The Adoption Process – Prospective Adoptive Families

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You Can Expect Excellence

It’s our privilege to be here for your family during this process whether you are adopting your first child or your fourth, whether you need a full-service adoption or only a home study. Adopting a child is a huge milestone in life and we feel honored to help families through this journey. Our goal is not just to provide a service, but to prepare you for the high calling of adoptive parenting.

At New Life Adoptions, you can expect:

  • To be supported by your social worker throughout the adoption process. We truly care for the families we work with.
  • We will be honest and upfront with you, sharing information you need in a timely manner.
  • Good communication and care from your social worker. We will communicate with you as frequently as you would like.
  • Individual and group education to prepare you for adoptive parenting. New Life Adoptions hosts seminars covering topics such as openness, transracial parenting, post adoption, and more.
  • We will pray for you and with you, encouraging you throughout the process.
  • Assistance in navigating openness in adoption both during the adoption and for years to come.

Whether you are just beginning your research or are ready to get started, the process of adopting a child may feel daunting. At New Life Adoptions, we are here to answer your questions, walk you through each step, and support you along the way. Our Adoption Social Workers will be with you through the highs and lows that can come with adopting.

The Steps to Adopt

There are 10 basic steps to the process of adopting. If you are adopting a child from outside Minnesota or you only need partial adoption services, your process will look different.

1. Preliminary Application

Complete the Preliminary Application and submit it with a $50 preliminary application fee to get started. Contact our Administrative Social Worker to request a Preliminary Application.*** 

2. Informational Meeting (by invitation)

After your Preliminary Application is approved, you will be invited to our next Informational Meeting to learn more about our services.

3. Formal Application

After you attend an Informational Meeting, you will have up to a year to submit the Formal Application, which includes the Minnesota Department of Human Services’ Application and Individual Fact Sheets.

4. Wait for Home Study

You may need to wait up to six months or more to start your home study if you are planning to enter the New Life full-service adoption program. If you are networking or already have a connection to an expectant parent, we can start the study sooner.

5. Home Study Process

A first home study involves 6 meetings with your social worker, education, background checks and references as required by Minnesota law.  A typical home study process takes 3 to 5 months. After your home study is written and approved, you are added to the waiting pool.

6. Waiting for A Match

While in the waiting pool, your family profile will be available to expectant parents with similar preferences. At New Life Adoptions, we will give you information about each expectant parent requesting profiles, and you decide if you want your profile shown.

 

7. Face-to-Face Meeting

Prior to placement, New Life Adoptions will facilitate a meeting(s) between you and the expectant parent(s) to help you connect and get to know each other, even if the expectant parents are not working with New Life Adoptions.

8. Chosen – On Hold

Once an expectant parent chooses you, we continue to support you and help you navigate openness as you wait for the baby to be born. You will not be shown to other expectant parents during this time.

9. Placement

In most situations, you have the opportunity to take the child home from the hospital after birth, in a legal-risk situation, so that bonding and attachment can begin. You can expect your social worker to be present at the hospital, even after business hours. If the child is already born, we will facilitate the transition to you from either interim care or the birth parents directly. An adoption becomes secure in Minnesota when voluntary consents expire, the Father’s Adoption Registry has been searched, and/or a Termination of Parental Rights hearing has been held.

10. Finalizing Your Adoption

Minnesota law requires at least 90 days of post-placement supervision before an adoptive family can finalize the adoption, which New Life Adoptions will facilitate. In most cases, you will not need an attorney to finalize your adoption. New Life Adoptions prepares and processes your court documents for the finalization hearing and will accompany you to court. Following finalization, our post adoption services are available for ongoing support.

Ready to get started? Request a preliminary application.

Contact our Administrative Social Worker to request a Preliminary Application at info@newlifeadoptionsmn.org or 612-746-5658.

***Please note that New Life Adoptions is not currently accepting any new Preliminary Applications for our full-service domestic infant adoption program. 

We are still accepting Preliminary Applications for embryo adoption, limited-services, and designated placements. If you are not sure which category your situation fits in, please contact us at info@newlifeadoptionsmn.org or 612-746-5658.