FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ADOPTION
Who can apply to adopt?
- People of
any race
- People of
any religion or no religious preference
- People who
work outside the home
- People who
rent or people who own their own homes
- People with
high or low incomes
- People with
or without other children
- People over
age 21; however, all applicants must be at least ten years
older than the person being adopted
- Married or
single people; however, if married, the spouse must also be
a party to the adoption.
Is there
a need for adoptive families in Nevada?
There is always a tremendous need for families to adopt
special needs children from the foster care system, who are
unable to return to their birth families. If you are willing
to adopt a special needs child who is available and awaiting
placement, you need not be placed on a waiting list.
What are the basic steps in an agency special needs
adoption?
-
Attendance at an orientation and completion of
foster/adoptive parent preparation classes;
-
Completion of the home study;
-
Referral and selection of an adoptive family for a
particular child through a matching process;
-
Visitation and placement of the child with the adoptive
family;
- A
minimum of six months of post-placement supervision and
support services; and
- Court
finalization of the adoption.
Will I
have choices regarding the child I adopt?
Yes. The preferred age, ethnic background, sex of child and
number of children is specified by you in your application
to an agency and is discussed during the course of the home
study process. Your preference is respected by the agency.
Similar interests, racial background and intellect may be
considered by your agency worker when placing a child with
you. However, remember the more limiting you are in your
choices, the longer it may take to identify a child for
placement with your family.
Will I receive information about the child’s background?
In an agency adoption, adopting parents are provided with
all known information about the child and his/her
background. In cases of abandonment, little is known;
otherwise the child’s history has been recorded and is
shared with the adopting parents. Identifying information
provided will depend on the type of adoption chosen by the
birth and adoptive parents. Families adopting
privately/independently may have direct contact with the
birth parent(s), and may have obtained this information on
their own. Adoption staff collects and records the
information as a part of the adoption service; this
information is provided to the adopting parents.
Do special rules apply when adopting Native American
children?
Adoption planning for Native American children requires that
special regulations be followed, as outlined in the Indian
Child Welfare Act. The purpose of the act is to preserve
Indian families and culture, primarily by allowing Indian
Tribes the option of involvement if an Indian child is to be
adopted. Your social worker or local tribal authority can
provide more information.
Are the adoption requirements difficult to meet?
State law requires a thorough investigation, or home study,
of unrelated prospective adoptive parents. This home study
process is not intended to be unnecessarily difficult, or
create anxiety for families interested in adoption. Rather,
the process assists the agency to determine the best family
for a child or sibling group, and helps a prospective
adoptive family determine whether adoption is an appropriate
option for them.
Will the birth parents know who I am?
Birth and adoptive parents may decide how much identifying
information they wish to share with each other. If you
choose to participate in an open, semi-open, or
private/independent adoption, they will know more about you.
What types of adoptive placement arrangements are
available through the public and private adoption agencies?
Traditional adoption:
The adoption agency selects the adoptive family for the
child. Birth parents do not read home studies and there is
no contact between the birth parents and the adoptive
family. Only non-identifying information is shared with the
birth parents and the adoptive family.
Semi-traditional adoption:
Birth parents have an active role in choosing the adoptive
family by reading home studies, with identifying information
removed. There is no face-to-face contact. Adoptive parents
receive only non-identifying information about the birth
parents.
Semi-open adoption:
Birth parents have an active role in choosing the adoptive
family by reading home studies, with identifying information
removed. In addition, there is a face-to-face meeting
between birth parents and the adoptive family.
Open adoption:
Adoptive arrangement whereby the birth parent(s) and the
prospective adoptive parent(s) determine by mutual consent
the amount of identifying information that will be shared or
communicated about the other.
What is
involved in a home study, and what are the requirements?
The home study is used as a screening tool as well as an
educational process, where you are encouraged to have your
questions and concerns about adoption answered. This process
must be completed on all applicants wishing to adopt a
non-related child and is required prior to placement of the
child. The home study may be completed by a county or state
agency which provides child welfare services, or by a
private, licensed child-placing agency. The purpose of the
home study is to help the agency social work staff become
better acquainted with you and your family; to help you
decide whether adoption is right for you; and to assist you
in preparing for the life-long commitment of adoption. Home
Study requirements are as follows:
-
Completed application; a description of your family,
home and family activities;
-
References from people who know you well;
-
Criminal history and Child Abuse/Neglect (CANS)
screenings and fingerprint clearances for all adult
members of the household;
-
Interviews and home visits with a social worker;
-
Physical examination for applicant(s) and household
members;
- Review
and discussion of various types of adoption;
-
Discussion on types of children available for adoption,
applicant’s preferences; and
- Review
of community and individual resources for type of child
you plan to adopt
Adoptive
applicants may read their home study, except for
confidential references. Copies of the home study, however,
can only be released to another licensed child placing
agency. The study is generally completed within 90 days
after the application has been submitted, unless there are
unusual circumstances.
If I
leave the State of jurisdiction before the adoption is
finalized, do I have to give the child up, or can another
agency take over the proceedings?
The agency
will usually ask for courtesy supervision by a licensed
adoption agency in your new location. In the case of an
adoption in which the child remains in agency custody
pending finalization, a request will be made to the
appropriate public agency in your new location to provide
supervision and services pending finalization.
What
legal rights do we have with the child once the adoption is
final?
After finalization, the same rights as any parent.
Can birth parents regain custody of a child placed for
adoption prior to finalization?
Relinquishments and consents to adopt that are signed and
executed according to Nevada Revised Statutes are
irrevocable. |
