Who can adopt? | Types of Adoption | Adoption Process | Adoption Classes | The Home Study | Costs to Adopt | Next Steps
There are many different types of adoption. Each adoption option is unique in it's own way. It is important to choose the type of adoption that you feel will best suit your family and the child or children you welcome into your family.
Waiting Child Adoption
This is also known as Foster Care Adoption or Special Needs Adoption. This type of adoption involves the adoption of a child who is currently in one of the 50 U.S. states' foster care programs. Foster care adoption is typically conducted through state and local public agencies but in some states private adoption agencies are involved in foster care adoption. The website's below provide photo listings of waiting children.
Kinship Adoption
This is also known as relative adoption. This type of adoption is different from a non-related adoption as the person adopting is either related to the child through family or knows the child from a previous arrangement. These different familial relationships need to be addressed and validated in order to have a healthy self-sufficient kinship adoptive family. The website's below will provide you with more information about Kinship Adoption.
Ramsey County A/G unit only works with Waiting Child Adoptions as well as Relative/Kinship Adoptions.
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Domestic Infant
In a domestic adoption you work with a birth parent who has made an adoption plan. The child you adopt must be a child who is a citizen of the country in which you are residing. The adoption can be through an agency or through a private facilitator. Below are websites that provide more indepth information about Domestic Infant Adoptions.
International Adoption
International Adoption is just one of several ways to build your family. In most cases, international adoptions are finalized in the country of origin, so once you come home with your child, he or she is already legally yours. There are a number of countries that work with U.S. couples hoping to adopt, so identifying which country works best for your family is usually the first step you would take when moving forward. Below are websites that provide more information about International Adoption.
Step-Parent Adoption
This is the most common type of adoption. In a step-parent adoption, the adopting stepparent assumes financial and legal responsibility for his/her spouse's child or children and releases the noncustodial parent of parental responsibilities, including child support. Please refer to the websites below for more information on Step-Parent Adoptions.
