Lifetime Adoption > Adoption in California

Adoption in California

California Adoption, Home Studies and More

If you live in the Golden State and are interested in adoption, you’re probably wondering about the adoption process.

Whether you are considering placing your child for adoption or you are considering adopting a child, we’ve provided a lot of valuable information below.

Also, please note, a licensed California adoption agency or adoption attorney is required for all adoptions that take place in California.

Pregnant and Considering Adoption in California

When a pregnancy test comes back positive, and it’s not what you were hoping for, the emotions can be overwhelming. Then, figuring out your next steps can be hard. Because when you share your news with family, friends, and the baby’s father, you may receive a lot of opinions and advice. This can make you feel even more confused.

First, take a minute to look over the content on this page. You will find the information you need to calmly consider your options.

Adoption Process in California

Your first step is to research a California licensed adoption agency you can work with and get teamed up with a coordinator.

Next, you can look through adoptive family profiles and choose a family for your baby. For example. you may want a family from California or maybe from another state. You can also choose how much contact you’d like with that family during your pregnancy and after.

Together with your adoption coordinator, you can also create a hospital plan. This plan will lay out who will be in the delivery room, who will cut the cord, who will hold the baby, who will leave the hospital first, and other details. Additionally, you will have an attorney available, at no cost. In addition, the attorney will make sure that you understand all your rights and will take care of all the paperwork and court filings.

Furthermore, adoption isn’t only for newborns. If you’re considering placing a toddler or older child, a professional counselor will help with a plan to make the transition healthy for you, your child, and the adoptive family. She will also help you work with the adoptive parents to create a post-adoption contact agreement that works for everyone.

What is Open Adoption?

Most people don’t know a lot about modern, open adoption. For example, today, when you choose adoption, you get to make all the decisions about what you think is best for your baby. This includes who will adopt your baby and how much contact you would like to have in the future. So your coordinator will ask a lot of questions to help her create a personalized adoption plan for you and your baby.

Common questions are:

Would you like to choose the parents or have a coordinator choose for you?
Do you want to have contact with the family after the adoption is final?
What kind of contact and how much contact would you like to have?
When you go to the hospital to deliver, how would you like your hospital stay to go?
Should the adoptive parents to go to prenatal appointments with you?
Are you in need of help with pregnancy-related expenses?

If you don’t feel parenting your child is the right thing for you and your baby, placing your child for adoption is a loving and brave choice. And there is a loving family that is ready and excited to grow their family through adoption. Also, an open adoption does not mean saying goodbye to your child forever because you can receive updates, pictures, and even have visits during the year. A lot of birth mothers have great relationships with their adoptive families. For example. recently, one of our birth mothers was getting married, and she asked for her daughter to be there. Not only was her daughter there, but the adoptive parents were there, and the adoptive father actually walked her down the aisle.

Help With Pregnancy Expenses and More

Here is an example of the kind of help you can get.

Lara called Lifetime and had decided to place her baby for adoption. She had been in an abusive relationship and decided she needed to change how her life was going. Even more frustrating, she had nowhere to live and new expenses due to her pregnancy. However, her adoption coordinator let her know that in the state of California, pregnancy-related expenses can be covered by the adopting parents. The expenses include:

Maternity-related medical and hospital costs
Temporary living expenses of the mother during pregnancy
Counseling fees
Attorney and legal fees and guardian ad litem fees
Travel costs, meals, and lodging when necessary for court appearances or accessing services

Lara got the help she needed and so can you.

Another important resource is professional and peer counseling. Additionally, these are free to you, the birth mother. A professional counselor is available to help you with the emotions and decision-making processes and to help you make a plan for the future. Peer counselors are also available. Moreover, these are women who are birth mothers and who have been through the adoption process. And they are happy to share their stories and help you with your journey.

California Adoptive Families

Searching adoptive families from across the country gives you the most control over who will adopt your baby. Because when you browse family profiles, you can learn more about their:

Lifestyle
Values and religious beliefs
Reasons for adopting
Home and neighborhood
And much more!

Search For Families

Families Hoping to Adopt in California

If you are considering adopting a newborn, toddler, or child up to the age of 6 in California, then we encourage you to learn all you can about open adoption. This is because adoption coordinators can connect birth mothers with hopeful adoptive families and create strong and happy matches.

The Adoption Process Overview

The adoption process normally follows this flow:

Apply – fill out an application online, these should be FREE.
Begin your program with the agency of your choice.
Wait to be chosen by a birth mother.
Match with a birth mom and start building a relationship.
Retain a legal professional to help with the paperwork, laws, and finalization steps.
Travel to your baby and fall in love!
Finalize your adoption and start your new life as a family.

Cost of Adoption in California

There are a lot of factors that affect the cost of adoption in California. For instance, the type of domestic adoption you choose will impact the cost of adoption in California. In addition, facts such as whether you are adopting in California or adopting a child from another state can impact your costs. Because each U.S. state has individual adoption laws, this will affect your budget and also determine what adoption professionals you will need to hire.

