I am a member of the adoptionvoices.com. Dave Williams is an active member and frequent poster on the website. When I saw this post I thought it might be something home study ready parents who follow my blog might be interested in. Please take the time to read about the program.
Hello, My name is Dave Williams and I am blessed to be an adoptive father of two beautiful daughters and I am a step-parent adoptee myself. I work for the Adoption Center of Choice in Orem Utah as an Outreach Specialist helping prospective adoptive familes find adoption opportunites all over the U.S. We are non-profit licensed child placing agency. We have been in business for over 13 years and have placed over 1100 infants in that time. We placed 100 infants in 2009.
I have the pleasure to talk with awesome families all over the country everyday that have seen my outreach adoption posts on AV and other adoption websites. I am so grateful for the tremendous response we have recieved from all of you. Our adoption opportunities are now being seen all over the country and even in different parts of the world. We began our outreach program online in July of 2009 and have watched it become an important part of our adoptive family program.
In my day to day contact with families and other adoption professionals I am asked many questions. I thought I'd take some time and clarify some of the most common questions. Of course I welcome the opportunty to speak to everyone about this exciting adoptive family program. So please feel free to contact me at 801-473-9350 or by email at davewilliams@theadoptioncenter.com anytime
Who is eligible for your "Outreach" program? Any family with US residency status is eligible for this program *except residents of NY state. In additon prospective families must have a current adoption home study and current FBI criminal and child abuse clearances. These must be done by a licensed social worker or adopton agency in their home state. Families are required starting February 15th to provide a verification of income at time of application. * (Only NY state licensed agencies can provide adoption services for NY state residents)
What are the upfront fees? There are no upfront fees to apply for this program. Fees are only required after you have been matched with a birth mother.
What is outreach? Outreach is required anytime we have a birth mother who is expecting and we do not have a home study ready family to present to her for consideration. When this happens I "reach out" to families all over the country and now Europe as well where many military families reside. I do this to alert, inform and motivate adoptive families to our specific birth mother needs. A quote I really like goes something like this, "Adoption is not about finding babies for families but rather finding families for babies". With this in mind we go out to do just that. There are three different services provided to prospective adoptive families through our outreach efforts.
How may opportunites a month do you have? On average we have 5 new adoption oportunites posted and emailed monthly through our "Outreach List" and AV Group page. We have anywhere from 5 to 15 new adoption opportunities a month within our "Outreach Program" for families that have decided to have their home studies reviewed and approved ahead of time. By joining the "Outreach Program" you have considerably more opportunites because you have direct exposure to all of our birth mothers that meet your adoption goal before they go to outreach online.
What is the Adoptive Family Outreach page? This is it. It is a forum where I post adoption opportunities monthly. Families are able to read this information and contact me directly to learn more about them.
What is the Outreach List? It is a free service that our agency provides. Families can join the list on our AV page "Prospective Adoptive Family Outreach." I email adoption opportunites through out the month as I recieve them from my office to members of my list. Families then have an opportunity to consider them and are able to contact me directly to get additional information and to begin the outreach approval process. These opportunties are emailed after those famillies in the. "Outreach Program" have been considered first.
3. What is the Outreach Program? The program is for families that want to have their homestudy reviewed ahead of time. Our agency creates a file for them in order to have immediate exposure to any adoption opportunity that meets their adoption criteria. This is done before it is emailed to the outreach list members. Families are able to send us their family profiles so we can immediatley present them on adoption opportunites. Families are getting matched within three months on average through this program.
Is there an approval process for the Outreach Program? - Yes, My office requires that each interested family submit a copy of their home study and their FBI criminal and child abuse background clearances. It is then reviewed to verify that they are up to date and meet Utah state requirements. This process usually takes 48 to 72 hrs to complete.
What follows the approval process? I have families then fill out an "outreach application" that clarifies exactly what their family is open to including gender, race, drug, alcohol, tobacco exposure, openess to twins, special needs, and some other critical information. I then ask the family to send me three hard copies of their family profile to my office in order to be sent directly to the birth mother(s) in outreach that meet there criteria as they become immediately available.
When are fees due? A portion of the placement fees are due after a family is actually matched with one of our birth mothers and have had a conference call with her. The remaining balance is due two weeks before actual physical placement of the baby.
What is a family profle or lifebook? For our purposes a family profile is a very important part of the adoptive process. It is a tool for adoptive families to convey to a birth mother what lifestyle she can expect for her unborn baby. We send profiles all over the country to expectant birth mothers. Family profiles can come in many different formats and there is really no one way to go about it. Some of the characteristics of a family profile include a birth mother letter, pictures of immediate family, extended family, friends, your home, the nursery, your back yard, school, vacations, outings, family parties, wedding picture and so on. We ask families to send hard copies for presentation purposes.
What does the word "Matched" mean? When a birth mother has seen your family profile and has indicated to our office that she has an interest in learning more about your family. At that time her caseworker will ask that a conference call is arranged with the adoptive family. The call with the family is facilated by our office. After the call our birth mother will let us know if she felt comfortable with her intial decision. If so, a birth mother and an adoptive family are deemed "matched". From that point on both are preparing for the adoption. This does not mean a birth mother cannot change her mind and decide to parent her baby before placement.
How does your agency handle out of state adoptions? For all out of Utah adoptons we send an agency rep to the hospital where the baby is born. This rep is there to provide both the birth mother and the adoptve family support and to help the adoptive process go smoothly. Our rep is there until actual physical placement of the baby with the adoptive family.
Do we need to hire an adoption attorney for the actual placement? No, we work with AAAA adoption attorneys all over the country. Depending on the state we will contract will an attorney who will handle all of the adoption paperwork necessary.
What happens to our fees if the birth mother changes her mind? All of your paid fees are protected by our agency when a birth mother decides not to place her child for adoption after you have been matched. We recognize this is of course her right and support her in any way possible. However, when this happens we then start the adoptive process again working hard to find another opportunity for your family. Throughout the process, we protect your paid fees or roll-over your funds until you are actually placed with a baby. This guarantees that 100% of your paid fees are used until you are matched and placed with a baby through our agency. You will not lose any of your sacred funds throught this service.
What is ICPC? Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) is an agreement by all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to provide a process to move children across state lines for the purpose of adoption, foster care or residential care, while protecting their safety and well-being. Every state has signed the ICPC and it is state law. The compact guarantees that each state's adoption laws and procedures are met and that the child's placement is properly managed and finalized.
(2008 adopt.org)
How long does ICPC last? The ICPC process can last anywhere from 5-12 days. Depending on the two state offices that are involved. During that time you are not able to leave the state of birth until clearance to go home is given. This means for any out of state placement families will have to budget for lodging, food etc during that time. If the baby is born in your home state there is no ICPC necessary.
What are Post Placement Visits? After the baby is placed in your home you will need to speak with your home agency about "post placement visits". Depending on the state a licensed social worker is required to come and visit the baby two or three times before finalization can be granted.
What is Finalization? At the six month mark after the baby has been placed in your home and after the post placement visits have been completed you are eligible to finalize your adoption. This is done in an adoption court and will grant the adoptive family legal custody of the baby. Up until that time the child placing agency has had legal custody and the adoptive family has had physical custody. This allows the child to be given all the legal rights and priviliges of a child that is born unto you. Such as inheritance, legal name etc.
For more information on this program please contact me by phone or email.
Dave Williams
Outreach Specialist
The Adoption Center of Choice
Orem Utah 84057
801-473-9350
1 comment:
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