How Does Adopting a Child Work in Florida?

Are you interested in pursuing adoption as a way of growing the family you’ve always wanted? If you’re early in your journey, you may be wondering, “How does adopting a child work in Florida?”

You deserve to experience the joy of holding your infant in your arms. You should know that adoption is all about hope and love. When preparing to take the next step in growing the family you’ve always dreamed of, it’s natural to ask, “How can I adopt a child in FL?

If you want to learn how to adopt a child in Florida, we’re here to help. At American Adoptions, we are committed to helping you achieve your adoption goals. We’ve helped over 13,000 families successfully adopt, and we can assist you, too. Our adoption specialists are here around the clock to answer questions. To speak with one, simply call 1-800-ADOPTION or complete our online form today for information.

In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at how to go about adopting a child in FL if you’re a prospective adoptive parent. 

“How Do I Adopt a Child in Florida?” [7 Steps]

Adoption can be a beautiful thing for hopeful parents who are ready to build a family of their own. If it’s new to you, however, you may have a long list of questions, like how can you adopt a child in Florida, and where do you begin?

Fortunately, finding out how to adopt a child from another family in FL isn’t difficult. Below, we’ll tell you what you need to know to answer that question and start the process. Read on to learn how to adopt someone else’s child in Florida in 7 simple steps.

Step 1: Partner With the Best Agency for You

Finding out how to legally adopt a child in FL starts with identifying the right adoption professional to help you build the family you’ve always wanted. It’s a critical first step because the adoption agency you choose will influence the future of your family in a profound way.

What should you look for when deciding which agency is right for you? There are lots of traits you should seek, but many hopeful adoptive families find they must look no further than American Adoptions to learn how to adopt a child in FL. Our agency is fully licensed and national in reach. We have the lowest wait times of any agency in the country, complete transparency of adoption costs, non-expiring contracts, and a success rate of 96%.

You should know that not all agencies are created equally. Some only have local reach, so you may experience longer wait times and fewer options. Adoption centers only offer matching services, requiring you to go it alone when seeking other necessary services when finalizing an adoption. Other professionals may be intentionally dishonest about pricing and practices in putting the “hard sell” on waiting parents seeking to learn how to adopt a child in FL.

With American Adoptions, you won’t experience any of these limitations or predatory practices. We offer a full range of services for potential adoptive parents, so you’ll have access to all the resources needed to complete an adoption under one roof. We’re even licensed in Florida to conduct adoption home studies. You can learn more about our domestic adoption program by clicking this link.

Step 2: Access a Full Range of Adoption Agency Services

You will benefit from access to a full range of services if you choose American Adoptions when learning how to adopt a child in Florida. Families that partner with our fully-licensed agency experience a 96% adoption success rate, and we offer accurate wait time estimates, lower overall cost, and non-expiring contracts.

The list of services you can get from our adoption agency include:

• Assistance with your adoption profile
• Adoption opportunities tailored to your preferences
• Birth mother screening  and counseling to ensure she’s committed to the infant adoption process
• Guidance regarding your post-adoption preferences
• Full cost transparency
• An industry-leading financial protection program to protect you financially if an adoption disruption occurs
• Advice on finalizing an infant adoption in Florida and legal requirements
• Expert preparation for the required home study
• Help with creating and maintaining post-adoptive relationships

Our industry-leading financial protection program protects you if an adoption opportunity doesn’t work out. If you do experience a disruption, we cover the costs and never require you to repay fees, allowing you to continue your pursuit of becoming a mom and dad.

The investment you’ve made won’t be in jeopardy, and your adoption budget it protected against unnecessary and unexpected costs. No other agency offers that guarantee, and we’ve saved families more than $4.6 million since 2009.

Finding the right agency will result in a smoother adoption experience and an increased chance of success. Unlike many other professionals who can only do one part of the process, we’re here to help you learn everything you need to know about how to adopt a child in FL.

When you partner with our agency, we’ll walk you through learning how to adopt a child in FL from start to finish. In fact, we’ll be with you every step of the way.

Step 3: Undergo an Adoption Home Study

A required step in how to adopt a child in Florida involves the adoption home study. A home study must be performed by a licensed home study provider before a hopeful family can become active. The home study lets adoption professionals and the state confirm that a prospective adoptive family is really prepared for adoption.

