The Complete Guide to Adoption in Fort Wayne

If you’re considering growing your family through adoption, or placing a child for adoption, this is the right place for you. We are here to support you as you learn more about adoption in Fort Wayne Indiana.

Our agency, American Adoptions of Indiana, has over 30 years of experience facilitating adoptions. We are licensed in every county in the state, and have a dedicated staff ready to help you.

Putting a Baby Up for Adoption in Fort Wayne

Choosing adoption in the face of an unplanned pregnancy is a courageous, selfless choice. We know that you’re considering adoption because you want the best outcome possible for your child.

Working with American Adoptions of Indiana can remove some of the frustrating legal complexities around putting your baby up for adoption; contact us now for compassionate, personalized support.

Step #1: Decide if Adoption is Right for You

Adoption is a life-changing decision, and should be considered from all angles. Our counselors will never tell you what to do, or pressure you in any way.  We recognize your bravery, and will do everything we can to empower you throughout this process.

Step #2: Create Your Adoption Plan

Your adoption plan consists of medical information and your ideal path through the adoption process. Our adoption specialist will help you fill this out.

We’ll need you to sign an Indiana Authorization to Represent. This authorization tells the state you’re allowing us to advocate for you, and helps us secure things like your Medicare coverage.  All of the benefits go directly to you; the authorization just lets us file paperwork on your behalf.

The rest of the adoption plan deals with what you’re looking for in an adoptive family, and what you’re comfortable with after placement. Your adoption plan will be used to connect you with families with similar goals and expectations as you.

Step #3: Choose an Adoptive Family

Your adoption specialist will provide lists of family profiles for you to review. These profiles are insights into the families waiting for opportunities to adopt.  These may include a short video introduction, descriptions of hobbies, careers, beliefs, favorite foods and more. You can look at waiting Indiana families at any point.

Step #4: Create Your Hospital Plan

Just like with your adoption plan, you’re in control of your hospital plan. You can decide everything about your hospital stay. For example:

• Who would you like with you in the hospital?
• Who would you like in the delivery room?
• How much time do you want to spend with your baby?

There are even more options available to you. You can be as detailed or as broad as you like.

Step #5: Finalize Your Child’s Adoption

Once your child is born, you’ll be able to finalize your adoption. In Indiana, you can legally consent to an adoption at any point after your child is born. A birth father may or may not need to consent to your child’s adoption. Your adoption specialist and adoption attorney can walk you through the specifics of this process.

Step #6: Begin Building Your Life-Long Bond

Adoption doesn’t have to be the end of your relationship with your child and their adoptive family. With open or semi-open adoptions, your bond with your child will only grow in the years to come.  Again, it’s up to you to decide what you want these relationships to look like.

Adoption isn’t the end of our services either. American Adoptions of Indiana will be there for you for as long after your adoption as you need. We provide counsellor support to birth mothers who work with us, and facilitate communications between you and your child’s adoptive family.

Adopting a Baby in Fort Wayne

Welcoming a child into your home is a beautifully life-changing experience. You deserve to grow your family the way you want. Let us help you have that experience.

American Adoptions of Indiana has over 30 years of experience, and is licensed in every county in Indiana. Contact us today to begin your adoption journey.

Step #1: Decide if Adoption is Right for Your Family

Adopting a baby will change your family and your life forever. Many families are very aware and excited for this. If you’ve considered adoption and how it will impact your life, your next step is to contact an agency for the type of adoption you want to pursue.

Agencies like American Adoptions of Indiana offer numerous benefits to perspective parents, including knowledgeable and experienced staff members who are ready to help you through every step of your adoption. The earlier in this process you secure professional help the better. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.

Step #2: Prepare for Your Home Study

The home study process is a three-part safety check to ensure adopted children are placed in a safe environment. They are required for all adoptions and for foster care providers.

Home studies can be difficult to navigate alone. Luckily, you’re not alone. American Adoptions of Indiana is a licensed home study provider in all Indiana counties. This means your adoption specialist can both help you prepare for the home study before hand and be the social worker who conducts it.

Step #3: Complete Your Profile

Your Adoptive Family Profile is the primary way birth mothers will find you. These profiles will start with a video introduction of you and your family, which our video team will help you put together.

You can include anything you want in your profile, but we recommend at very least a short summary of your life so far and information about hobbies and career. The more a birth mother gets to know you, the more information they have to make a selection. Once your profile is complete, you’ll start being seen by prospective birth mothers.

