How to Adopt a Child in the U.S. [And In Arizona]

Are you considering opening your home to a child through the adoption process in the USA? If so, you may have questions about what’s involved in the American adoption process in Arizona. The good news is at American Adoptions, we’re here to help.

American Adoptions is a fully licensed, non-profit domestic adoption agency that annually helps more than 300 families with the adoption process in the U.S. We are committed to providing industry-leading resources, practical advice, and emotional support to hopeful adoptive families and prospective birth mothers in Arizona and across the U.S.

If you’d like to learn more about how to adopt a child in the U.S., help is only a phone call or email away. We’d be honored to help you begin the process, and you can speak with one of our highly trained, compassionate adoption specialists today by calling 1-800-ADOPTION or completing our free online form.

Below, we’ll discuss the domestic adoption process in America as well as the high-level support American Adoptions provides you as you work through the adoption process in the United States. 

How Do I Learn How to Adopt a Child in the USA?

Finding out how to adopt a child in the U.S. is easy once you understand a little about the American adoption process in Arizona. There are both legal and social requirements that must be met, but with expert help from an adoption agency, you can navigate the U.S. adoption process and see your dreams of family growth come to life. 

1. Determine whether adoption is right for your family

Maybe you’ve struggled with infertility. You could be involved in a same-sex marriage. Or, maybe you’d just prefer to grow your family through the American adoption process. In either of these cases, you’ve decided to give a deserving child a safe, loving home and a bright future through the adoption process in the U.S.  

First, please know that your choice is noble, selfless and loving. The American adoption process is a wonderful way to build your family while giving a child hope for a better future full of 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.” 

Hundreds of couples each year commit to adoption and see their dreams come true with the help of American Adoptions. Deciding to pursue this way of becoming a parent is the first step in the U.S. adoption process in Arizona and is the beginning of a beautiful journey.

2. Identify the best adoption professional for you

The Arizona adoption process in the U.S. is complicated, and there’s no way around that. That makes it critical that you get the best possible support and access to top-notch resources during your journey. That’s why American Adoptions provides you with expert advice, a high degree of compassion, and comprehensive resources. 

American Adoptions guides you through the U.S. adoption process in Arizona, prioritizing your future and your baby’s future. We are fully licensed across the nation and facilitate adoptions in all states. 

While our agency can work on the American adoption process in Arizona or any other state, local agencies are licensed and regulated by authorities in only their home state. They also offer fewer adoption opportunities, more limited resources, and smaller staff.

3. Find the perfect adoption opportunity and learn more about the birth mother.

Creating your adoptive family profile is a key step in the adoption process in the USA. The adoptive family profile is the way expectant birth mothers will find you and determine whether you’re the right potential parent for their child.

Early on in the U.S. adoption process in Arizona, you’ll complete a questionnaire that defines the kinds of adoption opportunities you’re willing to accept. From that APQ, your adoption specialist will help you create an adoptive family profile. Birth mothers will use that profile to decide whether your preferences align with their wishes, and the process moves along from there.

Birth mother Candace knew as soon as she saw Jeff and Amanda’s profile that they were the couple that God had chosen for her as “the ones” to give her baby 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 AZ for your family.

In addition to helping create the best adoptive family profile to market you to birth mothers, American Adoptions provides a multitude of other services that can result in a successful match with the shortest possible wait time:

• Our comprehensive advertising network promotes your family to expectant prospective birth mothers nationwide.
• Birth mother screening services educate birth mothers about the American adoption process in Arizona to make sure they’re committed to adoption.
• American Adoptions has a professional media team dedicated to helping you create a compelling, dynamic adoptive family video profile.
• Your adoption specialist will arrange your initial conference call with expectant birth parents and will help with future contacts.

4. Placement and finalization of your adoption

The rules governing the American adoption process in Arizona stipulate that the birth parents can offer consent to adoption 12 hours after birth. You’ll observe the birth mother’s wishes as documented in her hospital plan. Once consent is provided, the baby will be placed in your home. Afterward, there will be several in-home visits by home study professionals to check on the child and gauge your family’s adjustment.

