Hoping To Adopt
Childplace provides comprehensive services to families who are hoping to adopt. As a licensed, child-placing agency, we facilitate the adoption from beginning to end. Our hope is to journey with your family to provide support and education throughout the adoption process. Our agency serves birth families and expectant parents in Indiana and Kentucky. However, we serve adoptive families throughout the continental United States. Our domestic infant adoption program offers comprehensive services to families hoping to grow their family through adoption. As a faith-based agency, we desire to work with families who share similar values.
You may review our agency values statement here.
Applicants desiring to adopt through Childplace will meet the following criteria:
- Review and comply with the values and mission of the agency
- Aged between 25 and 45 years old at the time of application
- Married for at least 3 years
- Able to comply with state criminal clearance requirements to adopt (FBI, State, Local Law Enforcement, Child Abuse and Neglect Registry, and National Sex Offender Registry checks)
- Non-tobacco household
- Physically healthy and able to parent a child, as established by a licensed physician
- Financially able to provide for the cost of the adoption and the addition of a child
For more information about our fee schedule and agreement, please contact our office. Contact our staff at (812) 282-8248 or emilyj@childplace.org to learn more about our adoption services and the process to apply.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the number of families presently waiting for an adoptive placement, we are not accepting new families for placement services at this time.
How to Become a Prospective Adoptive Family
Step 1: Connect With Us
Contact our staff at (812) 282-8248 or emilyj@childplace.org to learn more about our adoption services and the process to apply.
Step 2: Attend Orientation
Attend a brief orientation meeting with Childplace adoption staff to discuss the adoption process and agency policy. At this meeting, applicants will also be given documentation to begin the process.
Step 3: Complete Documentation
Complete and submit an application with additional documents to include criminal clearances, references, health assessments, and financial verification.
Step 4: Complete the Home Study
Collaborate with Childplace staff to complete the Home Study Assessment which includes 3-5 visits to your home. This process allows you, along with our staff, to better determine if your family is prepared to adopt. Our staff is dedicated to ensuring that you have all of your questions answered and are provided with education to make informed decisions throughout the adoption process. In addition, during the Home Study Assessment, our staff establishes whether you are able to provide a safe, supportive, and enriching environment for children.
Step 5: Receive Approval
After your family has established that you have satisfied all of the requirements of the law and are eligible to adopt as determined by the Home Study Assessment, our agency will provide Home Study Approval. This typically occurs two to three months after application.
A note about home study approval: As our agency is licensed in Kentucky and Indiana, we can only approve families in these two states. Prospective families living outside of Indiana and Kentucky will need to connect with a licensed agency in their own state of residence to complete the Home Study Assessment.
Step 6: Prepare your Family Profile Book
The family profile book is a representation of your family that will be presented to birth families seeking placement. The profile book is typically created through an online photo website and should include photos of your family, hobbies that you enjoy, and values that are important to your family. This is a tool that will allow the birth family to learn about you and ultimately determine which applicants they will choose as the prospective adoptive parents for their child.
Step 7: Wait for Placement
Although difficult to determine, we estimate a wait of approximately one and a half to three years for a Caucasian infant and seven months to a year and a half for an infant of any race. Families who express openness regarding race, gender, and ability typically have a greater likelihood of receiving placement more quickly.
Step 8: Selected by a Birth Family and Accept Placement
After your family has been selected by a birth parent, you will be notified by our agency and we will begin to disseminate information regarding details of the placement and legal process. Every adoption scenario is unique and will vary depending on the preferences of the birth family and the adoptive family.
Step 9: Supervision of Placement
Once the child is placed in your home, our staff (or another licensed agency if living outside of Indiana or Kentucky) will visit with your family to ensure that the child is adjusting well to your home and family. Supervision of the placement typically lasts four to six months, depending on state law.
Step 10: Finalize Adoption
Once Childplace has consented to the finalization of the adoption, the court will host a hearing to determine if the adoption is in the best interest of the child(ren). Once the adoption is granted, the adoptive parents will be given full custody and afforded the same rights and responsibilities as a biological parent.
Please join us in our effort to provide a place of hope and healing for children and families!