Home Study

Every family hoping to adopt completes a home study. For example. in California, you will choose a provider who will outline their fees. Additionally, most providers will charge between $2,000 to $4,000 for the home study process. Additionally. the California state home study costs generally cover background checks, financial verifications, and the social worker’s expenses, such as time and mileage for visits and creating the home study report along with any postplacement visits required by the state.

Adoption Professional

One of your first adoption choices will be whether you hire an adoption professional and, if so, which one. The benefits of an adoption professional are they help families connect with birth mothers and screen birth parent situations to protect adoptive parents from those who may be dishonest. A reputable professional or agency guides hopeful adoptive parents on their adoption journey and supports expectant women and parents considering placing their child for adoption. They support these parents by offering counseling, connecting them with resources they need, and helping them find just the right family to adopt their child. An adoption professional’s fees generally run about $25,000 and up to $50,000. Be sure to find out what the fees cover.

Lawyer

Legal representation will be a part of your adoption expenses. Once you are matched with an expectant mother or a child, you can expect to hire a legal representative for yourselves and the birth mother. Depending on your choice of lawyer, you can expect to pay around $8,000 to $15,000. The total cost will depend on who you hire, the legal requirements by state, and any other unique factors that may be part of your adoption.

Birth Mother Expenses

Every adoption situation is different; some birth mothers may need help with pregnancy-related expenses. In California, this can include expenses such as medical, legal, maternity clothing, food, utilities, rent, transportation, and more. A budget of around $5,000 is generally reasonable, as this is about the average expenses Lifetime Adoption birth mothers receive. The allowable expenses differ greatly from state to state, which is the reason these funds must be approved and dispensed legally. Your attorney and agency will consult with you and the birth mother to ensure the court approves all transactions.

You can expect the total cost of domestic adoption in California to range from around $38,000 to $70,000 and it is important to understand the potential expenses and budget for them accordingly.

Lower Cost Options

If the cost of domestic adoption will stress your budget, the foster system or AdoptUSKids is a lower-cost option you could explore. The foster care system has many children waiting to be adopted. In the case of foster care adoption, the state handles the adoption costs. Children available to be adopted in foster care are not often newborns and may have special needs or be older (over eight years old).

With foster adoption, you are required to participate in parenting education, which will focus on how to be successful when adopting a child with special needs or an older child. If a newborn, toddler, or child under five years old is how you see your family growing, the foster care system may not be the right fit.

International Adoption

International (or intercountry) adoption is one more option to consider. Typically, international adoption involves toddlers or older children. Due to the length of time needed for paperwork, approvals, and travel time, newborn babies are not generally an option. If you choose international adoption, seek advice from an adoption agency specializing in international adoption, licensed in your chosen country, with a good track record of successful adoptions. Ask about what countries are currently allowing international adoption and review their laws. Consider the risks associated with international adoption. Countries can revise their adoption laws or halt all adoptions before your adoption is complete. Unfortunately, some families hoping to adopt from Haiti and Ukraine experienced this sad situation. Some of these families end up in limbo for months or even years. In addition, the fees you paid to an agency and other adoption professionals may not be reimbursed. The final cost of domestic and international adoption are usually very similar.

Adoption Laws in California

California adoption laws can seem complicated but don’t worry. You’ll have an adoption attorney and an adoption coordinator to help you navigate the legal aspects of the California adoption process.

Typically, in California, the timeline for legal documentation and the timeline for adoption are as follows:

In general, the birth parents sign papers surrendering on the date of her discharge from the hospital. Additionally, a birth father may surrender his parental rights by signing a Waiver of Notice or Denial of Paternity at any time, before or after the child’s birth. So the adoptive parents cannot finalize their adoption until six months after placement of the child in their home.
Additionally, a home study is required as well as a hearing after six months. At this time, a judge will review the home study and other documentation then finalize the adoption by issuing a final decree of adoption.

Every adoption situation varies and there are exceptions and different legal requirements depending on the facts of each adoption. Therefore, your adoption attorney is there to ensure your adoption goes smoothly and all legal aspects are done correctly.

More About Your Home Study in California

A home study is a legal document that confirms your ability to parent and adopt a child. Throughout the U.S., a home study is required to proceed with an adoption. Your adoption coordinator will be happy to refer you to a home study provider in California.

A home study in California includes the following:

Background checks
Medical reports
Employment verification
References
Financial verification
Visit of the home

Your home visit involves every member of the household being interviewed. Additionally, you will provide background information and information regarding your family and marital relationships. You’ll also talk about why you want to adopt, what your parenting style is, your education, and more.

Furthermore, as part of your home study in California, a social worker will come back within one week for the first post-placement visit once your child is placed with you. These visits will continue monthly until your adoption finalization. 

Whether you are hoping to adopt or are a parent considering placing your child for adoption, there is always support for you in order to complete a successful adoption.