assistance is available for families adopting qualifying children. The child must have special needs as defined here.

The Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC) was adopted in the 1960s to provide for oversight and protection of children placed for foster care or adoption between states.

If you are adopting a child from another state, you will need to receive permission from the ICPC office in the state where the child is from. Your agency or attorney will send the office copies of your home study and some other paperwork. They will need to approve your packet before you can bring your child home.

Read more about the ICPC here.

Before you get started, click here to familiarize yourself with the overall process of international adoption. Then, because laws and processes vary from state to state, come back here to get the details about international adoption in Oklahoma.

There are millions of beautiful children across the world who are hoping to find a forever family.

Click here to meet some of them through our Photolisting.

With international adoptions, your only choice is to complete your adoption through an agency. Because of the Universal Accreditation Act, all adoption agencies completing international adoptions are required to be credentialed according to federal standards. Make sure to check with any agency before working with them to ensure they have this accreditation in place!

In selecting an international adoption agency, there are Four Essential Criteria you should probably consider. Click here  to browse through reviews of adoption agencies in Oklahoma.

In order to be approved to adopt internationally, you will need to complete an international adoption-specific home study.

Adoptions finalized abroad will be recognized in Oklahoma.

You will also need to request a U.S. birth certificate for your child.

Read more about post-adoption requirements here.

Before you get started, click here to familiarize yourself with the overall process of stepparent adoption. Then, because laws and processes vary from state to state, come back here to get the details about stepparent adoption in Oklahoma.

In order for you to adopt the child of your spouse, the corresponding biological parent’s rights will first need to be terminated, either voluntarily or involuntarily.

You will need to consult with an adoption attorney about your desire to adopt. He/she can help you decide if it’s likely that the biological parent would be willing to relinquish rights OR if it would be feasible to pursue involuntary termination of his/her parental rights.

Once parental rights have been terminated, you can file a petition to adopt with the courts. You and your spouse will both testify in court regarding the stability of your marital relationship, the bond you’ve developed with your stepchild, and your desire to become the legal parent of your stepchild.

You will generally not be required to complete a background check or home study as part of the stepparent adoption process.

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