Adoption in Alabama has similarities and differences compared to adoptions from other states. If you are a hopeful adoptive parent or an expectant parent and researching information on adoption in Alabama, you are in the right place. This article serves to share specific requirements, regulations, and specific laws regarding adoption in Alabama and the various steps you need to complete to finalize an adoption in the state. There is a lot of information out there regarding adoption in Alabama and we will explore some of that information here.
1. The Types of Adoption in Alabama
Many people may not realize that there are different types of adoptions in the state of Alabama. Those types of adoption include private domestic infant adoption, international adoption, kinship or relative adoption, and adoption from the Alabama foster care system.
Private Domestic Infant Adoption in Alabama
As a birth mother or father researching an adoption plan for your baby you may have lots of questions regarding adoption in Alabama. Who can adopt my baby? How does the process work? How do I find an adoption agency? How do I choose a family for my child? All of these questions are normal and can be easily answered by your adoption agency or adoption attorney. You may also be wondering about Alabama adoption laws and the regulations for adoption in Alabama and how they affect expectant parents and their child. According Adoption.com’s Alabama Adoption Guide, prospective adoptive parents may pay for various costs the birth mother may incur during the pregnancy, birth and adoption process. As a birth mother you may be wondering how you will cover the expenses of the pregnancy and adoption. There is no reason to worry. Adoption in Alabama laws allow adoptive parents to pay for various expenses the birth mother incurs. These expenses can include medical expenses and hospital stay for the birth mother and baby. It also can include living expenses, rent and mortgage payments, legal expenses and expenses incurred by the adoption agency and groceries and utilities for the birth mother. These expenses can be covered for the birth mother up to four to six weeks after the birth of the baby.
Once a birth mother in Alabama has created an adoption plan for her child, usually with the help of her adoption agency or adoption attorney, she will work with her agency to find an adoptive family for her paper. The agency with which she chooses to use to help finalize the adoption, will likely have many hopeful adoptive parents with whom they are working. The birth mother will view photos and profiles of these prospective adoptive parents. The profiles of these prospective adoptive families will include photos, marriage history, information about their family and where the live, their jobs, children in the family, and pets. Once a birth mother narrows down the adoption profiles she will likely meet with the prospective adoptive family. From there she will make a decision about whether this is the family she chooses to be matched with her baby. Once that happens, the birth mother will get the assistance of her adoption agency in forming a birth plan for labor and delivery of the child. She can decide when she will contact the adoptive parents, who she would like to have in the room with her during the labor and birth of the baby and how much time she would like to bond with her child after the birth.
Once the baby is born, the birth mother can sign the adoption consent paperwork at any time. Per adoption in Alabama laws, the birth mother can also sign the adoption paperwork prior to the birth of her child in front of an Alabama probate court judge. The father of the baby can sign the adoption consent paperwork at any time.
International Adoption in Alabama
Prospective adoptive parents who are interested in adopting a child abroad and bringing them home to live in Alabama will have a different set of procedures, regulations, requirements and costs to finalize an adoption in Alabama.
International adoption has changed a great deal over the years and currently they are at a record low. It is important to find an adoption agency that works international and understands the laws in Alabama. If you wish to adopt from a country that is party to the Hague Adoption Convention you must work with an agency who has been accredited to work in Hague countries. A list of those countries can be found here.
Your adoption agency will help you understand the process of adopting from the country you wish to adopt from and also the costs, timelines, regulations and requirements for that country. The prospective adoptive parents will still need to complete an adoption home study in Alabama (if that is the state in which they live). If the adoption agency the prospective adoptive parents are utilizing for the international adoption is not licensed in the state of Alabama, they can still complete the international adoption, however the hopeful adoptive parents will need to find an additional adoption agency licensed in Alabama to finalize the home study.
Adoption in Alabama from the Foster Care
If you are interested in adopting a child from the Alabama foster care system you will need to go through a separate process. Adoption in Alabama from foster care does not require the hopeful adoptive parents to first be a In the state of Alabama. They simply need to apply to adopt a child from the Alabama foster care system and then take the state mandated parenting education classes, meet all requirements for the state and a home study to be approved to adopt. If the prospective adoptive family is licensed to adopt through the Alabama Department of Human Resources, the adoptive parents will not be charged any fees to adopt a child from the Alabama foster care system. This is also true if they wish to adopt from another state’s foster care system. Private adoption agencies can also license prospective adoptive families to adopt from foster care, however private adoption service providers will likely charge fees to do so. These fees would include the home study, legal fees and costs for court to finalize the adoption.
