...About Who Can Adopt Click on a question to see the answer. Or scroll down to read all the answers.
CAN A SINGLE PERSON ADOPT A WEDNESDAY'S CHILD?Yes. Many single men and women adopt children. Most agencies welcome singles, whether they are widowed, divorced, or have never been married. Singles who adopt may live with a family member, a domestic partner, or alone. Some private agencies may choose to work only with particular types of families. But in most of the adoption world, the word "family"may apply to a single person as well as to a couple. Read a single
father's story, I'll Take
Two Back to TopCAN GAY OR LESBIAN COUPLES OR SINGLES ADOPT A CHILD?Yes, in most areas of the United States. Many agencies welcome gay and lesbian individuals and couples as potential adoptive parents. In some jurisdictions (states or counties), both members of a couple may adopt the same child at the same time. In others only one parent in a couple may adopt, while in still others only one parent may adopt at a given time, but the other may later do so through a second parent adoption. While only a handful of states have statewide legislation that rules out adoption by openly gay couples, some counties may have prohibitive laws. Find links
to helpful sites for gay and lesbian adoptive parents in the National
Adoption Center's Resource library.
Back to TopCAN I ADOPT A WEDNESDAY'S CHILD IF I ALREADY HAVE CHILDREN?Yes. Families who have children at home or who have previously raised children now grown are valued for their parenting experience. Whether they still live at home or not, It is important that your children be aware of and accepting of your plans to adopt. Children who do live at home will be asked their feelings about the adoption plan, as part of the homestudy process. See Adoption Article:
How Old
Is Too Old to Adopt? Back to TopCAN I ADOPT A WEDNESDAY'S CHILD IF I DON'T LIVE IN A WEDNESDAY'S CHILD CITY OR CAN I ADOPT ONE WHO LIVES IN A DIFFERENT CITY FROM ME?Yes. A current homestudy from the state where you live approves you to adopt a child in any state. Federal adoption law prohibits state agencies from denying or delaying a child's adoptive placement when an approved family is available outside of the child's jurisdiction. When a family adopts a child in another state, the family's social worker and the child's social worker exchange information and plan together for visits between family and child, and supervision of the placement. Additional paperwork must be completed to confirm the agreements that the two agencies make. Sometimes workers are unfamiliar with the procedures, or have difficulty reaching agreements, so it is not always a smooth or simple process. If you want to consider adopting children in different states, choose an agency to work with that is familiar and comfortable with interstate adoption, and discuss it with your social worker early in the process. Read more about
adopting a child from a different
state on the National Adoption Center website.
Back to TopCAN I ADOPT A WEDNESDAY'S CHILD IF I LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES?Foreign nationals residing in the U.S. are permitted to adopt a U.S. child who is in the custody of a public agency. Most agencies and courts of jurisdiction will require that you furnish proof of residence in the U.S. as part of your adoption application and legal filings. U.S. military families residing outside of the U.S. may also adopt a child in a public agency's care. While private agencies may permit residents of other countries to adopt a U.S. infant, placing an older child with a family outside of the United States has not been common practice with public agencies. However, some Wednesday's Child agencies have placed children with families outside the U.S. and this may occur more in the future. When a child is adopted, the child's agency and the family's agency must work together closely to make sure that all requirements are fulfilled. The child's agency must be able to verify that their standards for an adoptive home are met. After the child is placed in the home, the adoption must have a period of supervision. Because of these and other issues, placing a child with a family outside of the United States presents challenges that the child's agency may not be equipped to deal with. Families outside
the U.S. who are interested in U.S. children may want to become familiar
with the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. The Hague Convention
establishes standards for international adoptions and a system of
cooperation among countries that are members. As of October, 2004
the United States had signed but not yet ratified the Hague Convention
treaty. More information about the Hague Convention is available from
Permanent Bureau of The Hague Conference on Private International
Law, Scheveningseweg 6, 2517 KT The Hague, The Netherlands, at www.hcch.net,
or from the Joint Council on International Children's Services at
http://www.jcics.org/Hague.htm. The final decision about a family for any child is made by the child's social worker, in accordance with the policies or regulations of the state or county by which the worker is employed.
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