Growing Your Family
Adoption can be a beautiful way to start or expand your family, but you need a team who understands this process to lead you through it. Our dedicated staff have years of experience helping families like yours who are seeking to adopt a child. We guide you through every step – from the initial information meeting to the home study assessment, through the matching process, bringing your child home, and beyond. We specialize in competent and compassionate adoption services for all parties involved in the process.
Adoption is for life, and so is our dedication to your family. Are you ready to get started?
Contact an Adoption Agency
The first step in adopting a newborn baby is to contact Adoption by Shepherd Care. We will help you through the process and answer any questions you may have.
Home Study
Next we’ll help you fill out the necessary paperwork and complete a home study. A home study is required in order to adopt and is used to determine if you’re eligible to adopt and if you’re prepared to provide a safe and loving home for a child.
Waiting for a Match
After your home study is complete and approved, it’s time to wait for a match. This can be one of the hardest parts of the adoption process. It’s important to be patient and remember that there are many children in need of homes. Once you’re matched with a child, there will be more paperwork to complete and then you’ll finally get to meet your new baby!
The Process of Adopting a Child in the United States
Adoption Services
In addition to traditional domestic infant adoptions, in which a family is matched with an expectant mother, Adoption by Shepherd Care also works with many families in situations that fall outside of our traditional domestic program. Some families only need a home study or post-placement services and others may already be in contact with an expectant mother when they come to us. ASC is a child-placing agency licensed by the state of Florida and is equipped to help with most domestic adoption scenarios.
The Adoption Process
Determine Eligibility
The first step in the domestic adoption process is to schedule an individual confidential consultation, during which an ASC staff member will meet with you either in-person or by video call to walk you through the adoption process, discuss Florida laws, and introduce our agency. This is a time for you to get to know our agency and us to get to know you.
Starting the Process
Every adoption begins with a home study. This is the process of your family being prepared, trained, and assessed for adoption. The home study typically takes 2-4 months and results in a document that will be used by the courts to confirm that your family is recommended for adoption. An approved home study is required to be eligible to adopt a child. The home study process involves a series of interviews, background checks, references, and paperwork gathering. Our experienced adoption specialists will walk you through each step and provide the guidance, training, and assessment you need to prepare to bring your little one home.
Click here for Home Study & Post Placement Page
Matching
Once you have an approved home study, you are eligible to be matched to an expectant mother who is looking for a family for her child. ASC works with expectant mothers and pre-adoptive families to find the right fit. After you are matched, ASC staff will continue to walk alongside all parties to prepare for birth and placement.
Legal Process
In Florida, a birth mother may sign the legal documents to place her child for adoption 48 hours after the birth of the child or when she is discharged from the hospital—whichever is first. There is no revocation period after signing these documents in the state of Florida. In many cases, the child can be placed in the adoptive family’s care upon discharge from the hospital or soon thereafter. Florida has a minimum 90-day supervisory period after placement of a child before the family is eligible to petition to finalize the adoption. After all requirements have been met, ASC’s attorney will collaborate with the family to complete the necessary documents to finalize the adoption.
Post Placement / Post Adoption Services
After your child comes home, one of our Adoption Specialists will meet with your family during the 90-day supervisory period, to see how everyone is doing and produce the post-placement reports required for the court. Once your third report is completed, our staff will submit all required paperwork to ASC’s attorney to prepare for the finalization of your adoption.
Determining Eligibility
Adoption by Shepherd Care (ASC) works with married couples throughout the United States and welcomes families of any racial, religious, or ethnic background. Couples must be married for at least one year, and their average age must be 50 years or less with neither spouse younger than 25 or older than 52.
Service With Compassion
Our amazing team strives to encourage families along with this unique journey. ASC’s collection of personal stories, written by adoptive parents, adoptees, birth parents, and others touched by adoption demonstrates the value of a supportive community. We hope the stories will encourage and inspire you on your adoption journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
We average 30 to 40 infant placements a year.
On average, we have 30 to 40 active waiting families at any given time, with a range of family openness represented. If needed, we would cap at 60 families and open a waiting list.
Home studies take an average of 2 to 4 months, depending in part on how quickly a family completes their paperwork.
The wait time will vary depending on a family’s openness and may be anywhere from a few weeks to 2 years. On average, our families wait 9 to 18 months for a match.
In the State of Florida, a birth mother can sign consents 48 hours after birth, or after her hospital discharge-order has been signed. After consents are signed, there is no revocation period in Florida.
The cost of adoption varies depending on the type of adoption. For domestic adoptions, fee information is included in our information packet and discussed in more detail during the consultation meeting. Please call or fill out the contact form to request a packet today. For international adoptions, please call our office to discuss the fees associated with your specific case.
Families finance adoptions in many ways, including grants, loans, and fundraising.
For ASC’s domestic infant program, the average age of the adoptive parents must be 50 years or less with neither spouse younger than 25 or older than 52. For international adoptions, the age guidelines are determined by each individual country’s requirements.
For our domestic infant program, we accept a limited number of single applicants, on a case by case basis. For international adoptions, this is determined by individual country requirements.
For domestic adoptions, families residing in the U.S. should be U.S. citizens or may be permanent residents, on a case by case basis. For international adoptions, at least one spouse must be a U.S. citizen.
Yes, we accept applications from out-of-state families. Please call or complete the contact form to receive an information packet and to schedule your consultation. You will need to obtain an approved home study from a provider licensed in your home state. The Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC) is the process that monitors a child’s movement across state lines. We will work closely with you and your home study provider to ensure that all ICPC requirements are met for both Florida and your home state.
Families who have or are in the process of completing a home study with another provider can apply to join ASC’s waiting families. Please call or complete the contact form to receive an information packet and schedule a consultation, which is the first step.
We are experienced in providing post-placement and post-adoption services, including post visits and reports. Our counselors are trained in TBRI and take a holistic approach to post-adoption counseling, working with children and families. These services are available even if you did not complete your adoption through ASC.
The majority of ASC’s domestic adoptions are semi-open, with a range of communication occurring between adoptive families and birth parents both before and after placement. Typically, the adoptive family and birth parents do meet and get to know each other, but they do not exchange identifying information. The level of openness in your adoption will ultimately depend on what all parties are desiring and feel comfortable with, something your ASC counselor will help you navigate and plan.
We have experienced counselors in the area of search and reunion. Our team would love to speak with you. You can also register on the state Florida Adoption Reunion Registry.
Request Email Inquiry Packet
Fill in the form below to receive an Inquiry Packet sent directly to your email
