Why not use the organizations that your hard earned tax dollars have paid for!
	This site www.PublicAdoption.com promotes public governmental adoptions. The boarder links that appear on his site are generally related to private adoptions! This web site or any government agency does not endorse these advertisers in any way. The Google boarder links can be useful for Private vs. Public comparison purposes.   Check out the other informational web sites at www.B-2e.com
	Step by step process social services took with me.  Explained in detail-with commentary.
	From the Contact info and Web Links page tabs on the site navigation bar above; view the web site and or documents for your State.  After checking this information, contact your states agency that has jurisdiction in your local area (in the case of California, it was the Human Services Department for the county in which I reside).  After you decide to proceed, sign up for the state required training to become adoptive parents.  In my case California basically requires the same training that is required for state certified foster parents.  This training usually runs a few months.  Typical information covered is parental and developmental issues that parents face day to day, certification  in CPR and first aid, as well as other topics.
	Upon completion of training a report or summary is generated detailing your family and home life.  In California this is called a 'Home Study':!  This large folder is completed by a social worker at no cost to you.  In this report you will also state the acceptable criteria for child placement. This criteria includes issues such as unacceptable medical conditions and or mental issues. Your acceptable conditions of age, sex, and racial background are also strictly honored. The relationship or situation with the known birth parent or parents is also typically considered in your criteria spelled out in your home study.
	Attention: As you can imagine, the time that you wait between completion of training and when you first have the option to consider a specific child for adoption is often directly related to the criteria that you specify for your child. As you can imagine, certain profiles are more frequently introduced into the adoption system.  In my case I was open to all races, but I specified that I would only consider healthy girls less than two years of age with no mental  or behavioral issues.  I was contacted for consideration of my daughter even before my home study was complete. My adopted little girl is pictured on the left above.  Please note:  Your acceptable limits must be your actual, realistic limits.  The system tends to be geared to presenting the adoptive parent with children that are close to your minimally acceptable criteria.  The social worker is often forced to present you with this situation due to the simple laws of supply and demand.  You can be tasked with sole searching as you balance your ultimate desires with issues of unacceptably long waiting periods for parents with very restrictive criteria. The opposite can also be a problem, if adoptive parents set unrealistically open criteria that excludes no children from consideration. This can result in an inappropriate child placement. Remember no one is best served by an unacceptable placement, particularly the child who cannot be bounced from home to home.
	When a child that is ready for adoption exits in the system that meets your criteria and you are next on the list, you are immediately contacted for consideration. Children are considered by you on a case by case basis, one at a time, to be fair to the children. If at any time prior to the adoption becoming final you have critical problems with a particular child's case, you owe it to everyone involved to raise  a hand and terminate the process as soon as possible. There is no penalty to rejecting a case.  You will simply be put back in line for the next child that is available to you meeting your criteria.  After you review all available information pertaining to the child's case, you will meet the child which is typically in the care of a county foster parent.
	If after several visits you decide to proceed with the adoption, the child is placed in your home. For a California state required minimum trial period typically, of six months. During this time you act as the child's parents. For public government adoptions, in the state of California, you act as the child's legal state designated foster parent.  It is sometimes referred to as a Fost-adopt.  This is because technically the child is legally in the custody of the state until you assume full parental rights.
	During the six month trial period you will have a few visits from a social worker. The workers confirm that all is going well with the placement and answer any questions you or your child might have.  Social services has been there for me providing any assistance I have needed.  Even after the adoption is final, the government is there for your assistance.  You will not be left hanging on your own.
	After the trial period is over and all adoptive issues are worked out, all paperwork is complete, the adoption is finalized through the court system. With the stroke of a pen you now have a new precious addition to your family.
	Please  reference the other pages of this site for more information.   (Click on the desired subject tab at the top of this page)
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	There is no time like now to start the adoption process!  There is no risk and you can drop out at anytime, with no penalty. Take advantage of your US government.  Make that call now!!
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