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Who
may adopt? What are the general requirements?
You must be a resident of the State of Wyoming at the time of application
and at the time of placement. Each application is considered on
an individual basis, without regard to sex, race, creed, color,
religion or national origin. Applicants must be at least 21 years
of age.
Applicants
for healthy infant/toddler adoption must be married. Applicants
for special needs adoption may be married or single; they may be
currently childless or have other children in the home. Married
applicants must be married at least two years at the time of application.
Other
adoption services provided by the Wyoming Children's Society are
home studies for the purpose of interstate, independent (or designated)
adoptions, and home studies for international adoption.
How do I start the process?
Call, write, or email the Wyoming Children's Society and express
your interest in adoption. We will be happy to share information
and discuss your interest.
If
you decide to pursue adoption, we will send you an Application Form,
financial information forms, medical forms (to be completed and
returned by your doctor), a guideline for writing an autobiography
and a fee schedule.
When
you return these completed applications to us along with your application
fee ($100), we will begin contacting the references you have listed.
We will also forward to you questionnaires to complete and return
to Wyoming Children's Society and criminal background check forms
that will need to be submitted to the Department of Family Services.
After
all paperwork is complete and received by Wyoming Children's Society,
we will contact the casework consultant in your area and share your
application and autobiographies with her. Your casework consultant
will then contact you personally to begin your adoptive home study.
What
is a home study and why do I need one?
The home study is the agency's means of evaluating with you the
decision to adopt.
This
is done through interviews with applicants individually and/or as
a couple. This allows us to get to know you so that we feel comfortable
placing a child in your home.
Another
part of the study helps prepare you for adoption. The process of
completing the adoptive home study will allow you to explore the
type of child you wish to parent and to learn about adoption issues.
This is very important in special needs adoption.
We
are also able to do home studies for many U.S. based child-placing
agencies representing foreign countries.
How
long is the wait for infant placement?
Our casework consultants and adoption specialists begin with helping
birth parents explore all available options for them, and they often
choose to parent their children. We provide birthparents interested
in making an adoption plan for their baby non-identifying profiles
of our approved waiting families. From the profiles, birthparents
will choose a family they feel will be the most suitable. Many times,
they will choose adoptive parents with similar interests. Many times,
they will choose adoptive parents that aren't able to give birth
to children. The decision to make a placement with an adoptive family
is based on the birthparents' wishes and therefore, we cannot predict
a length of time.
How
much contact will the birthparents have with our adopted child?
The Wyoming Children's Society facilitates cooperative and open
adoptions as well as historical closed adoption. A cooperative adoption
is an adoption where the prospective adoptive parents and birth
parents meet face-to-face prior to the birth of the child to get
to know each other. First names may be shared, but normally not
surnames or addresses. An open adoption involves meeting each other
personally, and that adoptive and birth parents give full disclosure
of their names and where they live. By mutual consent, confidentiality
between the two couples is waived. Adoptive applicants have the
opportunity during the home study process to decide what type of
adoption is right for them. It is important to recognize, however,
that more birth parents are choosing greater openness in their adoption
plan and are more frequently opting for cooperative and open adoptions.
Will
we get to "choose" our baby?
During your home study process and family preparation, your casework
consultant will help you determine what child will be right for
your family. We will use these guidelines in considering which family
profiles to share with birth parents. While the birth parents actually
"choose" you, the final decision to accept the child is
yours. If at any time in the process you do not feel comfortable,
we would want you to discuss your feelings with us.
In
the case of placement of an older child, you will know a great deal
about the child before any contact is made. You will visit with
the child, social workers, foster parents, teacher, and therapist
prior to placement.
Do
we need a lawyer? What are the legal procedures?
Yes. You will need a lawyer to represent you in court. You are responsible
for all legal fees. Wyoming law requires a child be in your home
six months prior to finalization.
What
if we have problems later on when we tell our child he/she is adopted?
What if we have other kinds of problems with our child?
A child should always know he or she is adopted. We are always happy
to work with our adoptive families at any time to deal with adoption
related questions.
Do
we have to make a specific amount of money to adopt? Why do you
ask for financial information?
No. You certainly do not have to make a set amount of money to adopt.
We feel, however, that it is important for each individual or family
to be well aware of their own financial situation before proceeding
with adoption. The purpose of our financial information forms is
to help determine whether you can comfortably afford another child.
We
are interested in the best possible placement for each child, and
that includes financial stability. It certainly does not mean you
have to be wealthy.
What
does it cost to adopt?
Application Fee $100.00
Home Study Fee $700.00
Placement Fee for healthy infant adoption is 15% of the couple's
gross annual income. Minimum fee is $4,000.00, maximum fee is $10,000.00
Families who adopt an infant will pay the birthmother's medical
expenses if she is not covered by Title XIX or private insurance
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