Looking to Adopt?: 5 Things You Can Do to Speed Up the Process
Licensed adoption Birmingham families should prepare yourselves emotionally for welcoming a new child into your family. This is one of the most important steps you can take while waiting to meet your new family member. However, there are other steps you can take that may speed up the process and decrease your waiting time.
1. Keep your profile updated
Most agencies allow birth parents to view profiles of adoptive parents while they are in the process of selecting a family. Keeping your profile updated with current pictures and information about your family will give birth parents the most accurate and sincere representation of your home and will help you find the right child quickly.
2. Be open to any race
If you are open to adopting a child of any race, more opportunities will be available to you in a given time. The pickier you are, the more you narrow down your own options, so having an open mind will open your family up to a much larger span of opportunities and help the right birth parents find you quicker.
3. Consider an open adoption
According to Lifetime Adoption Center, more mothers are looking for adoptive parents that are open to keeping in touch with her by sending updates and often pictures. Annual meetings are also becoming more popular, so it is important to consider what level of commitment you expect to be comfortable with in future years. Again, the more open you are to these requirements, the more birth mothers are likely to view your profile and consider you as adoptive parents.
4. Discuss birth mothers’ use of substances
Some birth mothers report using substances like alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes before learning about their pregnancy. While most stop when they learn they are pregnant, there are health risks that may be involved with any mother that used these substances. If you are open to helping a child overcome these potential health risks, mothers may notice your eagerness to be a parent. The more dedication you can present in your adoptive parent profile, the more likely a birth parent will be to choose you as a home for their child.
5. Expand the age range
Being open to adopting a child, especially over the age of five, will drastically increase your chances of being chosen for adoption in shorter time.
Written by Kathrine Kreger; Guest Blogger for Mom at Last
