How to Adopt a Child in Texas [7 Steps]

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Growing your family through adoption can be a beautiful and exciting choice, but it is not always straightforward. This guide will share the steps of how to adopt a child in Texas so that you can get started with the process and prepare for what is ahead.

If you are a potential birth parent, then you can get free information now when you contact us online form or connect with an adoption professional through our 24/7 hotline at 1-800-ADOPTION. You can also continue reading to learn about the steps to adopt a child.

If you are informed about how to go about adopting a child in Texas, then you are much more likely to find a great adoption opportunity and build a successful life for you and your child.

1. Decide on Adoption

Parenting in any form can be challenging, and adoption has its own twists and turns. Although adoption can be beautiful, it is not the only option to build a family, and it is not the right choice for everyone.

Before you begin the adoption process, it is important to be committed to adoption. It is often a good idea to take some time to think through why you are interested in parenting and adoption, and consider whether you are fully ready to take on the responsibilities of becoming a parent through adoption.

In some cases, it may help to read stories from adoptive parents to know if it is a good fit for you. Many adoptive parents love the choice they made to adopt, like Kelli, an adoptive parent who worked with American Adoptions.

“It’s the one thing that I feel like I’ve always wanted, and it’s definitely all it’s cracked up to be,” Kelli said. “I’ve never loved anybody like this.”

This is a heartening story if you are wondering “how do I adopt a child in Texas as a single parent?” But, it is important to come into adoption with the right frame of mind. If you have struggled with infertility or the loss of a child, then it is important to grieve before you move forward with your dreams and begin the adoption process.

American Adoptions can help you decide if growing your family through adoption is a good choice for you. You can get free information and get in touch with an adoption professional here.

2. Research Your Adoption Options

Once you have decided to move forward with adoption, you may start wondering, “How can I adopt a child in Texas?”

The first step is figuring out what type of adoption you are interested in. There are several different types of adoption that you can pursue, and each comes with its own unique considerations.

Private Domestic Adoption

If you are interested in adopting an infant, then private domestic adoption is often the best choice.

In private domestic adoption, prospective birth parents in the United States work with a private adoption agency, often before their child is born, and choose the right adoptive family for their child. This type of adoption gives the best support to birth parents and often the provides smoothest experience.

If you are interested in private domestic adoption, then American Adoptions of Texas can help. You can contact an adoption professional today.

International Adoption

International adoption is often chosen by people who are more flexible about the ages of the children they adopt. They also tend to have a global perspective on adoption and are willing to travel overseas to complete the adoption.

If you are interested in international adoption, then you will want to seek out Hague-accredited adoption agencies.

Foster Care Adoption

Foster care adoption is best for people who want to adopt an older child or adopt a sibling group. Most children in the foster system fall under one of these categories.

To get more information on foster care adoption, you can often find information through Texas’ Department of Family and Protective Services.

3. Choose Your Adoption Professional

How do you adopt a child in Texas once you know what kind of adoption you would like to pursue? The best way to do it is through an adoption agency.

Once you have chosen the type of adoption you are interested in, an adoption professional can help you with the process. Your adoption agency will have a huge impact on your waiting time, available services and the contact your child has with their birth parents.

If you are interested in private domestic adoption, then national agencies are often the best choice. They can often provide:

• More efficient and effective marketing, which can mean lower wait times
• More services for birth parents and adoptive parents, which can reduce adoption disruption
• Robust educational services from more experienced staff

Also, American Adoptions offers services that many other adoption agencies do not, such as:

• 24/7 support so that you are never alone
• More than 30 years of experience with adoptions
• Adoption disruption prevention and insurance to financially protect you

4. Find an Adoption Opportunity

How does adopting a child work in Texas once you’ve found an agency?

It depends. Finding an adoption opportunity can take a couple of weeks, or it can take a couple of years. It depends on factors like

• The type of adoption you choose
• Your approval process
• Your agency’s scope

Before you can find an adoption opportunity, hopeful adoptive families must go through the home study process to ensure that they are prepared to raise a child. You will need to gather documents and work with an adoption professional to complete several steps. A social worker here at American Adoptions can help you navigate this.

Once you are approved, you may have to wait. If you are pursuing a private domestic adoption, then your adoption agency may create a profile to show who you are to potential birth parents. Then, they’ll advertise and network to find adoption opportunities for your family.

At American Adoptions, we’ll help you create an individualized video profile that will help you show off your unique qualities. We’ll also advertise nationally to bring you the most adoption opportunities, which can mean a shorter wait time for your family.

We have seen firsthand how much these video profiles mean to potential birth parents. For some potential birth parents, these videos can be a main reason why they choose a particular adoptive family, like in the case of Lindsey, a birth mother who said of her adoption decision:

“I skimmed through their profiles, but it was really their videos that grabbed my attention immediately.”

5. Get to Know Your Child’s Birth Parents

As potential birth parents get in contact with your agency, they will likely view several profiles before making a final decision. At this point, you may begin speaking with potential birth parents about the next steps, and your adoption professional will mediate contact if you wish.

Depending on the birth parent’s preferences, you may be able to form a bond with the birth parents and child before the birth. Establishing this relationship can be important step for the future. When your child begins forming their identity, they may have questions about their adoption story and think about what adoption means to them.

6. Complete the Legal Steps of Adoption

It’s important for your adoption agency to know how to legally adopt a child in Texas. Once the birth mother has given birth, your adoption professional will help you fill out the required paperwork and tie up any loose ends.

If you are adopting your child at birth or are adopting from another state, then you may have a waiting period before your adoption paperwork can be cleared and you are legally parents. American Adoptions has over 30 years of experience and can help you navigate the laws and requirements to complete your adoption.

7. Begin Your New Family Life

Once your adoption is complete, the journey has only just begun. At American Adoptions, we know that adoption can be beautiful. We have direct experience with adoption as adoptive parents, birth parents and adoptees, like our founder, Scott Mars, who said of his adoption experience:

“Every day I realize how important I am to my parents. The fact that I was adopted doesn’t matter. It is simply another way to become a parent.”

To get started on your adoption journey or get more free information now, you can fill out our online contact form.

Disclaimer
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