3 Ways to Find an Adoption Opportunity with Family Connections

One of the most exciting parts of the adoption process is finding the child who is meant to be a part of your family. Whether you are looking for an adoption opportunity through the California foster system, internationally or with an expectant mother, you have many options when searching for a child to adopt.

Here, learn more about finding an adoptive placement in California and the services FCCA offers to help.

1. Adopt a Waiting Child in California

Our California Waiting Child Program (“fos-adopt”) matches hopeful parents to children in the state and county foster system who need permanent homes.

FCCA’s fos-adopt program focuses on low-legal-risk placements, meaning the county has determined that these children cannot safely return to their birth families. Some of the children placed through this program are less than 2 years old; however, most children who fall into the low-legal-risk category are 6 years old and older, or are younger but have older siblings who must be placed with them. Many single older children are waiting for permanent homes.

If you are interested in adopting a child from the California foster care system, you will complete the following steps to find an adoption opportunity:

Discuss your adoption preferences. When you join our fos-adopt program, you will talk with your social worker about the types of children you believe would fit well into your family, including the ages, genders, mental and physical health conditions, and more.
Complete child search. After you complete the adoption home study, your social worker will begin searching for waiting children who may be a good fit for your family.
Be approved by the county. If you choose to move forward, FCCA will submit your home study to the appropriate county to inquire about the child. The county will review your home study and determine whether placement in your home would be in the best interest of the child.
Attend a disclosure meeting. When you are presented with an adoption opportunity, you will probably attend a disclosure meeting with your social worker and a county social worker to discuss the details of the child’s background. Following this meeting, it will be up to you to decide whether you want to move forward with the potential match.
Meet the child. You will have an opportunity to meet the child and have a trial visit before placement so you can get to know each other and confirm that this is a good match.

Most families in our fos-adopt program receive placement of a child within four to eight months of completing the home study.

2. Adopt Internationally

Adoptive families who are interested in international adoption have two options when searching for an adoption opportunity: they may adopt through FCCA’s Hong Kong placement program, or they may adopt through another country by obtaining a home study from FCCA to use with another agency’s placement program.

Hong Kong Adoption

FCCA offers a direct child-placement program in Hong Kong through our partnership with Mother’s Choice, an orphanage in Hong Kong that facilitates the adoption of children between 2 and 8 years old, many of whom have special needs.

If you are interested in adopting through our Hong Kong program, you can review background information about the waiting children at Mother’s Choice, so you can decide whether to move forward with one of their adoption opportunities. Please read the following to learn more about our Hong Kong adoption program.

Other International Adoption Options

For families interested in adopting a child from other countries, FCCA can still provide you with a home study and post-placement, while partnering with another agency that has a placement program in your desired country. Different agencies have different requirements for adoptive families, as well as different processes for finding adoption opportunities. If you need help finding an international adoption program, FCCA can refer you to several reputable international child-placing agencies for placement services.

Regardless of the child-placing agency you work with, FCCA can provide the international adoption home study, post-placement and finalization services you need to successfully complete the adoption process.

3. Find a Birth Mother Placing a Child for Adoption

Some families who join FCCA’s fos-adopt or international adoption programs are also open to private infant adoption with a birth mother who is making an adoption plan for her baby.

FCCA does work with expectant mothers who contact us to find adoptive families. If you have already made a match with a birth mother, we can provide you with the services needed to successfully adopt a baby in California.

If you would like to be considered for FCCA’s domestic infant adoption opportunities, you can:

Create an adoption profile. If you are open to domestic infant adoption, you may keep an adoption profile on file with us, even if you are pursuing one of our other adoption programs.
Review available adoption opportunities. When an expectant mother contacts us, we will give you some background information about the adoption opportunity. If you want your profile to be shown for consideration, we will present it to the prospective birth mother so she can choose the right family for her child.
Be chosen for an adoption opportunity. If you are chosen for a private adoption opportunity, you will be taken off the fos-adopt or international adoption program.
Get to know the prospective birth mother. Depending on the expectant mother’s wishes, you may have an opportunity to meet her through pre-placement phone calls or visits.

If you are exclusively interested in private infant adoption, you may choose to find a birth mother on your own, through an attorney, or work with another agency or matching service. Either way, FCCA can provide the home study, post-placement and finalization services you need to complete your private infant adoption once you have been matched with a birth mother.

To learn more about your adoption options and FCCA’s child-placing programs, contact the FCCA office near you.