Step #4: Be Selected by a Birth Mother

Once a birth mother selects your family, your adoption specialist will put you in touch. Birth mothers want the best for their children, and often want to talk to several of their top choices before placing their child with a family. This means many families are contacted, but not selected at first.

If this happens to you, stay patient and don’t be discouraged; we have a 100% success rate in connecting prospective birth mothers and adoptive families when the families stay active. You deserve to grow your family, and we will do everything in our power to make that a reality.

Once you are selected, the birth mother may want to contact you a few times, or may even ask to meet in-person.

Step #5: Finalize Your Child’s Adoption

As the birth mother’s due date approaches, your adoption specialist will explain to you how you fit in to the birth mother’s hospital plan. This part of the process is highly dependent on the birth mother. Once the hospital plan has completed, in most cases, you’re free to bring your child back to their new home.

In a few weeks, you’ll need to attend your finalization hearing, where you and your adoption attorney will go to a court to complete the adoption. The court will decide how many post-placement visits you’ll need - most courts require at least two visits.

Step #6: Begin Building Your Life-Long Bond

The legal process may be done, but adoption is a life-long journey. You’ll continue bonding with your child as they grow, and if you ever need help, American Adoptions of Indiana will be here for you.

Types of Adoption in Fort Wayne

There are many kinds of adoption. The most common kinds of adoption in Fort Wayne are:

Adoption Agencies in Fort Wayne

For the smoothest adoption experience possible, you’ll want professionals helping you navigate the process. Here are a few adoption agencies we recommend working with for the best possible experience:

Adoption Agencies in Fort Wayne

For the smoothest adoption experience possible, you’ll want professionals helping you navigate the process. Here are a few adoption agencies we recommend working with for the best possible experience:

Private (Infant) Adoptions

• American Adoptions of Indianan Brownsburg
• American Adoptions of Indianan Indianapolis

Our experienced staff is standing by to help you, no matter your situation. You deserve peace of mind; get in touch with our experts today for free.

Foster Care Agencies

• Firefly Child & Family Alliance
• Every Child Indiana
• Center Stone Families

International Adoption Agencies

• Indiana University’s Riley Children’s Health
• Hand in Hand International Adoptions

Fort Wayne Adoption Laws

While most Indiana laws are state-wide, some vary by county. Here we’ll walk you through Indiana’s laws in detail.

Allen County Court

In Fort Wayne the Family Relations Division of the Superior Court hears adoption cases. Your adoption specialist will be able to guide you through this process, including organizing the required forms for you.

Financial Assistance

Under Indiana’s adoption law, a birth mother may receive funds to put towards attorney fees, medical bills and other living expenses. The practice of adoptive parents directly paying birth mothers is illegal, so these funds must be facilitated by a licensed agency.

Birth Fathers

In Indiana, Birth Fathers have more limited rights than the birth mother, but may still need to consent to adoption. Cases where you will need to secure birth father consent are:

• If the birth mother is married to the birth mother,
• If the birth father has established paternity through court order, or
• If the birth father has a signed paternity affidavit.

However, these requirements are invalidated in some situations. Read the ‘consent’ section for details on when the birth father may not be required to give consent.

Consent

For an adoption to proceed, consent is usually required from all parties listed below:

• The birth mother.
• The birth father, if they have established paternity rights.
• Any person or entity (agencies and law offices) with legal custody over the child.
• The court with local jurisdiction.
• The child, if they are over 14 years old.

Some of these consent requirements may be invalidated. To have a court wave a consent requirement, you’ll need to work with an adoption attorney to prove one of more of the following. Consent can be waived if:

• The child’s parent has not made consistent or purposeful contact while the child has been in the custody of another person for one year or more.
• The parent’s parental rights were terminated by a court already.
• The parent is seen by a court to be an unfit caregiver already, and has ruled against their ability to contest adoption.
• The biological father failed to establish paternity.
• The child was conceived as a result of assault, if the biological father was not married to the biological mother.

Notice

In Indiana, several persons and entities connected to the child must be notified when an adoption is finalized. These include:

• All parties who were required to give consent for the adoption.
• The presumed biological father, if registered by the state registry.
• The grandparents.
• The DCS office where the child services request was initially filed.
• Any facility, agency or other organization which is caring for the child currently.

ICPC

The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children, or ICPC, is a law that regulates adoptions which cross state lines. The ICPC’s purpose is to make sure both participating states’ adoption laws are followed. Due to Fort Wayne’s proximity to Michigan and Ohio, you might end up dealing with ICPC regulations even if you adopt relatively locally. Here’s what to expect:

If you’re a resident adopting a baby in Fort Wayne from out of state, you’ll need to check that state’s ICPC requirements. Once you meet the requirements, the social workers in your child’s home state will need to send an ICPC referral to your social workers or attorneys in Indiana.

