• Pregnancy related expenses, $0-$10,000
• Travel Fees, $350-$5,000
• Legal fees o Finalization, $650 - $5,000 o Additional Attorney fees, $0 - $2,000
• Out of state Agency fees, $3,000 - $10,000
These fees can total anywhere from $4,300-$39,300. (Independent Adoption Center). Of course there are reasons for these fees.
There are good reasons for the fees that accrue during the adoption process. Adoption agencies are fully equipped with well-educated social workers to provide counseling for the adoptive parents and the biological parents due to the emotionally grueling process, and also to complete the home studies to ensure that the homes are emotionally and physically safe for the children joining the prospective families. Additional costs include but are not limited to paying the administrative staff “to answer the phone, provide accounting services, comply with non-profit laws, and ensure families are notified… There are also the costs any business has, such as rent, phones, Internet, and insurance” Without these extra costs, prospective parents would not have a way to engage in the process of adoption. In order to cover all business charges and pay the employees, they require charging the adopted families, just like a grocery store will not be able to give groceries away for free because they would not be able to pay their employees. (Independent Adoption Center). Just as any other non-profit organization, they do receive donations and they go to help cover special
The majority of the children awaiting adoption are not simply sitting in institutions with little human contact and no sense of family. Most children waiting to be adopted are in foster care. Foster care provides temporary placement in a family setting. "Over 500,000 children in the U.S. currently reside in some form of foster care" (Foster). This is not to say that there are over 500,000 children waiting for adoptive parents. Actually, the number needing to be adopted ends up being much lower. "Two out of three children who enter foster care are reunited with their birth parents within two years. A significant number, however, can spend long periods of time in care awaiting adoption or other permanent arrangement" (Foster).
Some people believe that the price of adoption should not be lowered. They believe that with all the costs it helps keep the bad people from getting ahold of the children. The authorities need to make sure people will be good parents and would not be abusive or not able to provide for the child (WIASE?). This shows that the authorities are taking extra precaution with who they allow adopt a child. Also, the cost goes towards many court fees to make sure that child becomes fully and legally your child and it gives you a peace of mind (WIASE?). This shows that when you pay all that money you are paying so many different places, so that you know in the end that child is fully your child.
Adoption cannot be free logically, because of all the costs and expenses involved during the process. If not from those who want to be adoptive parents, then where will the required money come from? If the government were to provide free adoptions, the funds needed would cut into other resources. Geoff
Not all faith-based adoption agencies are “anti-lgbt”; however when taking federal tax dollars to fund the organization, none of them should be allowed to turn away any eligible people from adopting purely based on their sexuality or gender identity. Adoption agencies that turn potential adoptive parents away do a disservice to everyone involved, including the children themselves. Not allowing people to adopt from them due to religious reasons do not have very much evidence in their favor. The reason the family may decide to try to adopt from these places in the first place are the fact they make up 17 of the 62 agencies in Michigan (See Chart
Multiple visits are scheduled between the child and adoptive parents and, finally, the child can be placed in the home. Even though the adoption process seems extensive, there are still faults within the system.
When a couple or individual decides to adopt a child, they know they are going to take on the responsibility of taking care of someone else’s child. Due to the biological parent(s) who can’t take care of that child anymore, because of either drug abuse, alcohol abuse, abuse to the child or if the parent(s) had died and there is no other care for the child. So that’s why this gives other couples who cannot have kids, the opportunity to promise themselves to be a great parent to a child in need. Though there are some bad things about adoption as well. Like adopting a child from another country of another race, because once that child is adopted into an American family, he or she will be cut off from their culture and never know about their
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and an average middle-aged couple who’s baby was born last year (2016) can expect to spend over $245,000 to raise their child, this is not including paying for college. If you are planning on adopting, you may end up spending an extra $40,000, or even more that year. According to The Child Welfare Information Gateway states the facts that an average U.S. adoption costs between $8,000-$40,000. If you plan on adopting a child from another country, then the costs range from $15,000-$30,000. If you plan on adopting through a foster care where the average age of a child is 9 years old, this generally involves you becoming a “parent” of an older child, and the cost is much lower because of that, ranging from $0-$2,500. In December of 2013, It was required that Councils will be required to maintain funding for all foster children until they are 21 years of
Consequently, the total costs of adoption alone sum up to roughly 15,800 dollars (Horin). Most parents don't have that money lying around because they have other children or a career they invest a lot in. In addition, they might not have money at all but know that the children need help and decide to make a difference. The government realized the problem, why many parents are not adopting is because it’s very expensive. Therefore, in order to promote adoption the government provided the adoptive parents a tax credit to help with their financial shortages. For parents adopting domestically, they would be able to claim a credit worth up to 11,700 dollars. The positive part of the credit is that within the same year of the adoption, parents can claim it (Block). Although it may take a chunk of the total cost off, parents would still have to pay 5,000 to 15,000 dollars that still remains of the whole cost. The costs should be lowered to more affordable amounts so the tax deduction would be more effective. Even though the tax credit
There are no fees collected by the Department of Social Services (DSS) to become an adoptive parent; however, sufficient income to care for your current family members and any potential adopted child must be proved before an adoption is granted
The adoption process can be really long and drawn out. For young children, who do not have strong grasp of the concept of time, learning that you want to adopt a child before you know that you can will make the process stretch out endlessly for your
In recent years international adoption has been presented as an easier and quicker adoption process. The process is not as easy as it seems and some countries forbid adoption of their children to families in the United States. When adopting from a different country a person must be in agreement with adopting different ethnic or racial groups. Depending upon the country from which you adopt, international adoption can be very costly, ranging anywhere between $32,000 to $66,000 dollars, depending on the child’s country of origin. Travel costs to the country
There are two types of adoption. The first is a closed adoption which is when no identifying information is given to each side and no contact is permitted. There are some advantages to this type of adoption. Some birthmothers may feel a sense of closure and can move on with their life, also this is a way that you won't have to explain to others their decision. There are also advantages for the adoptive family like not having the birth family involved and keeping them
Adoption Agencies also benefit the adopting families with the same kind of support by helping them find potential birth parents and selecting the one that best meets their standards. National adoption agencies are routinely inspected by the state and observed by the
Adoption is a beautiful system that allows for families to raise a child that could have otherwise been in bad situations. These children are taken in by a family and are given a fresh start. Children can be adopted from birth until they are eighteen years old, but thousands of these children in need are not given the opportunity of adoption because of the extravagant cost. An adoption ranges anywhere from $6,000 to $50,000 and because of this Adopt Together says, “Cost is the number one reason families don’t adopt.” There is a long list of fees that rack up the price that include legal fees, home studies, agency cost, and many more. The extravagant cost of adoption can and should be lowered in order that more families can provide a loving home to children in need.
Moreover, there is a strategic interview and background check on those who wish to adopt. We do not let just anyone adopt a child, nor do we go without checking up on his or her history to predict the likelihood of that person being a good candidate for a parent. There are forms to be filled out, house inspection, and an overview of their income to make sure they are suitable to take in and care for this child. According to a study published by the Child Welfare League of America, despite