Steps in the Adoption Process

Telephone or Online Inquiry is available to families who are exploring the idea of adoption. An adoption worker at All God’s Children can help you understand the children we serve and give you any additional information that you require.

You may submit your application to adopt any time after you receive your information packet in the mail. When your completed application is received, our director will review the application and assign an adoption caseworker to your family.

The next step is training for families who are interested in moving forward in their plans to become adoptive parents. The training program we offer is called “Parents As Tender Healers” (PATH). The classes are offered on Saturdays to fit around work schedules. During this training, families participate in an in-depth exploration of adoption issues and learn how to successfully parent a child with a history of losses. There are no fees for the training. Please contact All God's Children, Inc. to find out when the next P.A.T.H. training is scheduled.

Your adoption caseworker will then meet with you and your family in interviews in order to complete your home assessment or homestudy. Your family, with guidance from your caseworker will need to complete the paperwork process required by law. This includes such things as a current medical report from your physician, fingerprint cards, rabies certification if you own pets, a photo of your family, copy of marriage certificate, and other such documentation that is required. Our homestudies are conducted and written to satisfy the requirements of the authorities who will be involved in your adoption. The interview process is a chance for the caseworker to learn about you and your family while you learn about the children who need homes. A homestudy document is written at the end of the training and assessment process. It describes your family and your abilities to parent adopted children. The completion of training and your homestudy document takes 8 to 14 weeks.

During the “matching period” your family will be presented to social workers throughout Georgia and the United States. The children’s social workers look for families with strong skills and experience with children. The time it takes for a placement will depend on your skills and experience and your openness to school-aged children or children with special needs. After a family is approved for the placement of a child, actual placement times vary. Waiting for a child can be a frustrating time for families eager to adopt. Children’s workers who make placement decisions are always looking for the family with the greatest skills to meet the particular child’s needs.

Post-placement Supervision: Your adoption worker will maintain close contact with your family after placement and will offer assistance, guidance, and support until the adoption is legally finalized. After finalization, All God’s Children will always be available at your request. Depending upon the specifics of your adoption, a certain number of post-placement visits will be necessary. There is a two visits per month minimum requirement when a child is initially placed in your home. Under some circumstances more visits may be necessary. In some cases, supervision visits may be reduced to one per month after several months of placement. After the adoption is finalized in court, no more post-placement visits will take place. However, All God's Children believes that adoption is a lifelong process and will remain available to you and your family as future needs arise.

Home  •  Steps to Adoption  •   FAQs   •   Resources  •  Inquiry Form  •   Contact Us
 
All God's Children, Inc.  •  (706)316-2421  •   info@agcadoption.org