If you’re adopting a child from Indiana and are not a state resident, the results of your home study will be sent to Indiana. If the ICPC office in Indiana approves your home, they will grant you a referral and the adoption can proceed.

Others

Here are some other Indiana-specific laws that may apply to you:

• Open adoptions are legal, and can be made informally or via the court
• Informal open adoption agreements can only be made if the child is less than two years old, and are not considered enforceable.
• Formal open adoption agreements may be enforced, but violating the terms will not invalidate the adoption.
• If you are married, Indiana law requires you to adopt jointly with your spouse. Otherwise, single adoption is permitted.
• There is no restriction on gender, sexual orientation, religion, or age to adopt a child in Indiana – however, individual adoption agencies in Fort Wayne may set their own standards for these factors.
• The birth mother is given 30 days after giving consent in which she may revoke consent. After that, consent is irrevocable. All other parties waive their right to revoke their consent when they sign the consent form, provided the form contains the correct legally binding language.

 

Fort Wayne Adoption Requirements

Adoption is a legal process that prioritizes the safety and sustained support of adopted children. Because of this, you must meet several requirements to be eligible to adopt a child in Fort Wayne. However, there are no requirements for birth mothers considering adoption for their child.

The Indiana Adoption Requirements for adoptive parents are as follows:

You can use this article to learn more about Indiana’s adoption requirements.

How Much Does it Cost to Adopt in Fort Wayne?

Adoption costs are different for every family. The best way to prepare to budget for adoption is to meet with your choice of adoption professional and ask for help building a financial plan. Licensed agencies with transparent pricing structures will help you avoid pitfalls and hidden fees.

Domestic adoption is made up of smaller fees, including:

*When working with American Adoptions of Indiana, these costs are bundled into one flat fee, which prevents unnecessary duplicate charges.

Financial Assistance for Adoption in Fort Wayne

Unexpected pregnancy can be as financially difficult as adoption, but neither is a challenge you’ll need to face alone. Review the resources bellow for a better understanding of the resources available to you.

Financial Assistance for Unplanned Pregnancies

Carrying a child to term is an expensive endeavor, but there are resources to help. Review this list of federal, state, and local programs to find potentially essential help.

Public assistance programs are available for expectant parents like you. You won’t have to face this challenging time of your life alone. You also won’t have to face the harrowing prospect of applying to these programs yourself; your adoption specialist will help secure these benefits.

There are also many programs available specifically for Allen county residents. Here are some programs you could benefit from if you live in or near Fort Wayne:

If these aren’t the right fit for you, you may want to check in at your local hospital, city hall, or public library, and see if a professional there can help you find out about assistance programs near you.

If you’re interested, you can also ask your adoption specialist about American Adoptions of Indiana’s unique benefits. We have programs for free adoption-specific counselling before and after adoption, and a fund to support your ongoing education.

Financial Assistance for Indianapolis Parents

The legal complexities and logistical challenges can unfortunately make an expensive endeavor. However, there are several avenues available to finance an adoption.

One of the first things you can consider is applying for federal or state assistance. This likely won’t cover the entirety of the costs, but many of these programs provide a tangible start, and may be easier to secure than other kinds of funds. Some programs you can look into are:

Adoption grants are a vital resource for many parents. There are adoption grants available for anyone looking into adoption, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or marital status. Here are some you can consider applying for:

There may be more grants available to you based on your community ties.  For example, if you’re part of a faith community, there may be grants available to members of your religion. Remember, the key to successfully securing grant funding is to apply for as many as possible.

Adoption loans are another financing option you may want to explore, though you’ll typically want to exhaust your grant options before looking into them. You can ask your adoption specialist more about loans and financing during your free consultation.

There are also many programs available specifically for Allen county residents. Here are some programs you could benefit from if you live in or near Fort Wayne:

If these aren’t the right fit for you, you may want to check in at your local hospital, city hall, or public library, and see if a professional there can help you find out about assistance programs near you.

Other Adoption Professionals in Fort Wayne

Adoption looks different for everyone. For some, that could mean finding support from professionals who are not affiliated with an agency. Some of the common instances of this include:

Start your Adoption Process

Your family’s adoption journey can begin today. Even if you aren’t ready for concrete steps, and simply need more information, we can help. We have knowledgeable, local staff members ready to help you plan your process out. You don’t need to wait any longer to begin your adoption journey; start building the family you deserve with American Adoptions of Indiana.

Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.