The Complete Adoption Book

by Beauvais-Godwin, Laura

• ISBN13: 9781593373696
• ISBN10: 1593373694
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-11-01
• Publisher: Adams Media Corp

Summary

Whether you choose to pursue independent, agency, or international adoption, The Complete Adoption Book is the most comprehensive and authoritative adoption book you can use to guide you through the process-from deciding if adoption is right for you to budgeting your expenses and interviewing birth mothers.

Author Biography

Laura Beauvais-Godwin is the Director of the Carolina Hope Christian Adoption Agency and conducts international and domestic adoptions Raymond Godwin is an attorney specializing in adoption issues

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Acknowledgments	xiii
Chapter One: Looking at Adoption Today	1	(10)
There Are Children to Adopt	3	(1)
Who Can Adopt?	4	(1)
How to Begin	5	(1)
What Kind of Child Do You Want?	6	(1)
What Route Do You Want to Take?	6	(1)
Adopting After Infertility	7	(1)
Are You Ready to Accept Parenthood Through Adoption?	7	(3)
What Are Your Reasons for Wanting a Child?	10	(1)
Chapter Two: Infant Adoption	11	(21)
What Is an Adoption Agency?	12	(1)
Private Agencies That Place Infants	13	(1)
Religious Agencies	14	(2)
Traditional Adoption	16	(2)
Facilitated Agency Adoption	18	(1)
The Middle Road	19	(1)
Identified Agency Adoption	20	(1)
Why Consider an Identified Agency Adoption?	21	(1)
Identified Adoption: Some Disadvantages	22	(2)
Is an Identified Adoption for You?	24	(1)
When an Agency Turns You Down	25	(1)
Adoptive Parents' Rights: Getting All the Information	26	(1)
Private Agencies: What to Look Out For	27	(1)
Contracting with an Agency: What to Ask	28	(3)
Investigating an Agency's Reputation	31	(1)
Chapter Three: Independent Adoption	32	(12)
The Independent Adoption Process	33	(3)
Why Pursue an Independent Adoption?	36	(2)
Independent Adoption: Some Disadvantages	38	(1)
Is a Domestic Infant Adoption for You?	39	(2)
Independent Adoption: One Couple's Story	41	(3)
Chapter Four: Choosing an Adoption Attorney	44	(8)
Services and Fees	45	(1)
The Attorney as Intermediary	46	(1)
Your Attorney's Role in a Domestic or International Agency Adoption	47	(1)
Putting Together a Portfolio: A Quick Overview	48	(4)
Chapter Five: Finding a Birth Mother	52	(24)
Networking	53	(2)
Broadcast Letters	55	(5)
Business Cards and Fliers	60	(1)
Newspaper Advertisements	61	(5)
Where Should You Advertise?	66	(3)
Internet Adoption Services	69	(1)
Searching for a Birth Mother: One Couple's Story	69	(7)
Chapter Six: Who Are Birth Mothers, Fathers, and Grandparents?	76	(9)
A Historical Perspective	76	(1)
Predicting the Likelihood of Placement	77	(2)
Choosing to Place a Baby	79	(1)
Birth Fathers	80	(1)
Birth Grandparents	81	(4)
Chapter Seven: Meeting the Birth Mother	85	(10)
What to Tell Her, What to Ask	85	(3)
The First Meeting	88	(2)
Talking to Birth Mothers	90	(1)
Supporting a Birth Mother Emotionally	91	(1)
Supporting a Birth Mother Financially	91	(2)
Relating to More Than One Birth Mother	93	(2)
Chapter Eight: Birth Fathers and Their Rights	95	(7)
Laws and Precedents	96	(3)
Worst-Case Scenarios	99	(3)
Chapter Nine: Openness in Adoption	102	(17)
Is Open Adoption for You?	102	(1)
Open Adoption: Advantages	103	(1)
Open Adoption: Disadvantages	104	(1)
How Open Is Open?	105	(1)
Staying in Touch	106	(3)
Searching for Birth Families	109	(3)
How Are Searches Conducted?	112	(1)
Potential Outcomes of Searches	113	(1)
Searches After International Adoption	114	(1)
Contacting a Birth Relative	115	(1)
Legal Aspects of Searching	116	(3)
Chapter Ten: Special Families, Special Considerations	119	(12)
Single-Parent Adoption	119	(4)
Adoption for Single Men	123	(2)
Adoption for Gays and Lesbians	125	(1)
Adoption for Unmarried Couples	126	(2)
Military Families	128	(3)
Chapter Eleven: Relative and Stepparent Adoption	131	(15)
Adoption by Relatives	132	(3)
Kinship Adoption	135	(2)
Adoption by Grandparents	137	(1)
Adoption by Stepparents	138	(6)
The Stepparent Adoption Process	144	(2)
Chapter Twelve: International Adoption	146	(80)
International Adoption: Advantages	147	(1)
International Adoption: Disadvantages	148	(4)
The International Adoption Process: Eighteen Steps	152	(43)
International Adoption for U.S. Citizens Living Abroad	195	(3)
