Adoption Advice: How to Get Started on the Process

The decision to adopt a child is a very serious one that requires a good deal of thought and planning. Once the decision is made it is hard to know where to begin. The yellow pages and newspaper will often have advertisements for various adoption services or programs but it is difficult to know if any of these services will work for you.

A great place to get started is the Adoption website (http://www.adoption.com) which is a large site that discusses and educates the public on all aspects of the adoption process. The site also provides forums so that those interested in adoption can talk to people who have gone through the process. In addition to this the site has information on adoption procedures for each state. While this site is a good place to begin your research it should only be the beginning.

The next place to go for information is the office of a lawyer in your area that specializes in adoption. They will know the latest adoption laws and procedures. In some cases they are already in contact with women who would like to allow their children to be adopted. Since that is usually the most difficult part of the process a lawyer with such connections can be extremely useful.

If you are having trouble finding a qualified adoption attorney in your area The American Academy of Adoption Attorneys (http://www.adoptionattorneys.org) offers a list of its members free of charge. The list is growing every day and is searchable by state. The attorneys listed on the site are all experienced, as one of the requirements of membership is that they must have acted as council for at least 50 adoptions and completed 10 interstate adoptions. In addition to these rigid requirements the site alone offers advice for retaining a lawyer and questions/inquires made on the site are answered in a timely manner.