Adopt a Child from the United States
We are excited to announce our new Cross Cultural Program for families who are interested in adopting newborns.We, in the U.S. find ourselves facing increasingly hard economic times and this has impacted the ability of single birthmothers to parent their children. Sadly, there are situations where the birthmother may need to make adoption plans for the baby she is carrying.
Our desire is to work with families who are thrilled to adopt children of a different culture and race than perhaps that of their own. Many of the babies will be Black, mixed race, Hispanic, Asian, East Indian, and any other culture that may be different than that of the adoptive family. The name, “Cross Cultural Program” is meant to embrace and celebrate the child’s heritage while also celebrating the culture of the adoptive family. IFS will provide training and support to help guide our families in the celebration of cross-cultural adoption.
Every year, more than 25,000 newborn babies are adopted in the U.S. Access to biological relative history and birth records are often more readily available to adoptive parents than that of children born overseas. Over the course of the last 20 years in international adoption, IFS has seen overseas costs steadily rise to the point where they now meet or exceed that of domestic adoption costs. We know that the domestic adoption process can seem as overwhelming as an international adoption. Our IFS team has linked with some of the most experienced social workers, agencies, attorneys and domestic adoption center in the U.S. Most of the hundreds of infants placed per year through these resources are not Cross Cultural but a great need now exists to provide services for those birthmothers and their newborns. We are thrilled to be a part of meeting the needs of birthmother and baby through this program.
One of the major concerns in adopting domestically is the possibility of the birthmother changing her mind after the adoption or before placement. Because of the amount of adoption planning and counseling the birthmothers participate in, the placement rate on average is over 90%. Please know that adoption consents in the U.S. are typically irrevocable in less than a week. Should the birthmother change her mind, we will be with you and will help with a new match as soon as possible. The other concern is regarding fees paid and we have an innovative approach to protect our adoptive families.
Cross Culture adoption must be your heart’s desire. You must know in your heart that you will love your baby unconditionally and you will commit to celebrate your family’s new cross cultural heritage.
Every domestic adoption falls into one of these three categories; open, semi-open and closed. As each adoption is unique, the decision regarding which type of adoption all parties agree to will reflect the kind of relationship they will want to have in the future with the child and each set of parents. An open adoption will include the sharing of identifying and non-identifying information about each other. This usually includes contact information. Sometimes the birth and adoptive family know each other and the relationship is ongoing. A semi-open adoption will typically include the meeting of the birth parent with the adoptive parents at the hospital. Last names are usually not shared and neither are addresses and other identifying types of information. The sharing of photos and updates are agreed upon and are handled through the agency serving as the intermediary. Closed adoptions are still used today wherein the birth parents do not choose the adoptive family. Identifying information and communication are not exchanged before or after the placement of the child. The adoptive family will receive non-identifying health and perhaps other background information about the baby and the birth family before placement is made. The birth parents may also receive non-identifying information about the adoptive parents. The adoption files will be sealed after the adoption and are usually never made available to the adopted child.
We have broken our fee structure into a series of payments meant to ease the burden of domestic adoption expenses as best we can. In an effort to make each
component of the domestic process affordable, we have a dedicated, flat fee structure for the social services in addition to encouraging each family to develop a budget they are comfortable with to cover the legally allowable expenses of the birthmother. In most cases you will be matched with a birthmother once she has reached her last trimester so your portion of the expenses can be kept as low as possible. Some birthmothers will have more expenses than others, usually with regard to the city they live in and the cost of living. You will be presented with a profile sheet of the birthmother including projected birthmother expenses. The birthmother profiles will typically provide background and medical information on the birthmother along with the gender of the baby if that has been determined. You will decide if you would like your family album shown to this birthmother or if you would like to wait for another birthmother profile.
Requirements for Adopting Parent(s):
- It is required that at least one of the married couple be 25 years old
- Couples must be married for at least 2 years.
- At least one applicant must be a legal resident of the U.S..
- Singles over the age of 25 may adopt.
IFS Agency Coordination Fee for Second, unrelated child: $2,000 Expatriate (clients living out of the U.S.): Additional $1,000 Domestic Program Fee:
Contact IFS for the latest information regarding program fees. Costs associated with this program are similar to, or less than, most international adoption fees including our Ethiopia and India adoption programs. Additional Expenses: Timeline:
We will be conservative in our estimate of timing because each case is different. You should be matched with a birthmother within approximately six – twelve months of submission of your family profile book. However, your match might come much sooner (much!) so we will need you to be prepared should that be the case. If your desire is to adopt a baby from any culture and any gender, the referral will be sooner than if you desire to adopt a child of a particular gender from a specific culture. The more specific your request, the longer the wait. Again remember, you are the one who tells us if you want to be profiled to a birthmother. If you feel comfortable taking things a little slower, that is fine with us. We will work together with you so that building your family through adoption will be an experience you will look back on with great fondness. Don’t forget about the federal adoption tax credit offered by the IRS. This is a $13,170 per child tax credit to adoptive families based on qualified adoption expenses. Subsequent domestic or international adoption anytime after the initial adoption: $4,450Fees & Expenses