International Travel When Adopting: Health and Safety Concerns	198	(1)
Your Trip Abroad	199	(3)
The Most Popular Countries and Regions for Adoption	202	(5)
International Adoption: One Couple's Story	207	(1)
Transition Issues	208	(2)
Citizenship for Your Child	210	(2)
Obtaining Your Child's Original Adoption Paperwork	212	(1)
Readopting Your Child in the United States	212	(2)
Getting a Social Security Card and Passport for Your Child	214	(1)
Follow-up Documentation for the Foreign Country	215	(1)
Arrange for a Final Medical Evaluation	215	(2)
Issues Related to Adopting International Children	217	(1)
Special Health Considerations in the Internationally Adopted Child	218	(5)
Resources Online	223	(1)
International Adoption: One Couple's Story	224	(2)
Chapter Thirteen: Adopting in Canada	226	(11)
An Overview of Adoption in Canada	226	(1)
Private Domestic Adoptions	227	(1)
Provincial Rules and Regulations	228	(1)
Foster Care Adoption	228	(1)
International Adoption	229	(1)
Adopting a Child from the United States	230	(1)
Adoption in Quebec	231	(6)
Chapter Fourteen: Toddler Adoption	237	(13)
Why Toddlers Are Available	238	(3)
Toddlers Through Private Adoption	241	(1)
Adopting a Toddler Internationally	242	(1)
Adopting a Toddler Through Social Services	243	(1)
Preparing for a Toddler	243	(5)
Adopting More Than One Toddler	248	(1)
Choosing to Adopt a Toddler	249	(1)
Chapter Fifteen: Special Needs Adoption	250	(43)
Why Adopt from the Social Services System?	251	(3)
Getting Started	254	(1)
Who Are the Children in the Social Welfare System?	255	(1)
Special Needs Classification	256	(1)
Working with a State or Private Agency	257	(6)
The Adoption Process	263	(2)
Social Services Adoption: One Couple's Story	265	(1)
The Assigning of a Child	266	(1)
Questions to Ask Yourself	267	(1)
Adoption Networks or Exchanges	268	(1)
When the Adoption Is Completed	269	(3)
Disruptions	272	(1)
Talking to Your Child About Adoption and His or Her Past	273	(2)
Life Books	275	(1)
Open Adoption	276	(3)
Getting to Know More About Special Needs	279	(4)
Attachment Disorders	283	(3)
History of Sexual Abuse	286	(2)
Sibling Groups	288	(1)
African-American and Racially Mixed Children	289	(1)
Older Children	290	(3)
Chapter Sixteen: Transracial Adoption	293	(13)
What to Consider	294	(1)
Broadening Your Options	295	(1)
What Is Transracial Adoption?	295	(1)
Biracial Child Placement	296	(1)
The Adoption Process	297	(2)
Private Agency Adoption	299	(1)
Public Agency Adoption	299	(1)
The Controversy over Transracial Adoption	300	(2)
Transracial Families	302	(1)
Providing Your Child with a Positive Ethnic Identity	303	(1)
Asian Adoptees	304	(1)
Adoption Policies and Practices	304	(2)
Chapter Seventeen: The Home Study	306	(22)
When to Have a Home Study	307	(1)
Who Qualifies to Adopt?	308	(5)
Selecting an Agency or Independent Investigator	313	(1)
The Home Study Process	313	(8)
A Sample Home Study	321	(6)
Postplacement Supervisory Visits	327	(1)
Chapter Eighteen: Adoption Expenses	328	(26)
Domestic Infant Adoption	328	(2)
Independent Adoption	330	(2)
Agency Adoption	332	(1)
How to Keep Your Expenses to a Reasonable Level	333	(1)
Paying for a Birth Mother's Living Expenses	333	(2)
International Adoption	335	(1)
Public Agency Adoptions	336	(1)
Paying for Your Adoption	336	(1)
Adoption Assistance as an Employee Benefit	337	(1)
The Adoption Tax Credit	338	(2)
State Subsidies for "Nonrecurring Costs"	340	(1)
State and Federal Support for Children with Special Needs	341	(3)
State Adoption Subsidy Programs	344	(3)
Tax Benefits	347	(1)
Adoption Assistance Checklist	348	(2)
Negotiating an Agreement	350	(2)
Loans	352	(2)
Grants and Other Resources	354	(1)
Chapter Nineteen: Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies	354	(29)
Finding an Obstetrician	354	(4)
Prenatal Care	358	(1)
The Baby's Birth and Hospital Stay	359	(5)
Health Risks	364	(3)
Birth Mothers and Substance Abuse	367	(4)
The Signs and Results of Substance Abuse	371	(7)
What Risks Can You Accept?	378	(3)
How to Accept a Child with a Medical Condition	381	(2)
Chapter Twenty: Preparing for a Baby's Homecoming	383	(5)
Infant and Child Care	383	(3)
Naming the Child	386	(2)
Bibliography	388	(5)
Appendix A: Adoption Laws: State-by-State Questions and Answers.	393	(81)
Appendix B: Adoption Organizations: State-by-State Listings	474	(199)
Index	673