Prospective adoptive parents who are finalizing an adoption in Alabama from foster care and their children qualify for a subsidy and are in foster care may be eligible for reimbursement of limited nonrecurring adoption-related costs, including legal and court costs. Your agency and social worker can explain details if this pertains to you and your adoption.
Kinship or Relative Adoption in Alabama
Kinship or relative adoption in Alabama is when a person or family members related to the the child adopts the child due to the biological parents death or termination of their parental rights. It also can happen if the parents decide to create an adoption plan for their baby and choose biological family members to raise their child as their own.
2. Who Is Eligible to Complete an Adoption in Alabama?
The state of Alabama has specific requirements for anyone who wishes to adopt a child in the state. These requirements are for anyone wishing to adopt through any of the types of adoption – private domestic infant adoption, international adoption, foster care adoption or kinship or relative adoption. The requirements are as follows (and can change):
- Adoption parents must be 19 years of age or older at the time of the adoption application.
- If the adoptive parents are married and adopting jointly, they must be married for at least three years.
- If the adoptive parents are married, one must be an United States citizen.
- A home study is required. This includes:
- Criminal background checks for all members of the household over 19 years of age.
- Interviews for all adults in the home and any adult children living outside of the home.
- All members of the household 19 years of age and older must be cleared by the Alabama State Center Registry on Child Abuse and Neglect.
- A home safety inspection
- Interviews by the social worker
- Adoptive parents must have medical clearance from their doctors verifying good health.
- Alabama requires at least 6 character references which could include family, friends, employers, teachers, neighbors or faith-based leaders.
- A regular and steady source of income that meets the family’s financial needs.
- Parenting training classes
3. Finding An Adoption Service Provide to Complete you Alabama Adoption
Once a birth mother or expectant mothers and fathers gain information on who is eligible to be approved to adopt their child through adoption in Alabama it is most important to find a reputation, ethical adoption service provider to help you through the process as a birth mother or hopeful adoptive parents. Understanding the options available to you to help you finalize your adoption in Alabama is the best next step. You can work with an adoption agency or adoption attorney to help you through the adoption process.
It can seem overwhelming wondering how to find a good and reputable agency for your adoption in Alabama. Adoption agencies in Alabama are there to support the birth mother in getting all of the information she may require at any point in the process before making an adoption plan for her baby. Adoption agencies and adoption attorneys in Alabama can help you make the best decision for you and your baby.
In the state of Alabama there are many adoption service providers with whom you could work depending on the type of adoption you are pursuing as an adoptive parent or as a birth mother. Creating a list of questions to ask prospective adoption agencies for your adoption in Alabama is helpful at this stage. When you interview the prospective adoption service providers it is important to get your questions answered as best as possible, but it is also critical for you to follow your gut on the agency you choose as you will be working with them throughout this emotional process. There is a great community online of expectant mothers and prospective adoptive parents who have already completed the adoption in Alabama the process on Adoption.com’s forums.
One great agency which works with birth mothers in the state of Alabama is Gladney Center for Adoption. Gladney Center for Adoption is located in the state of Texas, but the agency works with expectant parents in every state in the US. They are a very reputable adoption agency and there is no pressure to use them or any adoption agency during the interview process or at any time in your adoption journey. This is your journey towards adoption in Alabama and you can change your mind at any time. This is not just regarding what adoption agency or adoption attorney you use, but also the adoption. This is the biggest decision of your life and whether you are an expectant parent contemplating an adoption plan, a birth mother who has already given birth or prospective adoptive parents far into the adoption process, you can change your mind based on you and your family’s needs at any time.
Trust your instincts, pray about your decisions and find a support system through the process. It is important to continue to have open communication with your adoption social worker and if necessary find a support group or counseling through the process. Adoption is a lifeline journey. It does not finish when the baby is placed for adoption or brought home. It is a lifelong process for all members of the adoption triad. The adoption triad is comprised of the adoptive parents, the birth parents and the child who is adopted. The adoption triad will feel different emotions at each stage of the adoption process and those feelings will evolve and change over the years, but practicing self-care, educating yourself on adoption and how it affects each member of the adoption triad is important. By reading articles like this you are taking the first step in a beautiful lifelong journey.
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