Pre ADOPTION SERVICES
Each kind of adoption (independent, agency, domestic or international) has its own specific guidelines. I have nearly twenty years of adoption experience to help you meet those requirements, so that your adoption process can move along smoothly.
Adoption Consultation: An Adoption Consultation helps potential adoptive families clarify their thinking about their adoption options. I help families identify the kind of adoption that will best fit in with their family planning. I provide information and referrals to adoption resources, such as attorneys that specialize in adoption, advertising consultants, domestic and international agencies and parent support groups to help prospective adoptive families achieve their goals.
Domestic Independent Home Study Pre-Certification: A private domestic adoption in New York State will require Pre-Certification in order to become Qualified as an Adoptive Parent(s) by the court prior to gaining custody of your child. You will hire an adoption attorney to submit your adoption petition and supporting documents to the local Family or Surrogates Court in the County in which you reside. I will submit the Home Study and Affidavit of Disinterested Party directly to the Court. I can provide names of adoption attorneys if you need them. Court certification is good for eighteen months from the date granted.
Domestic Agency Home Study Approval: Should you or your attorney prefer, you can have your Home Study completed through an agency rather than pre-certification through the Court system. This Home Study will include Federal Bureau of Investigation and New York State criminal and child abuse clearances. Some states outside of New York ask for an agency Home Study. An Independent Home Study can be converted into an Agency Home Study should this become necessary. Agency Home Studies are good for twelve months from date of completion.
International Home Study: With an international adoption, your Home Study must be completed through a licensed New York State agency that I am affiliated with. I can also refer you to a placement agency that has accredited programs in the country you hope to adopt from. Once the Home Study is completed and reviewed by you and your placement agency, then it will be sent to the Home Study Agency for final approval and printing. It will then be given to you to submit to U.S.C.I.S. U.S.C.I.S. approval is good for eighteen months from approval date.
Post PLACEMENT AND Post ADOPTION SERVICES
I provide post-adoption services for adoptive families. These include Post-Placement visits and reports for domestic adoptions and Post Adoption visits and reports for international adoptions. Also counseling and referrals for families seeking assistance with adoption-related issues after placement or finalization. Adoption is a life-long process and I am available to provide counseling and support services whenever the need arises.
Post Placement/Post Adoption Supervision: After you return home with your baby/child you are required to have a minimum of one post placement/post adoption visit. The purpose of the visit (s) is to make sure that you and the child are bonding and attaching with each other and that you are all adjusting to being part of a family. The number of post placement home visits varies depending on where you adopted from and where the adoption is being finalized, as you follow the finalizing State and County requirements and each Country for international adoptions has it’s own set of rules determining the number and frequency of post adoption visits. The post placement and post adoption visits are hopefully less stressful and are designed to gather information on the events of placement, current growth and development, family adjustment and it also provides for an opportunity for you to talk about the joys and challenges of parenthood. I will suggest local support groups, reading materials and other referrals for early intervention and counseling support if needed. After each visit I write a report that will be submitted to your attorney, the local court and/or your agency. You will also receive a copy of this report as well.