by Nancy Jennings

This article appeared in FAM's premier issue in January, 1994. Because the information presented is valuable to anyone interested in adoption or even foster care, we felt it necessary to share these questions and answers with our many new subscribers.

Welcome to the wonderfully exciting and confusing world of adoption! MARE receives hundreds of calls a month asking for information about adoption in general, and the adoption process specifically; below are answers to the most frequently asked questions. Hopefully this information will help guide you as you make your decisions about adoption.

I've decided I want to adopt. Now what do I do?

The first step in the adoption process is a homestudy. Families and individuals must have an approved homestudy before a child can be placed in their home for adoption. The homestudy consists of a series of meetings between the prospective adoptive family and a social worker. It provides an opportunity for the family to learn more about adoption, and to seriously consider their motivations and expectations for adopting.

In Michigan, homestudies are conducted by an adoption agency. The process usually takes anywhere from three to six months and typically consists of a number of meetings at the agency as well as personal interviews conducted by a social worker in your home. The study generally includes the following:

• Personal History. A comprehensive history and assessment of your current family life and past experiences affecting your capacity to parent an adoptive child is developed. The social worker will be attempting to understand how a child would fit into your family and determine what type of child might do best in your home. You will be asked questions about your family of origin, your educational level, your feelings about education for your children, your employment status and your future plans. If you're married there will be questions about your marriage such as how you met, how long you've been married, the strengths and weaknesses of your spouse, how you make decisions, etc. If you are single there will probably be questions about your social life and how you anticipate integrating a child into it. Other questions might address your daily routines, your experience with children, your neighborhood, your friends, and your religious practices, if any. Children living in the home are also interviewed (depending on their age and level of understanding) regarding their feelings about an addition to their family and what adoption means to them. Additionally, if there are other adults in the home (parents, aunts, cousins, live-together partners), they will also be interviewed extensively.
• Health Statements. Your medical history, a recent physical (within one year), and a TB test for every member of your household is required. A medical condition that is under control (high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.) usually would not prevent a person being approved to adopt; however, a serious health problem that affects life expectancy may prevent approval.
  Criminal Background Check. You will need to complete a form that the social worker sends off for a state police check and Protective Service clearance. Some counties may also require local police clearances, as well.
• Income Statement . You will be asked to verify your income by providing a copy of an income tax form, a paycheck stub, or a W-2 form. Bank statements and insurance policies may also be requested. You do not have to be wealthy to adopt. Even if you receive some type of financial assistance, you are still eligible to adopt as long as you have adequate resources to provide for your family. Financial assistance in the form of a support subsidy is available when adopting many of the children listed on MARE.
• Personal References. You will be asked to provide the names, addresses, and phone numbers of three or four individuals who can attest to your experience with children, the stability of your marriage and/or household, and your motivation to adopt.

If you are a foster parent, the agency you are currently working with may be able to conduct the study if they are also licensed for adoptions. There is usually no fee for a homestudy provided by the Family Independence Agency or private contract agency when you are adopting a "special needs" child, or a permanent court or state ward. However, there may be minimal fees to cover the costs of filing petitions in court when the time comes to adopt.

Do I have to be married to adopt?

No, you don't have to be married to adopt a child or children. Being a single parent is perfectly acceptable. Also, you don't have to own your own home to adopt a child. A rented house or apartment is fine, as long as there is adequate bedroom space per child. The home must be free from health and fire hazards, and must have a safe play area for children.

I'm really most interested in adopting an infant. I don't understand why it takes so long!

In Michigan, the "waiting for an infant" list currently runs between three and five years if you're interested in adopting a perfectly healthy Caucasian child under the age of one. And Michigan is not unique; most other states also have a years-long waiting list for infants, too. It is estimated that each year there are 25,000 infants available for adoption -- and one million families waiting for those infants.

In January, 1995, Michigan became one of 47 states that allows "direct consent" adoptions. In a direct consent adoption, the parent of the adoptee personally selects the prospective adoptive parent, transfers physical custody of the adoptee to the adoptive parent and consents to the adoption. The parent retains all parental rights over the adoptee until formal placement. Attorneys and child placing agencies can assist a parent in making a direct placement.

The parent or guardian and prospective adoptive parent will decide whether to exchange identifying information, and whether to meet each other.

Under the law, prospective adoptive parents are able to advertise for and solicit potential birth parents (attorneys, however, are NOT). That may include newspaper classified ads, sending biographical letters and photos to doctors' offices and/or family planning clinics, etc. In a direct consent adoption, prospective parents are also allowed to pay for certain costs that may be incurred by the birth mother; all payments must first be approved by the court.

As with any adoption, prospective parents interested in direct consent adoption must still have a homestudy completed by a licensed adoption agency.

One alternative to the long wait and high cost of adopting an infant is adopting a "special needs" child.

Okay, what's a "special needs" child?

"Special needs" does not necessarily mean the child has any handicaps. In general terms, it refers to a child or children that may be harder to place than a healthy infant. In fact, a special needs child is under 18 and falls into one or more of the following categories:

• Children who may have emotional, mental, learning, or physical impairments;
• Children who are part of a sibling group that must be placed together;
• Children of minority heritage; and/or
• Children over the age of five.

Many waiting children have had traumatic past experiences that may include physical, sexual, or emotional abuse and/or severe neglect. Others may have been born drug or alcohol exposed.

What's the difference in the adoption processes for an infant versus a special needs child?

