How to Adopt a Child in the U.S. and Florida

Have you been wondering how you can open your home to a child through the adoption process in the USA? The answer can be complicated, and you probably have questions about how the American adoption process in Florida works. Fortunately, you can depend on American Adoptions for the answers you need.  

American Adoptions is a fully licensed, non-profit domestic adoption agency that has helped more than 13,000 families navigate the adoption process in the U.S. The resources we provide are unmatched in the industry, and we provide the practical advice and emotional support hopeful adoptive families and prospective birth mothers need. 

To find out more about how to adopt a child in the U.S., you need only contact us. We’re here to help, and beginning the process is easy. To speak with one of our highly trained, compassionate adoption specialists today, just call 1-800-ADOPTION or complete our free online form.

In this guide, you’ll find information about the domestic adoption process in America and the top-quality support American Adoptions provides throughout the adoption process in the United States.

What Should I Expect During the American Adoption Process in Florida?

If you’re wondering how to adopt a child in the U.S., you should first know what to expect from the American adoption process in Florida. Adoption is a legal and social process with specific requirements, but don’t let that dissuade you. Your adoption agency will help you navigate the U.S. adoption process and bring your dreams of building a family to life. 

1. Decide if adoption is right for you and your family

There could be many reasons that adoption appeals to you. You could have struggled with infertility. Maybe you’re part of a same-sex couple. It could be that you prefer the idea of building a family through the American adoption process in FL. Regardless of your motivation, the adoption process in the U.S. lets you give a deserving child a safe, loving home and a bright future.

Your choice is a noble one that comes from a place of love and selflessness. The American adoption process is a commendable path to growing your family because it also gives a child hope of a better future rich in love and opportunity.

One of our birth mothers, Janelle, explains her experience with adoption. She said, “[Adoption] saved my twins. It saved my relationship. It saved their lives. If it weren’t there, I don’t know what I would have done.” 

American Adoptions helps make dreams come true by assisting hundreds of couples each year with their adoptions. Making the choice to become a parent through adoption is the first step in the U.S. adoption process in Florida. You can look at it as the beginning of an amazing journey.

2. Choose the right adoption professional

There’s no question that the Florida adoption process in the U.S. is complicated. That’s why getting access to the best possible support and top-notch resources is an important factor in your journey. You can take comfort in knowing that American Adoptions offers expert advice, great compassion, and a full range of industry-leading resources. 

We’ll guide you through each step in the U.S. adoption process in Florida. For us, the future of your family is our priority. We have the capability of working across the country because we are fully licensed in all 50 states.  

One point of differentiation between American Adoptions and local agencies is that we can work on the American adoption process in Florida and every other state. However, local agencies are licensed and regulated by authorities in a single state. That means they offer fewer adoption opportunities, more limited resources, and smaller staff.

3. Creating your adoptive family profile and finding the perfect adoption opportunity

Your adoptive family profile will serve as the gateway to adoption opportunities, and creating it is a critical part of the adoption process in the USA. This profile will allow expectant women considering adoption to find you and decide if you’re the perfect potential parent for their baby.

During the U.S. adoption process in Florida, you’ll be asked to complete a questionnaire that defines your preferences for adoption. You’ll describe the kinds of adoption opportunities you’re willing to accept, and you can go into as much detail as you’d like.

That APQ will become the foundation of your adoptive family profile, as your specialist will use the details in it to match you with adoption opportunities. Birth mothers will also review your profile when deciding if your preferences match their wishes. If they do, a match is made, and the process moves on from there.

Another American Adoptions birth mother, Candace, knew when she reviewed Jeff and Amanda’s profile that they were the parents that God had selected for her as “the ones” to give her child the life she wanted for them.

“I cried reading their bio, and I just knew,” she said. “I enjoyed getting to know them on a more personal level. The family would email me all the time and check on me to provide support the entire way.” When you make a connection such as this one, it can be the highlight of the American adoption process in FL for your family.

American Adoptions doesn’t just help you create an attractive adoptive family profile to market you to birth mothers. Our agency also offers a full range of other support services that increase your chances of finding a successful match with the shortest possible wait time. That includes:

• A comprehensive advertising network capable of promoting your family to expectant women across the U.S.
• Screening services that educate birth mothers about the American adoption process in Florida and ensure they’re committed to adoption.
• A professional media team focused on helping you create a compelling, dynamic adoptive family video profile.
• Adoption specialists will facilitate your initial conference call with expectant birth parents and help with future contact.

4. Child placement and finalization of your adoption

The rules governing the American adoption process in Florida stipulate that the birth parents can offer consent to adoption 48 hours after birth. During the hospital stay, you’ll follow the birth mother’s hospital plan. After consent is given, your baby will be placed in your home. Following placement, there will be periodic in-home visits by home study professionals to ensure everyone is adjusting to the new situation.

Completion of the U.S. adoption process in FL comes at the finalization hearing. The hearing usually occurs approximately six months after placement. During the finalization process, several things will happen:

• You’ll attend a court hearing with your adoption attorney
• A judge will review the adoption and approve it
• You will be granted full parental rights

Why is American Adoptions the Best Agency for Completing the U.S. Adoption Process?

Are you ready to pursue the United States adoption process in Florida (or any other state)? Great! Congratulations on taking the first step toward building the family of your dreams.

