Adoption is a proceeding which demands a lot of energy, responsibility, time as well as perseverance. Potential adoptive parents must abide by 7 simple procedures before the child is officially a family member. However, at the end of the long route, you will find that it is all worthwhile.

Below is a list of the Adoption Procedures to help you get an idea of what to expect.

1. Families, who are interested in adopting a baby or older child, are persuaded to first do some research by going through books, seeking advices from friends or relatives as well as surfing the internet to get to know more about the procedures of adoption. They can also approach adoption agencies to enlighten themselves.  This will help them to get a better perception of the substantial adoption proceedings.

2. Select a reliable adoption agency. It will also be useful to enquire from the qualified social workers too, so that they are able to guide you along the few possible adoption methods. However, at the same time, do take note if the agency is warranted and permitted in the nation itself. It is illegal to go through an adoption agency that is not recognized. Make sure you also look for a trustworthy one to prevent scams.

3. The home study assessment is the next procedure you should follow. This home study involves a few interviews with the social worker(s). Sometimes, 1 – 2 interviews might be conducted at their office and at least 1 or sometimes even more will involve the social worker coming down to your house to have a session to get to know more about you, your family and your home environment, to determine if you qualify in terms of providing for the welfare of the adopted child.

4. It is now the moment you’ve been waiting for. Yes, start choosing the child you want to adopt! You can decide to choose the child either from the agency you are patronizing or even from other agencies.

If you have decided on the latter, then you should leave your particulars with the agency and at the same time, inform your own agency of your actions. With this, the two agencies can co-ordinate with each other to come up with their best service.

5. Once you are given the green signal, you would start receiving personal data of the child. During the given dateline, when the biological parents have made up their mind, the court will decide if you are eligible to adopt the child.

6. Visit your child and get to know him or her. This is crucial if the adopting family decided to adopt an older child because the child is aware of his or her own surroundings, thus may rebel if he or she feels threatened. As such, you should at least meet up with him or her for a few occasions to see if the chemistry between you and your potential child is right.

If you are allowed to meet up, then the adoption agency would help you to organize an authorized meeting for both the biological parents as well as the child. Unless what you have selected is a closed adoption, then in that case you will not get to know the child’s biological parents.

7. Finally, the child is prepared to move over to stay with you and your family. This process is known as placement. During the initial period, the agency would help you and your adopted child adapt to each other. Meanwhile, you are officially able to adopt the child.

An edited birth certificate would be re-printed after a court case is carried out. This is an implication that the child is now officially yours but this will only occur in the last phase of adoption. The whole adoption process can take as little as a few months or as long as over a year to complete so a lot of patience is necessary on your side. Nevertheless, rest assured that your decision in adopting a baby or child is a worthwhile journey.