Church of Christ Adoption

Application, Home Study, Dossier
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Why Should I Adopt? Adoption and The Starfish
Necessary Decisions-Picking an Agency, Decisions on Child, Country, Am I Too Old to Adopt?
Application, Home Study, Dossier
Waiting for a Match-Support, Getting Organized, Decisions with Referral, Tips on Naming Children
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Back Home With Your Child...Reality Check!
Considering Disruption of the Adoption Process
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Application

By now you have decided on an agency and are ready to go to the next step.

You will most likely now put in an application to the agency.  This is only an initial step and gives the agency preliminary information.  There is usually a fee (in 2003, around $300.00), that is the first of many necessary fees.  Soon thereafter there will be an initial home study fee and usually the agency will ask for an amount to put in escrow.  Ours was $1000.00.  This is for all the notarizing, mailing internationally, and all those extras necessities in the adoption process.  You should be given an itemized list after the money is paid out so that you are aware of where this money went.

After Paying the Application Fees, it’s paperwork and Home Study time!

 

Home Study

 

Preparing for the Home Study

 

   As with most people, we found the Home Study terrifying.  Everyone told us not to stress it, but well, it’s hard not to.

   The Home Study is when a Adoption Advocate/Social Worker comes into your house to, not only, make sure that your home is sanitary and an appropriate place for a child, but to interview you as individuals (including older children) and as a family. 

     There is paperwork that is needed for the Home Study to be completed.  Oh that paperwork is fun! I am being sarcastic, in case you weren’t sure (smile).  

    Our agency gave us (though not all do) a list of questions to answer before the Home Study took place, as well as an autobiography form.  This enabled them to focus the questions of the actual Home Study interviews to areas they felt especially necessary. 

       Once the paperwork was completed we were ready for our home study! 

 

Examples of Necessary Documents

Physical Exam form that must be put on Physicians letterhead and Notarized

Physical Exam form (does not need to be notarized)

Financial Information Form

Background Check

 

Examples of  Questions

I.                    Employment:  Annual Salary Etc., Work History

II.                 Financial Assets An Liabilities

III.               References

IV.              Describe Your Personalities

V.                 What is your entertainment together, and individually

VI.              What is one of your most disappointing and tragic experiences

VII.            Why do you want to adopt a child?

VIII.         Type of Child desired

IX.              What are your expectations of this child?

X.                 Describe the type of child you have the most positive feelings for/the least positive.

XI.              How would you handle conflict in your home?

XII.            How do you plan to discipline your child?

XIII.         What should a father be expected to do?

XIV.         Proof of Medical, Dental, etc.

 

 

 

The Home Study

 

      Our Adoption Advocate/Social Worker, was a very sweet person, as well as a Christian.   This was important to us, if for no other reason, than a comfort factor.  We had the most important thing in our lives in common, Christ.

    The job of the Social Worker is what is in the best interest of the child. 

     We cleaned and cleaned, we scrubbed, we worried and the result, we found, was that what we were doing wasn’t very important (smile).

     It’s funny how you clean and clean and still find yourself saying as they walk in the door “Oh…I’m sorry my house isn’t as clean as I’d like it” just in case it’s not as clean as it should be (even though you could eat off the floors...smile)

      It’s important to have your house clean, though that doesn’t mean perfect.  They expect real life to happen.

      Child proofing is a good idea.  This will show your social worker that you are preparing for this child.

   

     At least have an idea what room or where your child will sleep.  Though it’s not necessary to have a room done or even to have all the furniture.  It’s good to have a general idea where you want things to go and to be able to tell her or him some of your plans.

     To say the least, the most important thing is to be honest and try not too worry too much.  Most people pass the Home Study process.  It’s really such a small thing in this adoption journey.  I say this after the fact, of course.

 

Dossier

     The Dossier is one of the most frustrating processes, in terms of paperwork that we have been through.  Even this step though, if done with knowledge, patience, and a lot of faith, is completely manageable.

      The Dossier is a series of paperwork, including Preliminary Application, Home Study, INS Approval, Copies of Passport, and many (usually) notarized Reports and Certificates.

      There are some things that you might want to expect, delays, delays, delays.  We were lucky to have little problem, comparatively, with our paperwork. Even with few problems we still had to get one specifically redone (3 to 4 times) (Certificate of Residence).  The Employee for our county that processed and notarized our forms made mistake after mistake, even though we had given him example forms.  We eventually had to have Hope International’s lawyers put together and notarize forms for us. 

      Remember with all this paperwork, that you are dealing with humans that have families, trials, and make mistakes just as we do.  This process will get done, but there are a few things that may help:

1. Make example forms with directions.  Include all the necessary details.  You may be surprised at how many forms may be returned because they put a middle initial instead of your full name, as on your passport.

2. Expect Issues. Expect at least one form that is done wrong and one that seems to take forever to come in. 

3. Prayer.  We had more that one form that was supposed to take months that took weeks.  God has His hand in every aspect.

   

**You will have to complete an INS application allowing you to bring your adopted child into the country.  This is not a part of the Dossier, but they will do a background check and you will need to travel to the nearest office to have your fingerprints taken.

“Religion that God our Father Accepts as pure and Faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” James 1:27 (NIV)