The final step in the U.S. adoption process in AZ is when the adoption becomes official at the finalization hearing. That hearing generally occurs about six months after placement. You’ll attend a court hearing with your adoption attorney, a judge will review the adoption, and you will be granted full parental rights.

Why Should I Choose American Adoptions to Complete the U.S. Adoption Process?

If you’re interested in pursuing the United States adoption process in Arizona (or any other state), you’ll need guidance from a fully licensed adoption agency. No other adoption agency is as well positioned to provide you with industry-leading resources and support than American Adoptions.

Below, we’ll discuss a few of the many reasons that American Adoptions is the best choice for families who wish to build their families through the domestic process of adoption in the USA.

1. Agency Adoption vs. Independent Adoption

Though it’s possible for families seeking to complete the adoption process in the U.S. to do so without the help of an adoption professional, many find that independent adoption leaves much to be desired. Independent adoption involves working with an adoption attorney to complete the legal components of adoption.

However, this form of adoption deprives both adoptive families and birth parents of some important support and services that can make a tremendous difference in their satisfaction with the American adoption process.  However, working with an adoption agency provides all parties in the adoption triad with increased support, which generally results in a smoother adoption experience.

Some of the benefits of partnering with American Adoptions during the adoption process in the U.S. are obvious. The resources and support you’ll get include:

• Screening services to make sure a birth mother is committed to adoption
• Matching services to link hopeful adoptive families with expectant birth mothers
• 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 Arizona
• Education from experts on the steps of adoption

2. National vs. Local Agencies

When you’re preparing to navigate the U.S. adoption process, it’s wise to consider the benefits of using a national agency like American Adoptions instead of a local adoption agency.

National adoption agencies like American Adoptions shine in the American adoption process because of their national reach. That’s important because your adoption profile can be viewed by prospective birth mothers all over the country. We also work with expectant mothers considering adoption by providing top-notch support and guidance to increase the likelihood that they remain committed to adoption, find the perfect family, and complete the U.S. adoption process.

Local adoption agencies can offer some of the services provided by their national counterparts, but there are some notable limitations when using a local organization. They include:

• Local agencies only work with a few expectant birth mothers at a time, which limits your options and lengthens potential wait times
• Local agencies have smaller, less diverse staffs and may not be available around the clock
• Local agencies have a more limited list of services they provide due to fewer resources
• Local agencies may not be licensed to perform home studies in Arizona

Though you may feel like you’ll get more personalized, face-to-face interaction throughout the U.S. adoption process with a local agency, that’s not necessarily the case. At American Adoptions, we offer the attention of a local agency with the resources and scope of a national organization. We help maximize choice for both hopeful adoptive parents and expectant birth mothers, which is good for everyone involved.

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 birth mother who was six months pregnant and 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.”

Exposure is important to completing the adoption process in America. The national promotion American Adoptions provides helped connect Jenna and Justin to their baby. It’s just part of the reasons hundreds of families successfully adopt through our agency each year. Our advertising, networking and 24/7 availability mean reduced wait times for our families. In fact, American Adoptions offers 800x more exposure and promotion than other leading adoption agencies.   

Though the U.S. adoption process in USA is complex, the good news is that working with American Adoptions means you’ll enjoy a smooth adoption experience. As the best national private adoption agency, American Adoptions offers industry-leading advantages such as:

• 9-12 month wait times 
• Full range of in-house needed adoption services from licensed adoption social workers
• 100% financial protection for our active families and transparent, accurate fees
• Bigger staff that are 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 conducted comprehensive research into agency options before initiating the U.S. adoption process. 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.”

Because of these benefits (and many others), hundreds of our families successfully complete the American adoption process through American Adoptions every year. We’ve assisted over 13,000 families with their infant adoptions, and we can do it for you, too.

Closing Thoughts on the Adoption Process in the U.S.

The American adoption process is a beautiful thing for many families who pursue it. It offers a great way to build a family, and you get to give a child a brighter future and an expectant birth mother a way to retain her future dreams as well.

If you have more questions about the U.S. adoption process or if you are ready to begin your adoption process today, we’re here to help. To speak with one of our specialists today, simply call 1-800-ADOPTION or complete our online form.

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.