Adoption

• It is a legal process in which you take a child into your family to be raised as your own.
• Adoption is permanent.
• When a child is placed in your family, a caseworker supervises the placement for at least  six months.
• A court hearing is then held, which transfers custody and guardianship to the adopting parent.

• Attending an orientation meeting and 30 hours of training with other applicants.
• Providing personal references and current medical reports for all family members.
• Participating in individual interviews with the home finding caseworker.
• Arranging for us to speak with all family members during visits in your home.

• Must be at least 18 (no maximum age restrictions).
• Can be
  • single,
  • married,
  • widowed,
  • divorced, or
  • legally separated.
• Couples are required to be married a minimum of one year. Proof of marriage, legal separation, divorce or death of a spouse is required.
• Need an income sufficient to meet your family’s needs. Accepted sources of income include
  • pension,
  • disability, or
  • public assistance.
• Must be in good health. Applicants are asked to have a physical examination to documents that their health permits them to care for a child.
• Must be able to provide a child with his or her own bed although children can share a room.

An adoption home study is a required step in the adoption process.

It includes visits to your home, interviews, a review of your medical history, and adoptive parent training.

You will be asked questions about yourself, your family, and your home.

This will help the agency learn about your strengths. It also will help you decide whether you are ready to adopt.

The certification process, including training and completion of the home study, generally takes from 3-4 months.

• Children over the age of ten
• Sibling groups of two or more, with one child being ten or older.
• Children with physical, mental or emotional handicaps.
• Most children waiting for permanent families live in foster homes, group homes or institutions.
• A large percentage of waiting children are African American or Hispanic. An attempt is made to place children in families with similar racial and ethnic backgrounds.

The New York State Department of Social Services also issues Family Albums and Blue Books which contain photographs and descriptions of children who are available for adoption.

These can also be found in local libraries or can be viewed at our office located at 112 East Post Road, White Plains, New York from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, except holidays.

• Healthy children from infancy to ten years of age are available in extremely limited numbers at this time.
• Those who can only consider such a child are placed on a waiting list.

Medical information (with identifying information deleted) is available at any time to parents who adopt a foster child and to the adoptee when he or she reaches 18 years of age.

The New York State Department of Health also operates an Adoption Information Registry, which allows adult adoptees to obtain non-identifying information on such things as background information on birth parents.

The Adoption Information Registry also provides New York adoptees and birth parents with a vehicle through which they can register if they wish to be identified to one another.

If a family is adopting a child who is in foster care there are no fees charged.

Subsides are available to assist with the child's day-to-day care and medical needs.

Parents who adopt children with special needs are eligible to receive a one-time payment of up to $2,000 as reimbursement for non-recurring adoption expenses.

• Families adopting handicapped or hard-to-place children are eligible for benefits regardless of the own income.
• Medical subsidy (under New York State Medicaid) is also available for some children.
• Under certain circumstances, a subsidy can remain in effect until the children’s twenty-first birthday.