If you are considering adopting a child, you may wonder where to start and how to overcome the potential hurdles involved in welcoming a new family member. Like other states, California has specific laws and requirements surrounding adoption. Though you can adopt without having a prestigious job or massive income, the state must determine whether you can provide a safe and loving home for your adoptive child.
Learn More About Adopting in California
The Adoption Process in California
Before moving forward with the state of California’s adoption process, you should understand what to expect at every stage. No two adoptive families are identical, but every prospective parent must consider a few critical criteria.
You’ve come to the right place if you’re considering adopting a child in the Golden State and need to learn more about what it entails. This guide will help you understand how to start your adoption process in California. Follow the steps outlined here to give a child the permanent, loving, and nurturing home they deserve.
1. Choose the Right Type of Adoption for You
First, decide what kind of adoption to pursue. Start by asking yourself the following questions:
- Do you want to adopt a newborn or an older child?
- Do you want to adopt from an individual, an agency, the state of California, or another state or country?
- How involved should the biological parents be if they’re alive and contactable?
- Do you meet the minimum legal requirements for a California adoption?
Depending on your answers, you may pursue one of the following pathways to start or grow your family.
- Independent or private adoption: The adopting parent and birth family coordinate this type of adoption, usually without the involvement of an adoption agency or the California Department of Social Services. The two families determine the adoption terms and parental rights termination themselves.
- State foster care adoption: About60,000 California children live in foster care. Adopting through the state foster care system is the least expensive option, and it qualifies you to receive financial assistance to help with raising your child.
- Agency adoption: Private agencies match children with adoptive homes. The children may be from the foster care system if the state has contracted the agency to place them, or they may be other children who need loving homes. Adopting through a private agency costs more than going through the state, but tends to go more quickly and offers you more support and clarity throughout the process.
- Intercountry adoption: International or intercountry adoption is when you adopt a child from a foreign nation. This process differs depending on the country you’re looking to adopt from.
- Open vs. closed adoption: In an open adoption, the birth parents or other biological family members remain involved in the child’s life. A closed adoption generally precludes contact with the child’s existing biological relations.
2. Fulfill CA Adoption Requirements
Remember that the state of California has legal requirements adoptive parents must meet, including:
- An adoptive parent must be at least 10 years older than the child they’re adopting unless they are a sibling, cousin, stepparent, aunt, or uncle to the child.
- Single people are eligible to adopt, but you must adopt jointly with your spouse if you’re married.
- Adoptive parents must be able to show that they can care for the child financially and emotionally and maintain a suitable residence for them.
3. Evaluate Personal Readiness
Welcoming a child into your home and raising them as your own is not a decision to take lightly. Creating a loving environment requires a significant emotional commitment.
Here are some issues to contemplate before starting your formal adoption application.
- If you’re struggling with infertility, ensure you’ve adequately worked through your feelings about that issue.
- Figure out how to tell your loved ones and educate them about your decision to adopt.
- Get on the same page with your spouse about adopting.
- Come to terms with the fact that the road to adopting a child can have many ups and downs.
Once you feel confident in your decision to adopt, you’re ready to take the next steps to grow your family. The adoption process may not be a walk in the park, but it’ll be completely worthwhile.
4. Choose an Adoption Agency
The fastest, most reliable way to go from applying to officially welcoming your child home as your own is to work through an agency. Your adoption agency will significantly influence your experience and outcome, so choose wisely. Pick an agency that fits your values and is willing and equipped to provide adequate support for you before, during, and after your adoption.
Knotts Family Agency will provide orientation, training, and guidance to ensure everything goes smoothly. We help applicants complete the California foster care resource approval process within four to six weeks. Remember, this is the agency approval and the agency has no control over the county clearance or the matching process. Our services go beyond the finalization of the adoption. We will continue to stay in touch to provide additional resources and answer all your questions.
Thoroughly research adoption agencies before choosing one. After browsing various websites, arrange to visit their offices and assess how comfortable you feel with them in person. While researching an agency, you should:
- Speak to their representatives.
- Attend an orientation session.
- Ask questions to discover the agency’s views on adoption.
- Gauge their attitude toward all the parties involved.
- Compare their fees to other agencies.
- Speak to references who have used their services.
- Find out their average wait time and costs.
5. Complete the Application
After choosing an agency, you’ll have to complete the necessary application steps to become an active adoptive family in California. These include:
- Undergo the three stages of a home study — documentation, family assessment interviews, and a home inspection.
- Fill out a questionnaire to tell your agent what you’re looking for in an adoption opportunity. The agent will use this information to search for a child who might fit your criteria, considering factors like age, gender, and special needs.
- Create a family profile containing information about your life to help your agent get to know you, understand your desire to adopt, and envision what a child’s life could look like in your home.
During a California adoption home study process, you should expect to:
- Attend adoption training classes.
- Submit your fingerprints and background checks from relevant law enforcement agencies.
- Complete individual interviews with a social worker.
- Provide documents such as proof of employment, income statements or tax returns, birth certificates, medical records, marriage and divorce certificates, driver’s licenses, proof of insurance, rental or house ownership records, and references.
- Complete an in-house visit with all members of your household present.
This assessment will evaluate your readiness to adopt, whether you can afford to care for a child, and your ability to provide a stable, safe, and nurturing home. It will help to show that you’ve already prepared a bedroom for the child. You may have a chance to share your feelings about and experiences with children. If you’re married, you and your spouse should prepare to answer some questions about your relationship. Once you’ve completed the home study, you’ll be eligible to pursue adoption opportunities in CA.
Your home study will not earn approval if you or any adult living in your home has been convicted of:
- A felony for child abuse or neglect, spousal abuse, crimes against a child, including child pornography, or a violent crime.
- A felony for battery, assault, or alcohol or drug-related offenses committed in the last five years.
6. Find an Adoption Opportunity
Once you have completed your application and home study, your caseworker or agent will search for waiting children and California’s adoption photolisting to find a child who is compatible with you and your family situation.
When they or you identify a child that seems like a good fit, the agency will submit your home study to the county social worker, who will then decide whether your family would be an adequate placement for the child. This stage of the adoption process may include disclosure meetings and visits so you can see the child and learn more about him or her.
7. Receive Placement and Finalize
After all meetings, visits, and decisions, the agency will place the child in your home under supervision for a six-month probationary period.
Expect a home visit from your agent and the county social worker at least once a month to ensure that the child is receiving proper care. They’ll also try to provide you with any assistance you might need as your family adjusts. If you work with a supportive adoption agency, you’ll know they are on your side and share your goal of creating a loving, nurturing environment for a child who needs it.
The adoption can only be final after the child has spent a minimum of six months in your home and you’ve completed the post-placement assessment.
Your agency will prepare your finalization paperwork for you to review and sign before filing it with the court. The court will then fix a finalization hearing date. You’ll receive full parental rights if the judge finds everything to be ethical, legal, and in the child’s best interests.
Just like that, you have completed the legal steps of your adoption. You and your family can return home from the courthouse and celebrate.
Get Support for Adoption in California From Knotts Family Agency
If you are a hopeful adoptive parent, you’ll be glad to know that adopting a child in California can be smoother and simpler than it seems. With patience and wise choices, you could welcome your new child home before you know it.
At Knotts Family Agency, we know adoptive parents need help with more than paperwork. When you partner with us, we will guide you through the entire adoption process, explaining regulations and inspections, standing in your corner if complications arise, and suggesting ideas to create and maintain a happy household before, during, and after placement.
Contact KFA for help adopting a child in California. We’re ready to answer all your questions and support you every step of the way.
