A Home Study Investigation and Evaluation is required for all families wishing to adopt.

Step 1: Complete your Home Study.
If you are a couple, one of you must be under 45 years of age and you need to have been married at least one year at the time of application. You both must be in good health and physically able to care for a child.

If you are single, you must be younger than 45 years of age at the time of application. You must be in good health and physically able to care for a child.We will work with families to complete an Home Study in Arizona . If your family is already Certified to Adopt in Arizona we will need to review your Home Study and receive a release of information to contact the agency social worker who completed your Certification process.
[CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOME STUDIES]

Step 2: Enter the Waiting Parent Program.
Once you are approved and enroll in the program to adopt a newborn you will need to complete an Adoptive Family Profile.

The Profile will include an adoption planning questionnaire, a Family album and a birth parent letter. Agency professionals will provide you with assistance in creating an Adoptive Family profile. We will provide feedback and suggestions as you complete this project.

Step 3: Waiting Parent
As we rely upon the preferences of the birth parents in selecting adoptive parents, we have little control over (and cannot predict) the length of time that it may take for a family to be matched. We recognize the frustration families may feel during their wait for a child and we are always seeking new ways to make the wait a little easier. We also encourage families to create their own plan, and coach them in the variety of means available to identify potential birth parents. This time frame varies for every adoptive family. During this time contact with the agency will be lessened until a match occurs.

We will be presenting you to Birth Parents for a match. The type of adoption plan you choose will coincide with the Birth parent/s choices. Since this is the case you may or may not have contact with the Birth parent/s who has chosen your family to raise their child.

Step 4: Matched With A Birth Parent(s)
Once a family has been matched with a birth mother, they are placed inactive and are no longer shown to other potential birth mothers because everyone is working toward a successful adoption with this particular match. During the match, the adoptive family will work with agency personnel until the baby is born. Once the baby is born, placement occurs, birth parent/s consents and legal paperwork is filed according to Arizona law by the family’s chosen attorney.

Step 5: Placement Day!
When you have been matched with a birth parent and your new baby is born, the baby can be placed with you as soon as the birth parents indicate they are ready to go forward. Arizona law requires birth parent/s to wait 72 hours before signing Consents to Placement. If other legal issues are involved regarding Birth Parent Consents and relinquishments adoptive families will be advised by their chosen attorney as to the procedures to be followed.

Step 6: Post placement and finalization
Arizona law requires that 3 Post Placement visits by a Social Worker occur within the first 6 months after placement. During this period adoptive families chosen attorney will Petition the Juvenile Court in the County where the family was Certified to Adopt for a Final Adoption hearing. The hearing date will be set by the Court and the Adoption will be finalized.