Good Afternoon ALL!
my husband and I are seriously thinking about adopting a child.
Any advice on how to start this process?
I have googled some things but there is just SOO Much out there!
TIA!
As a former social worker (in another state, though, not TX), I would highly recommend going through the state. Not sure on the laws/rules here in TX, but after seeing how many local children are in need of good, loving homes, I would personally go that route. Good luck, whatever route you decide to take, and thank you for being willing to provide a good home for a child that might not otherwise have one! =)
Most agencies here seem to offer classes for interested people. I have several friends who have adopted and nearly all of them were strongly encouraged to do the following:
1) qualify to become foster parents. (Some states and I'm pretty sure DC have longish waits before birth parents can fully relinquish rights so this can help newborn adopters bring baby home sooner. Also, those adopting toddlers and older kids may be able to foster before the child is fully available for adoption)
2) research what would be required of your finances time, energy, social network (Is Grandpa racist?), etc if you would are willing to parent a child of a different race, an older child, a child with special needs, or a sibling group. Be honest with each other and with your adoption specialist.
3) find a family therapist specializing in adoption. I know a couple seeing the same therapist for nearly a decade (3 failed adoptions, followed by a transnational adoption and an open infant adoption, post adoption RAD issues, and navigating open adoption issues). They praise her through the roof.
For our first adoption we went through Hope Cottage, down in Dallas. We loved them! (Our second adoption was private.)
There IS a lot out there. My experience is with a private adoption agency (Lifetree Adoption) located in N. Dallas. We had a wonderful experience with them. Most agencies will offer classes.....Lifetree was much more personal. They sat down with us one-on-one to go over the process and answer any questions we had. By the way, this agency is for domestic adoptions rather than foreign adoptions. I would be happy to answer any more specific questions you have if you'd like to message me. Good Luck!
Find a semi a first for general,info. Then pick an agency.
If you are considering an Open Adoption, you should check out the book Open Adoption Open Heart. They also have a facebook page. Even if you want a private one, it could be good information. Very fast book to read about an adoption father's story through the process and why they chose open adoption. Their facebook page is full of all kinds of people in the adoption process - moms, dads, birthmoms, birthdads.....you can ask questions there as well. Very educational.
