Array of adoption options

For us, one of the most exciting things about sharing our journey with people is to hear about their true desire to learn more about adoption, some even to the point of envisioning the possibility of themselves adopting. We have always said, what is great about adoption is that there are many different types of adoption to meet the different needs of a family.

Of course each type of adoption encompasses more than just this brief sentence of description, however it gives you a general idea:

~ Open adoption: it is planned that the birth mother and child are in regular contact with each other

~ Semi open adoption: the birth mother is given updates by letters, pictures & occasional visits

~ Closed adoption: information of the birth parents are kept sealed from the adoptive child/parents

~ Special needs adoption: (domestically & internationally) can include any of the following: an older age, having some form of physical, mental, emotional, or developmental challenge. 

~ Foster child adoption: children placed in the care of a governmental agency due to being removed from the home.

~ International adoption: Because most of the children adopted internationally are orphans there is limited information on the birth parents, however in some situations parents are given the opportunity to meet the birth parents or relatives. This really depends upon the situation and country program (which will be another post). In recent years, the majority of international adopted children have been from China, Russia, Guatemala, South Korea, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. A smaller amount of children have been adopted from Belarus, Bulgaria, Columbia, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Philippines, and Poland. Some countries used to allow more adoptions but are now much more restrictive, such as Romania, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Some countries do not allow adoption by US families, including Western European countries, Australia, Canada, and United Arab Emirates.

Agency Adoptions: There are two kinds of agencies involved with adoption, local public agencies (social services, child welfare and foster care) and licensed private agencies. 

Independent Adoptions are facilitated through an agency, lawyer or mediator (depending upon state laws) and involve the adopting and placement parents working together to complete the legal documentation.

To learn more about adoption in general you can go to the US Department of Health and Human Services website.  As stated on their website, "Adoption is a lifelong, life-changing journey for all members of the adoption triad: birth parents, adopted people, and adoptive parents. Adoption, the legal transfer of parental rights from one parent to another, provides children with love, nurturance, and stability and promotes their well-being and their opportunity to become healthy, productive adults."

This website also provides information and statistics about the various types of adoption.  

Ethiopia spoke to our heart but we think that any kind of adoption is fabulous for so many reasons.

"Somehow destiny comes into play. These children end up with you and you end up with them. It's something quite magical." ~ Nicole Kidman