Type of Adoption
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Definition
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Children Available
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Approximate Cost
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Who Can Adopt
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How Long It Takes
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Public Agency Adoption
(includes foster/adoption)
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an adoption directed and supervised by a state or local Department of Human Services or Social Services
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children with special needs (may include emotional or physical disorders, age, race, membership in a sibling group, backgrounds); rarely infants
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from $0 to $2,000 (depending on the state, up to $2,000 of "nonrecurring" adoption costs for eligible special needs children may be reimbursed)
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flexible eligibility requirements for adoptive parents; on a case-by-case basis
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starts slowly, but for those who have an updated home study, placement can occur as soon as a few months after selecting a child
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Private Agency Adoption
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an adoption directed and supervised by a privately funded, licensed adoption agency
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commonly associated with younger children and infants
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$8,000 to $30,000; lower for special needs children; some agencies have sliding fee scales
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agencies may recruit parents based on race, religious affiliation, etc.; for infant adoptions, birth mother often chooses
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a few months to a few years (sometimes longer for infant adoption)
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International Adoption
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process of adopting a child who is not a U.S. citizen, which may be accomplished privately through an attorney, or through an international adoption agency |
about 30 countries are open to US adoption at this time; ages range from infant to teens; health conditions vary
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$15,000 to $20,000 (varies by country)
travel and travel- related expenses are additional and vary greatly depending on time of year that you travel, choice of airline and hotel, etc. |
depends on agency and country requirements; some will accept single parents, most prospective parents are between 25-55 years old; older individuals and couples stand a good chance of being able to adopt internationally
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six months to several years depending on the child’s age and health, and the country’s political climate |
Independent Adoption (not legal in all states; also known as private adoption.)
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an adoption initiated by prospective adopters and completed with help from an attorney or adoption counselor
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generally infants |
$5,000 to $40,000 (includes prospective parents’ cost of finding a birth mother, certain birth mother expenses, and attorney’s fees)
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birth mothers typically choose the adoptive parent — preferences tend to run toward younger, affluent, married couples
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variable; as long as it takes to find a birth mother who will see the process through to finalization
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