US Domestic Adoption

Overview
Children Available
Family Characteristics
Process
Travel
Post Placement

Crossroads works with a variety of licensed agencies in the United State who have solid birth parent counseling program.

OVERVIEW: Agencies in other states who have solid, reliable birth parent counseling programs welcome Crossroads families. There are no arbitrary requirements for the adoptive parents as the birth parents make the choice. Birth parents choose married couples and single women and regularly choose families who already have children in the home. The children are usually of African American/Caucasian or African American heritage. Adoptive parents who request only a girl or only a boy often wait longer to be chosen.

Meeting your baby’s birth mother and possibly birth father, sharing the bittersweet moments of their generosity and love of the child makes this a very poignant time. The babies are usually of African American/Caucasian or African American heritage. Birth parents play an active role in choosing an adoptive family for the child. They want to know that you will cherish this child and that you will honor their request for future contact. Adoptive parents are able to request a specific gender, but doing so often increases the wait time.

The restriction for adoptive parents vary by birth parent agency. Your social worker will only send your information to those agencies where you meet the qualifications.

Prospective adoptive parents create profiles for birth parents in which they portray themselves and their lifestyle through photos and words. Families do not need to provide identifying information in the profiles. This is the opportunity to share with birth parents how appreciative they are to be considered as parents for the child to be born.

Birth parents choose adoptive parent(s) for their child who can give them the love and caring and an opportunity to be all that they can be. Birth parents wonder about their birth child, especially on holidays and birthdays. Requesting the adoptive family to send letters and photos on a regular basis is a way for them to have the assurance the adoption plan was a good choice.

During the home study process, the adoptive family will be preparing a profile, usually consisting of a “Dear Birth Parent" letter and pictures, which will be shared with birth mothers who are considering placing their child for adoption. This is the time to be creative with photos and words which will show your strong desire to become parent(s) through adoption.

The completed home study and booklet are sent to several agencies in other states who will share your letter with birth parents. Crossroads is notified when birth parents make the decision to place their child with you. At that time, all information known to the birth counseling agency and Crossroads is shared with you.

Birth parents look forward to meeting the adoptive parent(s). The have made this very difficult decision and want to be assured that you are happy and excited and will love the child. Depending upon state laws, the baby may be able to leave the hospital with you. In some cases, the birth father has not taken an active role in the adoption process. Each state has a procedure which gives the birth father a limited number of weeks to come forward with a different plan.

The agency which has assisted with the birth parent counseling will file the Inter-State Compact. This is an agreement between all of the U.S. states that mandate how a child may move from one state to another in the custody of someone other than birth family. The Inter-State Compact application, the child’s documents and your home study is filed with the state of the baby’s birth. That state will notify the State of Minnesota that the child’s papers are in order. The State of Minnesota will confirm that you are approved by the State of Minnesota and will approve the paperwork. This process will take approximately 7 - 10 days. You will then schedule your travel home.

Travel to meet your child is exciting and challenging. Last minute travel arrangements are what you will be planning for. You will have your travel bag packed, arrangements completed with your employer(s) and a “before we leave home to-do list”. You are called when the birth mother is in labor or has given birth. And, you are on your way.

Adoptive families stay in a hotel or motel near the hospital. The agency social worker will assist you with all of the details of the process so that you can concentrate on your emotions and happiness.

Crossroads families have the opportunity to adopt from various state in the United States. Each state is allowed to set the required post placement supervisory time. Usually, this time frame is either 3 or 6 months. Crossroads will visit at time of placement and at 3 and 6 months. At those times, the family will submit pictures to accompany the agency report.

Your adoption counselor will visit you within the first few weeks after you return home. Your adoption counselor will gather a copy of your child’s legal documents which include a child study report and medical information. Hearing about your placement experience and the happy moments when your child was first placed in your arms is always a priority. Your adoption counselor will also help you with the adjustment and bonding of your newly adopted child.

Typically, Crossroads will visit with you again at 3 and 6 months. Crossroads wants to make sure that your adjustment continues to be smooth. Because you receive guardianship of your child, you will need to finalize the adoption, either by traveling back to your child’s state of birth or in your county juvenile court. Crossroads will provide a folder of information and forms which are needed to finalize the adoption of your child in your county juvenile court. Crossroads will notify you when your file is complete at your country juvenile court so that you can call to schedule a court date. The adoption finalization hearing will take less than 15 minutes. You will receive an adoption decree and a state birth certificate for your child. Crossroads requests that you send a copy of these documents to our office.