The Adoption Process - What happens, what do I need to do, how does it work?

[Kathie and Jack Rifle]

The purpose of this website is to provide information for families who are seeking to either adopt children or to place children for adoption. If you have already been through this process then perhaps you are an old hand, but for some you may just be wanting to know how to get started. What's the process? What do I need to do? Will it cost money? How does it work?

Here is just a little information about the basics. I welcome any other perspectives as well to add to my comments or clarify anything further. Of course my experience is from that as an 'adoptive' parent, but I have obviously had experience with birth families and know of the basic procedures. I would certainly welcome the voice of birth families to share their experiences.

If you are wanting to adopt a child there is a process that takes place. Sometimes this can be a long and often emotional experience. Before you can even be considered for adoption who must first be 'approved' as a couple by the Child, Youth and Family Adoption Unit. As a couple you attend information days presented by CYF Staff, where you become informed about adoption in New Zealand; you learn of New Zealand's policy of Open Adoption; and you learn the criteria that you must meet in order to be eligible to have a child placed in your family. Anybody who has been involved in this process more recently may like to add to this (it was some time ago that my husband and I participated in these sessions).

From there, you are required to complete a series of forms that provide personal information about you as a couple. You also are required to complete medical forms to assess your health status, and go through the Police Vetting process. This just requires you to complete forms giving CYF permission to check for any criminal convictions. If you have had a criminal conviction in the past this does not necessary mean that you will be ineligible, so don't panic. Once approved, this part of the process needs to be completed every two years. If you do not keep it up to date then your approval lapses and this can hold up the process for placement should a birth family wish to place a baby with you; a placement approval cannot be given if your records are not current. A child cannot be placed in your care without a CYF placement approval (unless it is a whangai child - within family adoption).

If you decide that you would like to have CYF advocating for you in the national adoption pool, then you can be assigned with a case manager who will guide you through that process. You can also be appointed a case worker through LDS Family Services (LDSFS) if you wish to enter the LDS adoption pool. You must be active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be eligible to enter the LDSFS pool as an adoptive couple and will be required to complete a series of forms for them also. Both LDS and non-LDS birth families can ask LDSFS to assist them in placing their child for adoption.

When you are ready to be active in an adoption pool, then the next stage is to begin creating a family profile, which is kind of like a CV that would be presented to birth families who wish to place their child for adoption. The birth family are presented with a selection of profiles to help them in deciding who they want as parents (and sometimes siblings as well) for their child. It is really important then that your profile presents a good, honest, well rounded picture of you as a couple (and as a family if you have other children already). Creating your profile takes time and energy. Please feel free to ask other FSA members for ideas about what to put into a profile and how to put it together. There is no set way to present your profile - you can be as creative as you wish. You can get further guidance for this from your case worker.

Should a birth family select you as an adoptive couple for their child, you will be notified by your case worker. At this point, you would need to contact a family court lawyer who can then take care of the legal requirements for adoption. It is the responsibility of the adoptive family to cover their own legal costs and the legal costs of the birth family. Custody of the child cannot be signed to the adoptive family by the birth family until the baby is 11 days old. Some birth mothers choose to keep their baby with them for those early days, while others choose to appoint a caregiver for those days. This is a very emotional time for all involved - the birth mother/family is well within her/their rights to change her/their mind within those first 10 days. Once the birth mother has signed the consent form on day 11, then the child can be placed with the adoptive couple/family. Any arrangements for contact with the birth family are normally discussed prior to placement.

Within the first 3 months the family are visited regularly by CYF and by LDSFS to check how things are going and to offer support and guidance. They are require to prepare reports which are presented later to the family court. This is a legal requirement, as at 3 months, the family appears before a family court judge to assess the progress of the adoption. The court assesses the suitability of the adoptive parents and in turn the adoptive parents have the opportunity to decide whether they wish to continue with the adoptive relationship. If the court is satisfied, then an 'interim adoption order' is granted, which can become 'final' in 6 months from that date.

The lawyer applies for the 'final adoption order' 6 months from the date that the interim order was granted, and this then has to be processed through the family court. Depending on how busy the courts are, the 'final adoption order' is normally granted within 3 months of the application being made. The entire process from placement to the 'final adoption order' normally takes about 9 - 12 months. Legal costs will vary depending on how much involvement the lawyer is required to have.

I know that this is a lot of information, but by just taking one step at a time, the process is not so daunting. I hope that this helps to answer some of the questions you may have if you are considering adoption as an option for you and your family.


With love,

Kathie Rifle
FSA (NZ) Chairperson