Quick question about the process...

lovineachday · #1 (**permalink**) 03-07-2007, 03:52 PM

Can you start the process of getting your homestudy done before you decide exactly where you'd like to adopt from? We still haven't made the decision to adopt, but I feel like our feelings are slowly getting stronger and I'm starting to get a little excited about the prospect.

It's just all very overwhelming with all the info and choices and possibilities, I guess. And it's only been a couple of months since my last m/c.

*I'm sorry for not replying to others' threads as much as I could.... I promise to do better in the future! I guess I'm just not sure if I fit in here yet (seeing as we haven't yet decided to adopt) but I'm sort of starting to hope that maybe I will soon! Thanks for all your help, ladies!

Ann K · #2 (**permalink**) 03-07-2007, 04:56 PM

I would imagine the answer is yes but I haven't gone through the process in a while. And please don't feel like you don't fit in here. There are many of us (me included) who are still just exploring the idea (or trying to convince dh in my case). So please post away.

mildlydelirious · #3 (**permalink**) 03-07-2007, 05:48 PM

Of course you fit in here! Thinking about adoption is the first step ALL of us took. We know exactly what it's like to hope and dream and think, think, think...

I think that I don't know what the laws in your state are but in our state it is entirely possible to do your homestudy before you decide where you are adopting from. There are some agencies that do both international and domestic adoption. Maybe that would be a great way to go. The other thing I suggest is to go to an agency's classes. You don't have to start anything. Just pay for a class about adoption and go and you will learn a ton about yourself and what your wishes really are. KWIM? When DH and I took our first clasess we discovered that I was indeed not ready to adopt and wanted to try IVF one last time. That is how I ended up with DD.

Also, if you go with the state fost/adopt class you will probably have to do classes as well. Those are free and if you make it through them and still want to adopt, you probably will.

Anyway, that's just a couple of thoughts...

~m

theluvof2moms · #4 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 04:44 AM

Hi Sheri,
I con understand how you may feel like you don't fit in because you kind of feel in limbo but please post whenever you want to you are always

Homestudy- My socialworker let us start the homestudy without having a decision on where we were going to adopt from. She did advice us to have a pretty good idea by our third meeting because some of the paper work expires and just to make life easier you wouldn't want it to expire while you are waiting for your match.

Oh, and I bet once you get caught up in the worldwind of the homestudy your decision will be made. I know when we started our homestudy I was still not 100% excited about adoption but as soon as I meet with the social worker she had me jumping for joy and ready to do whatever I had to do to make this process go by fast.

Also I would call a couple of agencies in your area sometimes they have free seminars about the programs they offer and you can sit in and decide which program would be best for you domestic or international. Also don't be afraid to set meetings with the head of the agency and ask them why is their agency better then the next one.

Good Luck and if there is anything we can do to support you or answer questions just let us know.

llamamama02 · #5 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 07:41 AM

what I understand is that by the end of your homestudy you need to have decided where you want to adopt from b/c each country likes different things included in the final homestudy report that is sent with your dossier. Also for your 1600A form for your travel visas they also state where you plan to adopt from. I am sure once you talk more with a social worker things will start falling into place for you.

You fit in just fine here. Look at me, I can't start the process until the end of summer. Sometimes I feel like I don't fit in either since I'm not actually in the process yet.

llamamama02 · #6 (**permalink**) 03-08-2007, 07:42 AM

sorry my info is only for international, I don't know how it is for domestic.

lovineachday · #7 (**permalink**) 03-09-2007, 06:48 PM

ladies!!!!

There don't seem to be a lot of agencies around here (I'm about an hour from Toronto, Ontario). I found one, and here's part of the info about it:

Founded 1982. Domestic and international adoption. Pregnancy and adoption counselling. Cost of Ontario adoption: $12,000 to $16,000.
Colombia program: total cost of Colombian adoption through ICBF: $12,000 to $20,000. FANA adoptions are no longer possible.
Colombian adoptions are facilitated for applicants of Colombian origin; same for Peru and Philippines, and for the most part, India. Many such adoptions are relative adoptions.
Not currently taking applications for Bangladesh, Jamaica, Trinidad or Thailand.
--June 14, 2006
CYS-approved for homestudies and supervising adoption placements. --CYS, Sept. 20, 2006
CYS-licensed for adoptions finalized in Ontario (CFSA) --CYS, Aug. 23, 2006
CYS-licensed for Bangladesh, Colombia, India, Jamaica, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Thailand, Trinidad, U.S. (IAA) --CYS, Aug. 23, 2006

I don't really know what a lot of that means.

Like Fana. !?! And do you get from that, that you can only adopt from Colombia if you are Colombian?

I'm supposed to phone them and make an app't with the director who will 'explain everything'. Does this step usually come before an 'info session'?

I have to say, that I feel myself getting more and more excited about this. Maybe that means we're heading in the right direction!

A close friend of mine lent me "Raising Adopted Children" by Melina. Is that a good one? Are there any books you could recommend, meant for people at our stage of the game?

Sorry for all the questions. If this whole process ends in a daughter or a son, I'll stick around at that time and answer questions for the newbies. lol

SandyLyn · #8 (**permalink**) 03-10-2007, 04:51 AM

[quote=lovineachdayFANA adoptions are no longer possible.
Colombian adoptions are facilitated for applicants of Colombian origin; same for Peru and Philippines, and for the most part, India. Many such adoptions are relative adoptions. [/QUOTE]

No, I would read that to mean a special type of adoption that had previously been available to people of Columbian origin is no longer available. I would render a guess that FANA might be something like "family assisted" adoption...
where it might have been possible to have some sort of different set of rules apply.

I would assume that the typical countries you would hear of adoptions from in the US would also apply for Canadians. Columbia does allow adoptions to US citizens so I'm sure that program is available to Canadians as well. I wouldn't necessarily limit my search for agencies in your area to get information -- probably anything that is allowable to Canadians (regardless of where in Canada) would apply to you and you can get a sense of the programs, costs and requirements in general.