A prospective family interested in adopting an infant can expect to wait anywhere from two to five years before a baby becomes available, and can expect to pay thousands of dollars in fees and expenses. On the other hand, a family interested in adopting a special needs child won't have to wait nearly as long, depending on what type of child they're hoping to adopt -- in fact, it could be a matter of months before a child is placed in the home. The costs associated with special needs adoptions are far less, as well; depending on the agency, the adoption and homestudy process could be virtually free because many costs associated with special needs adoptions are underwritten by the state.

What adoption agency should I work with? How do I choose an agency?

There are a number of public (Family Independence Agency) and private adoption agencies around the state that can work with you.

When you initially call an adoption agency, feel free to ask them questions about the length of time their homestudy process might take, approximately how much the process will cost (especially if you're interested in a special needs child), etc. Feel free to call several agencies and ask them the same kinds of questions before making a final decision.

Will becoming a foster parent help me adopt a child?

Not necessarily. It depends on the circumstances that develop as efforts are made to reunite birth parents and children.

Foster care is always initially considered to be temporary. At times, however, parental rights may be terminated, and at that point children become wards of the state and are eligible for adoption. Once parental rights are terminated, blood relatives and foster parents are given the first chance at adoption (if the child has been in placement with that foster family for one year or more).

But because foster care is considered to be a temporary measure, it is not advisable to become a foster parent with the expectation that you'll be able to adopt any child placed in your care. A foster parent is expected to work cooperatively with the agency and birth parents toward reunification until a decision is made that reunification will not occur. A foster parent must be objective, and must be able to let go of a child if and when it comes time for that child to leave the foster home.

What is the MARE book, and where can I get my hands on one?

The MARE book is a photo-listing book published monthly by the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange. It includes pictures and short biographies of special needs children in the state who have been available for adoption for at least six months.

Because of the high cost of publication and mailing, we aren't able to send the MARE book to individual families on a regular basis. However, a six-month subscription to the MARE book is now available to interested individuals (see page 2 of this newsletter for further information). Also, the MARE book can be found at local FIA adoption offices, as well as private adoption agencies. Many public libraries in the state also carry the MARE book in their reference section.

I've called on a couple of children in the MARE book and was told they're visiting with a family, have already been adopted, or are otherwise unavailable for adoption. What gives?

The MARE book (as well as our Website) is a way to expose all adoption-eligible children to as large an audience of potential families as possible. If a family has not been identified for a child within six months after parental rights are terminated, a child is then included in the MARE book.

However, that does not necessarily mean that every child featured in the MARE book is immediately available for adoption. While that might seem, on the surface, to detract from the book's value, there are several reasons for this. Other families may have already heard about the child through their adoption worker, and tentative adoption plans may be pending. In any event, it is important to continue to include these children in the MARE book. This gives them exposure to prospective families who are interested, should an initial plan not result in a placement.

If you find a child in the MARE book that you're interested in, and you're an approved adoptive family (that is, you have a completed homestudy), you need to have your worker call the child's worker to get further information. This allows for crucial worker-to-worker contact, during which time the workers can discuss whether or not the child can be appropriately placed with your family.

If, on the other hand, you are not an approved adoptive family, it is important you have a homestudy done first. We don't discourage you from calling on children you may be interested in, but it's important to note that approved adoptive families are given priority over a family that does not have a completed homestudy.

I was adopted as a child. How do I go about finding my birth parents?

The Michigan Adoption Law requires adoption agencies, FIA, and probate courts to release certain information from adoption records to adult adoptees, adoptive parents, and birth parents. The law divides information in adoption records into two groups: non-identifying information and identifying information. Non-identifying information is available upon request to adult adoptees, adoptive parents and birth parents. Non-identifying information includes:

• Date, time, and place of birth of the adoptee, including the hospital, city, county, and state.
• Medical history of the adoptee and birth parents.
• Ethnicity of the birth parents.
• Status of termination (voluntary or court ordered).
• Religious background of birth parents.
• Age and sex of siblings known at the time of the adoption.
• Educational level of birth parents.

Identifying information is available to adult adoptees and birth parents, but only if each consents to its release. All requests for information from adoption records must be submitted to the agency that placed the adoptee, or the court that finalized the adoption. Identifying information includes:

• Name of child before placement in adoption.
• Names of biological parents at the time of termination of parental rights.
• The last known names and address of the biological parents.
• Names of the brothers and/or sisters at the time of termination

Adult adoptees who wish to consent to the release of their name and address to a birth parent or brother or sister must file their consent with the placing agency and court that finalized their adoption. Birth parents who wish to consent or deny access to information about themselves must file a statement with the Adoption Central Registry.

For more information you may contact the Central Registry at:

Michigan Family Independence Agency
Adoption Central Registry
P.O. Box 30037
Lansing, MI 48909
(517) 373-3513

Michigan now allows searching for birth relatives by a confidential intermediary (CI). These persons are trained and appointed by the court to assist in the tracing of and contacting birth relatives. For more information about CI's, you may contact the Adoption Central Registry

Adoption is a lifelong process, and the initial stages of deciding to adopt, then locating, meeting, preparing for, and legally adopting a child can be long and complex. The MARE staff is available during business hours to assist you with any questions or concerns about this process at any stage; our state-wide toll-free number is (800) 589-6273. Jackson area or out-of-state callers can reach us at (517) 783-6273. We'll be more than happy to help you in any way we can.

Good luck on your journey.