How to Ensure the Family You Choose is Ready to Adopt
How do I know my baby will be well taken care of with the adoptive family that I choose? How can I be sure that the adoptive family was screened properly to ensure safety and security for my child? These are reasonable questions for a potential birth mother to be asking regarding whether her child will have the future she wants for him or her. Being concerned about where our children end up is a natural result of having a motherly instinct, and it reflects how much we love our children. I can reassure potential birth mothers that adoption screening is taken very seriously before an adoption professional will even show a potential birth mother an adoptive family profile.
Adoption Agencies and Screening Processes
Adoption agencies screen adoptive families before approving them to become adoptive parents through the agency. A home study is conducted, in-depth conversations regarding commitment to adoption take place, and the adoptive family profile is not shown to the potential birth mother unless the adoption agency feels that it will be a good match. Extensive screening is done before a potential birth mother is shown an adoptive family profile.
Home Study
A home study is the most in-depth component of the screening process. A home study requires a potential adoptive family to:
- have their home visited by a licensed social worker
- consent to background checks
- agree to have interviews conducted with each family member
- undergo a psychological evaluation
- and more
Home studies are taken very seriously, and the end goal is to ensure that the child who is placed with the family will be well taken care of throughout his or her life.
Commitment to Adoption
Hopeful adoptive parents’ commitment to adoption is taken very seriously as well. The last thing that an adoption agency, and a birth mother, wants to see happen is a child placed for adoption with a family who is not prepared for the adoption process and parenthood. Successful adoptions are the goal, and a very serious, in-depth conversation takes place between the adoption agency and the potential adoptive parents. Adoption agencies go through this process often and know what they are looking for to gauge full commitment to adoption from an adoptive family. If the adoption agency believes there is any chance that the adoption would be unsuccessful, they will not allow a potential adoptive family to work with their agency.
Adoptive Family Profiles
Once a potential adoptive family has been approved through this extensive screening process, an adoption professional will aid them in creating an adoption profile. The adoption profile is what is shown to a potential birth mother if the adoption professional believes there will be a good match. Therefore, a birth mother does not even see the adoption family profiles until the adoption professional has approved the family through screening and a good fit is expected.
Be Confident in Your Choice
Choosing an adoptive family is the most important decision in the adoption process. Making sure that a birth mother is confident about her choice is not taken lightly. Remember, this is your choice as a prospective birth mother, and if any part of you is unsure about the family, please let your adoption professional know that you want to see other adoptive family profiles and perhaps choose from one of them.
Ask Your Questions
When choosing an adoption agency, feel free to ask your adoption professional what screening processes they implement, take time putting everything you are looking for in a family into your adoption plan, and be confident in your choice of adoptive family. Remember, this is your child and his or her future that you are deciding for. Regardless of the timeframe of the adoption process, be sure that you are making clear your expectations and having them met for your child.
