ACPA is here for you. We realize choosing an adoption agency is an important and sometimes difficult decision. We also realize that adoption is a process – one that doesn’t necessarily end with completion of your home study or the placement of a child into your home. Adoption Connection, PA considers you family and is someone you can trust as you learn what to expect once you choose to start your adoption journey.
At ACPA, we believe informed parents make the best decisions. So whether you are interested in domestic, international or special needs/older child adoptions. Adoption Connection, PA can help your dream of a family become a reality. ACPA provides home studies for prospective adoptive families as well as the necessary trainings. To get started, we invite you to attend a free orientation.
Process
Home Study
Adoption is a process that includes several stages of readiness.
First, call and set up a free orientation with us. This meeting will take about an hour and a half, during which you will learn about your options, the necessary paperwork, some of the legal issues involved in the adoption process and much more.
The initial step to the adoption process is to complete an ACPA application, references and background checks. Once approval is determined, next is the home study process. The home study consists of various paperwork, physician’s exams, and financial information. A caseworker from ACPA will visit your home on two separate occasions to conduct a home safety check as well as to interview you and any other individuals that may live with you. This process not only allows us to get to know you, but also helps us to begin to accurately assess your home and circumstances. All information gathered is compiled into a report that we present as a candid portrayal of your home and family. Once the home study is completed and approved, you are considered an official pre-adoptive family ready for matching and placement.
It was a happy day for Him when He gave us our new lives, through the truth of His Word, and we became, as it were, the first members of His new family. — James 1:18
Matching
Recognizing that God is in control, we at Adoption Connection believe that He has already chosen a child for you. Therefore we don’t work from lists: we match family and child according to a range of information that we gather, as well as input from the birth parents or the county worker(s) that may be involved. We do our due diligence, and prayerfully trust God with the rest.
Beyond that, there are several ways that adoptive families reach out to birth parents and Adoption Connection can help you explore and pursue any and all of these methods. Creating what we call a ‘family picture profile’, your own family scrapbook for birth moms to preview, is always a good place to start as you decide whether simple networking, employing a facilitator or other options might work best for your adoption journey.
Other options to consider include an open or closed adoption, race and gender. Adoption Connection, PA will help you understand the choice you have and what may be best for your family.
Placement
This is the moment all adoptive families dream of – having a child placed in their loving arms and home. After the birth parent(s) have signed relinquishment documents, the adoptive placement paperwork will be done with the adoptive parents. The birth father can do this at any time, while the birth mother must wait 72 hours following the birth of the child to sign. Adoptive families are generally permitted to take the baby home from the hospital. Finalization occurs 6-12 months after placement.
Costs
An important part of our mission is to make your adoptive journey as affordable as possible. There are a variety of fees for the diverse adoptive services that we provide and we will tailor those services to your individual situation. We are always upfront about which fees will apply and we guarantee that there are no hidden charges or billing practices at Adoption Connection, PA. We can also help you assess any other expenses that you might incur outside of our agency, for instance fees for background clearances and physical exams.
Call today to schedule an orientation that will help determine your specific service needs and fees. We know that adoption is not a onetime event, but is a lifelong journey and at Adoption Connection, PA, you have our lifelong promise of support.