In Florida, the adoption home study includes:

• Assembling and submitting required documentation like birth certificates, marriage documents, immigration papers, and other legal documents
• Performing a thorough background check on each person who lives in the adoptive household
• An in-home interview with members of the adoptive family
• An inspection of the home intended to ensure the physical premises are safe for a child

If you’re partnering with American Adoptions, you can take comfort in knowing we’ll help you throughout the home study process. We’re even licensed as a home study provider in Florida, so not only will we help you prepare, but we can also perform the home study. Getting access to all these services through a single organization can streamline the process and help reduce your overall adoption costs.

Step 4: Build Your Adoption Profile and Wait for an Adoption Opportunity

As you determine how to adopt a child in FL, you learn the important role that creating an adoption profile can have on the overall process.  

Your adoption profile helps expectant women considering adoption find you and learn more about the goals and dreams you have for your family. That’s why when learning how to adopt a child in FL, you should remember that the way your profile is marketed and your wait time are directly related.

Again, no other agency offers the marketing capability you get with American Adoptions. The result is that more expectant women across the country will see your adoptive family profile. We also offer 800x more marketing than other leading adoption agencies, which is one of the reasons our families experience lower average wait times.

Step 5: Receiving and Accepting Your Adoption Opportunity

A joyous step in finding out how to adopt a child in FL is when your family profile matches an expectant woman’s adoption plan and chooses your family to raise her child. That phone call informing you of her choice will be a moment of celebration for you and your entire family.

If you’ve always wanted to have a family of your own, you deserve to see your dreams come true. Every child deserves a loving home and a family offering a future full of opportunity, too. The synergy of adoption is one of most wonderful aspects of finding out how to adopt a child in Florida. 

Step 6: Getting to Know the Birth Parents

Most adoptions are open these days, which is something you’ll discover early on when learning how to adopt a child in FL. American Adoptions professionals believe in the benefits for both birth parents and adoptive parents and strongly suggest they welcome open adoption.

Some of those open adoption benefits include:

• Birth parents have confidence that they made the right choice
• Birth parents deal with less grief and loss because their relationship with their child is ongoing
• Adoptive parents can access needed background information, such as the medical and social history of their child
• Adoptees won’t have to search for answers in the future because their birth parents will be there to answer them

Some “match and release” adoption professionals leave you to figure out your relationship with the birth parents all alone. But at American Adoptions, we’ll be there to guide you through building the open adoption relationship. It’s important to take that into account when learning how to adopt a child in FL, and it is yet another reason American Adoptions is the best agency around.

Step 7: Welcome Your New Child Into Your Home and Family

The happiest part of how to adopt a child in Florida is the moment your child is placed in your home. That’s when the rigors of the adoption process will assume new meaning. When you welcome your child into your home, you’ll know that completing the process was worth it because after adoption finalization, your child will be yours forever.

There’s no way to describe how you’ll feel when you hold your baby for the first time. It’s the pinnacle of your journey. All the effort, challenges, and planning come together in a magical moment of joy. For nearly three decades, we’ve helped over 13,000 families bring their dreams to reality, and we’d be honored to help you build the family you’ve always wanted, too.

Why is American Adoptions the Best Adoption Agency?

If you’re still uncertain about how to adopt a child in FL, you can find peace in knowing that partnering with American Adoptions will provide you with a smooth adoption experience. American Adoptions is the best in the business, mostly because we lead the industry with benefits such as:

• Comprehensive in-house adoption services from licensed adoption social workers
• A larger staff that’s available 24/7
• Accurate wait time estimates and 9-12 month wait times 
• 100% financial protection for active families
• Transparent, accurate fee structure and cost estimates
• More robust marketing and advertising budgets to reduce your wait time

Because of benefits like these, hundreds of families partner with American Adoptions to successfully grow their families through our agency each year. Again, we’ve assisted more than 13,000 families with their infant adoptions, and we would love to provide our industry-leading support to your family, as well.

Final Thoughts on How to Adopt a Child in Florida

Do you think you’ve learned what you need to know about how to adopt a child in FL? Great! Your next step is contacting an adoption agency to start the process.

We can help with that. Our fully licensed, highly trained adoption specialists aren’t just social workers. They’re also adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents themselves. They know exactly how to help you get through the process.

To speak with a professional today, call 1-800-ADOPTION or complete our free online form to get started today.

Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.