Most adoptive parents-to-be are faced with a mountain of paperwork in the adoption process. It can be very daunting and overwhelming especially when they are already dealing with a lot of emotional, mental, and financial pressure.
The adoption process can be time-consuming and will require major changes in your lifestyle and commitments. Couples who work can find it incredibly hard to keep up with all the pre- and post-adoption paperwork and adoption reading. In this post, we’d like to share with you some ways to effectively deal with all of your adoption paperwork…
If you are a prospective adoptive parent, you’ll find yourself needing to complete:
- Forms for home study, immigration application, placement agency, and so on
- Documents related to your health, finances, and personal history
- Medical records and other documents related to the child you are adopting
- Travel documents if you are adopting a child from a foreign country
- Documents related to post-placement reports and home visits
The list may appear to be endless! The amount of paperwork increases as you get closer to adoption or if you are adopting a child from a different country. In both domestic and international adoption, you will have to be ready to travel at any time and must have all your papers in order. However, with careful planning and preparation, you can keep up with the paperwork and manage to overcome your initial fears about going through the daunting process.
Here 5 tips to help you deal effectively with adoption paperwork:
- Try to start your day an hour earlier than usual or stay up an hour later. This will give you the much-needed quiet time to do adoption reading and paperwork. Use a timer to ensure you spend the entire hour on the work you planned to do.
- Sit in a quiet area where you will not be disturbed or distracted and make a to-do list of paperwork you need to complete, along with realistic deadlines.
- Read encouraging adoption stories or listen to adoption webinars that will boost your confidence and push you to complete all necessary paperwork in time
- Create a filing system for all your adoption paperwork. This will help you find documents in a moment’s notice and save time and money. You can even use software programs to help you organize your adoption paperwork.
- At the end of each session working on your adoption, establish the goals and tasks required for the next time. This will help you stay focused and come prepared knowing the next task at hand.
When you stick to an organized plan for a couple of weeks you will be surprised at how much paperwork you were able to complete within the deadline. Always remember that every effort you make in the adoption process is bringing you one step closer to the child God has meant for you!
Founder of Lifetime Adoption, adoptive mom, adoption expert, and Certified Open Adoption Practitioner (C.O.A.P).
Since 1986, adoption expert Mardie Caldwell has been dedicated to bringing couples and birth parents together in order to fulfill their dreams.
“Many years ago, I was also searching for a child to adopt. We didn’t know where or how to get started. Through research, determination, and a prayer, our dream of a family became reality. I started with a plan, a notebook, assistance from a caring adoption consultant and a lot of hard work; this was my family I was building. We had a few heartaches along the way, but the pain of not having children was worse!
Within weeks we had three different birth mothers choose us. We were overwhelmed and delighted. Many unsettling events would take place before our adoption would be finalized, many months later. Little did I know that God was training and aligning me for the adoption work I now do today. It is my goal to share with our families the methods and plans which succeed and do not succeed. I believe adoption should be affordable and can be a wonderful “pregnancy” for the adoptive couple.
I have also been on both sides of infertility with the loss of seven pregnancies and then conceiving by new technology, giving birth to a healthy daughter. I have experienced first-hand the emotional pain of infertility and believe my experience allows me to serve your needs better.
It is my hope that for you, the prospective parents, your desire for a child will be fulfilled soon.”
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