Many families are choosing adoption instead of infertility treatments.
There are hundreds of children in Alabama who need loving homes. Agencies are spread over the state -- from Mobile to Birmingham -- ready to assist couples seeking children to adopt. Prospective parents ready to open their hearts and homes can find children to adopt through public organizations and private companies. As a boon to the state, in 2010, Alabama was awarded a $1.5 million adoption incentive fund from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to increase the number of foster children adopted.
Instructions
1. Read the online manual: Adoption: Where Do I Start? This guide has indispensable information for adoptive parents. Provided by the Child Welfare Information Gateway, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the manual details the process of adoption and licensing requirements that all prospective adoptive parents in Alabama must fulfill. Use the link in the resources section to get started.
2. Contact the Alabama Department of Human Resources. The department is responsible for locating homes for special needs and foster care children who have become wards of the state through neglect, abuse or abandonment. These children are generally older, often with medical challenges. The department has an online gallery of pictures and brief histories about the children awaiting placement. Fill out the adoption inquiry form by following the link in the resources box.
3. Investigate licensed private child placement agencies. These agencies will facilitate all aspects of the adoption process, from counseling, to locating birth parents seeking homes for their newborns, to fulfilling the home assessment and legal requirements. Would-be parents are encouraged to contact the Alabama state licensing specialist for any reports on the private child placing agency. Be aware that private agencies can be very selective in choosing parents. Whereas the State places older children, infants and toddlers are the preferred age for these agencies. Use the link in the resources to find a list of private agencies licensed by the State to provide adoption services in Alabama.
4. Locate an independent adoption specialist. Those seeking an infant to adopt can use the services of an attorney specializing in private adoptions. This is a very intimate process; usually the adoptive parents will engage with the expectant mother or her attorney without any agency support. The birth parent must sign a legal consent form relinquishing parental rights to the child and have this approved by the court. An attorney can guide you through this process. The American Academy of Adoption Attorneys has an Alabama branch.
5. Complete 30 hours of Group Preparation and Selection (GPS) training. A total of ten meetings are a prerequisite to obtaining an adoption license in Alabama. In addition, adoptive parents partake in a home study program designed to educate them about adoption, investigate their lifestyle and gather information that will help match them with the right child. Adoptive parents will be enrolled in these programs after their application has been approved. Consult with your case worker or child placement specialist for scheduling.
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