Did you know, you cannot adopt a baby from birth? It may seem like the perfect situation, cutting the birth parent’s attachment and allowing you to have more time with the child, but there is heavy tape restrictions around the adoption of babies.
How to Adopt a Baby: The Process
Before even deciding on the age of the child to be adopted, potential adoptive parents must submit an application and once accepted be assessed to see if they are eligible to adopt. There are no formal requirements on adopting however you must be over 21 years of age and have a stable income in order to support a child.
This assessment process will take a minimum of 6 months to complete from the day of your application. If the assessment is positive you can then start the matching process in order to find a child to adopt. This can also take months.
Giving up a Baby for Adoption
Giving up a child for adoption can be one of the hardest things you will ever do but it may be one of the best things you can do for your child. You may have decided to put your child up for adoption while still pregnant and you can prepare yourself for this but you can’t do anything about it until the birth.
Once the baby is born you will be assigned a social worker. They will be able to talk over the decision with you and make sure you are opting for adoption for the correct reason. Although you may have made your decision you cannot sign any paperwork and formally denounce your rights until the baby is at least 6 weeks old.
During these 6 weeks the baby will be taken into custody of an adoption agency and they will take over the temporary care. It is only after this time that the search for the most suitable adopters can begin.
Adopting Babies
The number of babies relinquished for adoption at birth is generally low, especially in comparison to past years. There is however an increasing number of babies and older children that are being put up for adoption after being removed from their families at a young age due to concerns for their wellbeing. These concerns may be due to neglect or the misuse of drugs and alcohol by guardians. A child may also be removed if a mother drank excess amounts of alcohol or misused alcohol during pregnancy.
When first removed from a home a child will be put in foster care but this is only temporary until a more permanent home can be found.
So in brief, the answer to “Can I adopt a new born baby?” is no – but you can adopt an older baby, toddler, child or youth. If you would like more information about adoption then take a look at the process tab at the top of the page.