Hopefully, Chapters One through Six
provided you with enough information about the process of adopting, options
available to you, etc. to allow you to make a decision about whether or not to
pursue adoption for you and your family. Starting with this chapter, we’ll give
you the information you need to actually adopt a child!
All of the background information
is great, but you’re probably still wondering, “What do I do first?” Read on
and we’ll walk you through the steps.
Your first job is to select the
adoption professional who will help you. This is a very important decision
because that person or agency will be a major player in your life for some time
and his/her/their skill and capacity to support can make your adoption experience
wonderful or something you’d rather forget.
Begin the search in one of two
ways.
Locate adoption support groups in your area. It is not
always easy to locate these groups; we have found that listing services tend to
be incomplete. As a result, the fastest way to find support groups is to locate
an adoption agency and ask them to recommend support groups for you.
Adoption agencies are always well-connected into the adoption support network and will
have this information readily available to provide you.
