The Process..

For those who are curious, we've chosen to go through the state in our adoption.  The process has begun with a few introductory meetings and now we are going through Training Sessions in order to be certified by the state to be adoptive parents. 

Once we've received that certification we are planning on applying to hire a private Adoption Worker Agency called Boys and Girls Aid, which will then assign us to one of their social workers.

Once that has happened, the Home Study begins in which the Adoption worker begins to learn about us, our lives, our home life so that they can represent us well when we go before committee.  The Home Study also includes quite an extensive background questionnaire ranging from health questions to how you were raised as children.

Once our Home Study has been completed we get to see the book.  The book is a 4-5 inch 3-ring binder that has brief bios on all the children that are currently in DHS's system that are up for adoption.  By looking at this book we will determine which potential child would seem the best fit for who we are and for our future family.  Our home study would then be submitted to that child's social worker.  They must then narrow all the home studies they receive down to 3.  Those 3 then go before committee.

Committee is comprised of 3 individuals who hear from and ask questions of the child's social worker and the 3 potential adoptive parents' social workers.  At this meeting the Committee decides whom they think would be the best match for the child.

Once/when/if we are chosen for a child then a transition process begins where we are introduced to the child and they slowly move in and make our home their home.  The length of the transition depends on the situation.

Then we live happily ever after!