First, you’ll need a fully licensed adoption agency on your side. There’s no other national, full-service adoption agency that’s better positioned to offer you industry-leading resources and support than American Adoptions.

Please keep reading below to learn a few of the reasons American Adoptions is your best choice if you’d like to build your family through the domestic process of adoption in the USA.

1. Independent Adoption vs. Agency Adoption

You may have heard that you don’t really need an adoption agency to adopt domestically. And while that’s true in part, completing the adoption process in the U.S. through independent adoption is much more difficult than it may initially seem. Independent adoption involves working with an adoption attorney to complete the legal components of adoption.

But independent adoption can leave adoptive families and birth parents lacking access to support and services that may tremendously impact their satisfaction with the American adoption process. Conversely, partnering with an adoption agency ensures all members of the adoption triad will get a higher level of support, which translates into a smoother adoption experience.

One of the greatest benefits of partnering with American Adoptions throughout the adoption process in the U.S. is that you’ll get access to industry-leading services like:

• Thorough screening services that ensure birth mothers are committed to adoption
• Matching services connecting waiting adoptive families with expectant women considering adoption
• Education from highly-trained, compassionate social workers on the steps of adoption
• Adoption specialists who prepare you for your home study and home study professionals who complete this step of the adoption.
• Counseling throughout the American adoption process in Florida

2. National vs. Local Agencies

Another important factor to consider when navigating the U.S. adoption process is the benefits of using a national agency like American Adoptions rather than a local one.

American Adoptions (and other national adoption agencies) have inherent advantages in the American adoption process. Their national reach allows your adoption profile to be seen by expectant birth mothers around the U.S.

Also, because we work with expectant mothers considering adoption and potential adoptive families, we can offer support and counseling to birth parents. That improves the chances that they’ll stay committed to adoption, find the perfect family, and see the U.S. adoption process through to its happy ending.

It’s not that local adoption agencies don’t offer some of the services provided by their national counterparts. However, those services may be limited in effectiveness and scope. For example:  

• Local agencies may partner with only a few expectant birth mothers at once, which limits your options and stretches potential wait times
• Local agencies have smaller, less diverse staffs and limited availability
• Local agencies have a shorter list of services they provide because they have fewer resources
• Local agencies aren’t always licensed to perform home studies in Florida

Some hopeful parents assume they’ll get more personalized, face-to-face interaction throughout the U.S. adoption process when using a local agency. That’s not always true, however. American Adoptions offers the best of both worlds by offering the attention of a local agency combined with the reach and resources of a national organization. We help maximize choice for both hopeful adoptive parents and expectant birth mothers. That’s good for everyone involved.

We’ve seen many adoption success stories over the years. For example, after only 12 days as an active American Adoptions family seeking a child through the American adoption process, Jenna and Justin got a conference call about an expectant woman who was six months pregnant who had selected them as adoptive parents for her child.

“I can remember being done with that conference call, and my husband was still at work,” Jenna said. “When he walked in, right away, I was like, ‘I don’t even want to discuss it. Gut feeling right now: Yes or no?’ And we both said yes at the same time.”

One of the most important factors in successfully finalizing the adoption process in America is the exposure your family receives during the process. American Adoptions offers national exposure, which helped connect Jenna and Justin to their baby. American Adoptions offers 800x more exposure and promotion than other leading adoption agencies.   

That’s just one of the many reasons hundreds of families adopt through our agency each year. Advanced advertising, networking, and 24/7 availability result in shorter wait times for our families. That’s something we’re proud of, and we’ll continue to commit to that goal.

Yes, the U.S. adoption process in the USA is complicated. But partnering with American Adoptions will provide you with the best possible adoption experience. American Adoptions is the best national private adoption agency because we offer industry-leading advantages like:

• Comprehensive in-house adoption services provided by licensed adoption social workers
• 9-12 month wait times 
• Accurate, transparent cost estimates and 100% financial protection for our active families
• Larger staff that’s accessible around the clock
• Bigger marketing and advertising budgets so that you don’t have to wait to become a parent

Cathy, an adoptive mother, says she performed thorough research into agency options before starting the U.S. adoption process. She discovered what many adoptive parents before her know: American Adoptions is the best choice among national private adoption agencies. She explains further below:

“We chose American in large part because of the insurance policy and then, secondarily, the number of placements,” Cathy remembers. “We were looking at agencies that were smaller and closer to us… but the fact that we could get a placement potentially between three and nine months — and it ended up being less than that — those were definitely motivating factors.”

The list of benefits we offer is long, which is why hundreds of our families successfully complete the American adoption process with American Adoptions each year. We’ve assisted over 13,000 families with their infant adoptions. We want to help you build your family, too.

Next Steps in the Adoption Process in the U.S.

Completing the American adoption process can be a beautiful journey for many families who want to use it to build the family they’ve always dreamed of. Not only can you grow your family, but you’ll be offering a child the bright future they deserve. You will also be giving an expectant birth mother a way to retain her future dreams as well.

Do you still have questions about the U.S. adoption process? Maybe you simply want to start an adoption journey of your own. In either case, we’re here to help. To speak with one of our specialists today, simply call 1-800-ADOPTION or complete our online form.

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