Adopt: Ask Our Expert: Graham Wright

Currently 0/5 Stars.

You may use the stars on the left to rate and leave feedback for the current article. No registration is required. Waiting for 5 votes

Please note, this page is no longer being maintained and may contain old or inaccurate information. Visit the home page or select a category in the navigation for more up-to-date information.

Pre-Adoptive and Adoptive Parent Issues(Continued)

Question:
I am in the process of adopting my three stepchildren and we are about to have our first interview next week with the Calif. state social worker. We are all a little nervous about it all and would like some detailed information on the process. What actually takes place, what do they ask of the children? Please help and provide lots of feedback asap!! Thank you!

Response from Graham:
Dear Carol,
Your request for information from adopting.org has been passed to us for response.
Firstly, it will not be a state social worker coming to visit you. Each county investigates their own stepparent adoption petitions, and it will be either a social worker from your local social services dept or a probation officer. There are no state funds for this activity so counties tend to keep the process short and to the point! The purpose of the interview (there's usually only one unless there's a problem) is to ensure that you have a safe home for the children, that they are not obviously neglected or abused, and that you and your husband have the ability to provide for their future needs. The social worker then writes a report to the court, with a recommendation as to whether or not the adoption should occur. Only if something is very wrong will it not be recommended. The worker might interview the children on their own, but probably not. If any child is age 12 or older they will be interviewed because their consent is required.
If you'd like more detail on any of this please go to Adoption Consultants at http://members.aol.com/ask4adopt and use the Consult form.
Best Wishes
Adoption Consultants.

Question:
I was born with a birth defect called spina biffida and as a result I use a wheelchair. My husband and I have been through 2 misscarriages in 10 mos.We are still trying to have a child of our making and really we haven't talked about adopting because of how negative people have been over my becoming a parent. I guess we have the unspoken fear that that will be the only option but adopting comes across as very hard to do unless you are very wealthy or famous and since my husband and I are neither, I wonder if that would even be a option for me? I would like to hear from anyone with a disability that has adopted without having money to burn. duttlebug@aol.com

Response from Graham:
Hello, Thanks for your question.
The American's with Disabilities Act protects you to some extent when you apply for adoption through a licensed agency. The agency can not make any assumptions about your parenting ability that are not directly related to the actual care of a child. In other words, if you can find a way to do all the physical tasks necessary to properly care for and protect a child, being in a wheelchair should not of itself be a barrier. That having been said, people often do make assumptions, and you should be ready to assert your abilities if you apply through an agency. It's true that you are likely to be welcomed if you are willing to consider a child with some form of disability. AASK is an agency that is licensed in many states and has specialized in such placements. You also might want to test the waters at the spina bifida newsgroup, sb-parents@waisman.wisc.edu If you seek an infant through an attorney or other third party you will be hoping that a birth parent will select you as parents for her/his child. It's not out of the question! Good luck, and best wishes.

Click to Continue