• Educate yourself about foster children and adoption
• Choose an adoption agency
• Submit an application
• Complete a home study
• Work with your social worker to find the right child
• Visit with your child
• Bring your child home
• Complete a supervisory period
• Legalize the adoption in court

1. Educate yourself about foster children and adoption

2. Choose an Adoption Agency

Each county in North Carolina has a Department of Social Services that provides or arranges for adoption services. In addition to the public agencies, there are private agencies that are licensed by the N.C. Division of Social Services.

You may choose to work with a public or private agency. Public agencies provide adoption services at no cost to the applicant who are interested in children in the foster care system. Fees may be charged for adoption services related to children who are not in the foster care system.

Private agencies are either nonprofit or for profit and operate on a fee for service basis. The fee is paid by the adoptive parents except in cases where the agencies are contracting with the Division of Social Services to provide services at no cost to families interested in children in the foster care system. Private agencies are to provide a written statement of the services they provide and the fee for each services (10A NVAV 70K). Always request this information from the agency.

It is important to ask questions about the adoption process and to get as much detailed information as possible. You will want to know about the types of children available, the adoption assistance benefits and supports that the agency will provide for the adopted child if he or she has special needs. The types of adoptive parents needed, the time-frame in completing a home study (pre-placement assessment), and the fees involved if the child is not in the legal custody of a public agency.

3. Submit an application

The agency you select will ask about your family background and composition. You will also be asked for a description of the child you seek to adopt. You must complete an application for adoption to begin the process.

4. Complete the home study.

You will participate in a series of family consultations with a social worker to help you understand both the adoption process and your responsibilities as an adoptive parent. Your agency may require you to take special preparation and selection classes to prepare you to become an adoptive parent. These classes are important. They will provide you with information and the necessary skill to  prepare you for a child who has experienced losses. They will also help you assess your ability to provide a home for such a child.

5. Work with your social worker to find the right child.

Once your preplacement assessment is completed, your social worker will work with you to locate a child whose needs can be met in your family. The children in the Photo Adoption Listing Service (PALS) are only some of those who are available.

6. Visit with your child

Once a child has been identified, a visitation plan is established so the child and your family can get to know each other before a placement is made.

7. Bring your child home

All children, even infants, will have some adjustment problems. A child requires much patience, tolerance and love. Your social worker should be there to support you.

8. Supervisory period

North Carolina law requires the child to be in your home at least three to six months before the adoption process can be completed. In some instances the time needed for adjustment and support will be longer. During this time, your social worker will visit in your home to provide support and assistance.

9. Legalize the adoption in court

While some adoptive parents choose to file their own legal documents, it is recommended that an attorney be retained for filing the legal proceedings. The legal fees are arranged between the adoptive parents and the attorney. If the child is a special needs child who is in the custody of an agency, the legal fees can be reimbursed.

The laws relating to adoption are found in Chapter 48 of the North Carolina General Statutes. Legal steps for completing adoptions are:

a. Petition for Adoption

The petition must be signed by the adoptive parent(s), and may be filed in the county where the adoptee has lived for at least six consecutive months or from birth, where the child placing agency is located or where the petitioner has lived or been domiciled for at least the six consecutive months immediately preceding the filing of the petition. The following documents must be filed with the petition:

• Affidavit of parentage
• Legal clearance documents
• Preplacement assessment (home study)
• Non-identifying background information and health history form
• Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children documents, if applicable
• Legal risk statement, if applicable
• Child support obligation, if applicable

Once a petition is filed with all of the proper documents, the Clerk of Court will order the agency to make a report on the proposed adoption, if required for that type of adoption.

b. Report on Proposed Adoption

This report is filed with the court of adoptions by the child placing agency ordered to investigate/supervise the adoptive placement. This report includes a history and family background of the child, the birth parents and the adoptive parent(s), assessment of the adjustment of the child and family, and a recommendation as to whether the adoption should be finalized.

Before the adoption is finalized, an itemized list of any out-of-pocket costs, such as filing fees or court costs, must be filed with the court.

c. Decree of Adoption

The Decree of Adoption makes the child legally one of the family.

d. Birth certificate

The child is issued a new birth certificate after the adoption documents are sent to the N.C. Division of Social Services where they are indexed for permanent retention. The division notifies the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the state in which the child was born to issue a new birth certificate. The certificate shows the adoptive parent(s) as the child's parents and reflects the child's new name, if changed.

The adoption agency that had custody of the child prior to the placement for adoption will permanently retain the adoption record. If the agency is not known, contact may be made with the N.C. Division of Social services for that information. These agencies may release any non-identifying information, but the law does not permit any identifying information to be released.

Parents who have completed an adoption proceeding through the Final Decree of Adoption but have not yet been notified about the child's birth certificate can fill out the Adoption Status Request.