Adoption May Be Easier Than You Think!

Adoption is more popular than ever. It seems that you hear about celebrities adopting children from China, Africa and other parts of the world quite often. There are lots of children in the United States to adopt. It is interesting that some of the qualifications that people sometimes think they need in order to adopt aren't true. You don't necessarily have to be married to adopt. You don't have to be rich either. Often adoption agencies are simply looking for families or even single parents who are stable and have the willingness and financial ability to care for the children they want to adopt.

Adopting from overseas is usually more expensive, there's more paperwork involved and can be more complex. However, you often can adopt younger children than you can in the US. Costs and waiting times vary by country. Adopting a child from a foreign country can cost anywhere from $11,000 to $40,000 or more; however most foreign adoptions cost an average of between $15,000 and $30,000.

There are several ways to adopt children. Adoption agencies are probably the most common. There are two types of adoption agencies: public and private. Public agencies are usually run by counties or states and also funded by public funds. Private agencies are licensed by the individual states but are run by private individuals and can help with most types of adoptions. Agencies usually provide more services than other options. Pre-adoption education, counseling and post-adoption services are all offered by agencies. However, agencies usually have a higher cost than private adoptions because of the extra services.

Private or independent adoptions are facilitated through adoption attorneys who may or may not have located the adoption opportunity. In some states attorneys are not allowed to be a part of the finding and matching parts of an adoption, but can only finalize the legal aspects one an adoption opportunity has been found. Usually, private adoptions involve infants.

Often the costs involve with adoption may convince people not to go the adoption route. However, there are several avenues of help with adoption. Sometimes your insurance policy may cover medical expenses for the birthmother after the adoption. Some birthmothers may even have their own health insurance or Medicaid which will cover their medical expenses. You can also inquire as to whether your employer has benefits for adoption, which could be $2,000 or more. In addition the government has subsidies for foster adoptions. You can even check into applying for a loan through your bank. In the big picture, there is also an adoption tax credit of up to $10,160.

There are many more adoption opportunities and incentives out there than most people think and there are many children waiting to be adopted. If you have the means, or even if you're unsure if you do, it is definitely worth checking into since you will be giving a child a chance who may not have had one otherwise.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Adoption