Wednesday, December 3, 2003
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Wednesday, December 3, 2003 |
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Places to start your research when considering adoption By MICHAEL BOYLAN Though National Adoption Month ended Sunday, there are still thousands upon thousands of children who need to be adopted. While the following web sites only represent the tip of the iceberg when it comes to adoption information, they are excellent places to start. The Georgia Department of Human Resources Office of Adoption web site is the first place to start. The site offers lots of great information from both staff and adoptive parents who have been through the process. The office was created in 1997 to double the number of special needs adoptions by 2002. In 1997 there were 656 adoptions and by 2000 there were 1,164 adoptions. Those interested in adopting children, can view pictures and profiles of available children, be walked through the process step by step and learn more about some of the other programs available. There are currently 236 children currently waiting to be adopted, many of them either in sibling groups or with special needs. In honor of National Adoption Month, there was a ceremony last Saturday where 35 adoptions were finalized. For more information on the Georgia Department of Human Resources Office of Adoption, visit www.adoptions.dhr.state.ga.us or phone 877-210-KIDS. Another local site is the Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes and Family Ministries, Inc.’s Web site. They provide residential services to abused, neglected and troubled children in Georgia. Among the services they offer are adoption and foster care opportunities. Their Web site is www.gbchfm.org and information is also available at 1-888-545-8299. The final Web site to examine is from the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse. This site offers a wealth of information for everyone involved in adoption. In addition to a section for prospective adoptive parents, there are pages for birth parents and relatives and people who have been adopted. There is a National Adoption Directory, databases and much more. The site is located at naic.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm. There are hundreds of thousands
of adoption web sites out there to look at and there are many helpful
books available at your local library and bookstore. They key is to research
adoption thoroughly, weigh every decision carefully and stay organized.
Adoption can be a long, expensive process that can often be mentally and
emotionally taxing. The more you know, the easier the process should be.
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