Every homeless child wants a family and a home where he can be loved and cared, and parents who can fulfill their needs. This article contributes a bit towards bringing such parents and children together by clearing the concept of child adoption.
Every homeless child wants a family and a home where he can be loved and cared, and parents who can fulfill his needs. This article contributes a bit towards bringing such parents and children together by clearing the concept of child adoption.
Adoption is a process where the adoptive parents take up the responsibility of a child and nurture him till he becomes independent enough to lead his own life. It brings a lot of happiness and also certain challenges in their lives. Previously, a couple would consider it if they were unable to bear one. However, in today’s times, the ideas and views towards it have changed tremendously. Every couple may have their own reasons to go for it, but the most common reasons could be:
- Childless couple
- Parents who love children
- Single parents who desire to enjoy parenthood
- Parents who want to contribute to the society
- Parents who have genetic diseases and thus, choose to consider it.
The reasons to why children are homeless, and left for adoption can be plenty, whether it is one’s financial state, family issues, or unwanted pregnancy. Children are innocent and bring a lot of joy and happiness into our lives. Yet, they are left to face the world all by themselves. They deserve love, affection, care, family, and a home, too. They too have the right to lead a good and secure life.
The process of child adoption is slow and tends to get a little irksome. It’s quite a big deal to go for it as it brings a lot of changes in the lives of adoptive parents and the child. They have to create the same relationship bond with him/her as they would have it with their biological child. So, before getting into this, find out whether you really want to consider this option.
Adopting a child is a lifetime commitment, and therefore, this decision should be taken carefully. Many interested parents abandon the process involved because of its complexities. Remember that it is time-consuming and takes up all your energy. However, to make it easy, it is advisable that you study the process and create a plan to go about it. There are many options and procedures involved in this process. Couples who are interested in it must be aware of certain types of adoption to meet their needs.
Adoption Practices
Open
In this process, the birth parents and the adoptive parents can share their information with each other. It’s a great way for a child to know their biological parents. However, after the process is complete, both the mentioned parents can choose to stay in contact with each other.
Semi-open
Here, the birth and adoptive parents meet and exchange the information, which is initiated by the respective institute. Once the child grows up, he has a choice to contact his biological parents and develop a relationship with them.
Semi-closed
This is indeed a good option for the biological parents to maintain their privacy. They can contact the couple who are interested in adoption, or choose not to remain in touch with adoptive parents at all.
Closed
In this process, the birth parents hand over their babies to an adoption agency. The parents who are willing to adopt a child do not meet the biological parents. However, the medical information is often shared with them.
Independent
There is no role of any related agency in this particular process. It takes place very rarely and happens when the biological parents and the adoptive parents know each other and make an agreement to adopt the child.
Another way is where the birth mother selects the family for a baby while she is pregnant. During this period, she might choose to bond with the family and get to know the parents better. In these cases, the birth mother is either unmarried, a single mother, or it’s an unwanted pregnancy, and thus, she chooses to put the baby for adoption.
Process
A couple who is interested in it can always contact the orphanage or the social institutes for the same. Child adoption is a great contribution to the society, and there are certain important steps that are considered to check the eligibility of the parents.
Home and Family Check
The concerned agency will assess the house in which the child will be spending his life. During the process of this step, a social worker observes the surroundings and interacts with the family to ensure that the child grows in a safe environment. If there is anything suspicious about the family, the parents do not become eligible for the same, and the procedure is immediately stopped.
Evaluation
The parents have to undergo certain evaluations to check if they are capable of bringing up a child. Every family is not perfect, but certain issues might reveal that the parents are not capable of raising the child. These measures are important to prevent the children from any future harm or danger.
Training on Parenting
Though the parents are excited about getting a new child at home, they still have to be counseled and trained as they have to nurture him/her all their life. When a child is growing up, he/she will begin to learn many new things and would someday want to know about the biological parents. Therefore, the adoptive parents need to be trained and prepared prior to facing such situations with him/her.
Court Validation
After the parents clear the previous steps, they have to go through the last step of court validation. In this step, the court finalizes the adoption, wherein the biological parents have to agree on giving up the responsibility of their child completely. The child is then placed into the new home under the supervision of a social worker for around 6 months.
The cost involved in this process varies as it depends on various factors. Adopting a child within one’s country might be cheaper than going for the one internationally. In case you consider the former option, then it might cost you around USD 5,000 to USD 40,000, or it might be even more depending on the services provided by these agencies. For the latter alternative, the price may range from USD 7,000 to USD 30,000.
Adoption is a great deed as it gives a chance to children to lead a better and secure life. But, before taking a step towards it, it is essential for the parents to be familiar with all the factors related to it, and consult a lawyer for right guidance.
