Adoptions often being with matching services. People who want to adopt a child work with an adoption professional to find a child who needs a home, or expectant parents work with an adoption professional to find a home for their child. Self-matching adoption is a private adoption process in which birth parents or expectant parents and hopeful adoptive parents find one another outside of traditional agency matching services.
There are many different situations where this can come up. Perhaps a young woman who is not ready to be a parent has an older sibling who is excited to take the new baby into their home. Maybe a couple looking to grow their family through adoption has a family friend who is looking for a home for an unexpected infant. But the term is most often used nowadays for hopeful adoptive parents who advertise for a baby, or expectant parents who seek a home for their baby in social media or online forums.
How does self-matching work?
Here’s a typical process:
- Profile creation: Both adoptive and birth parents create profiles on online platforms or join support groups. These profiles typically include information about the couple’s background, desired characteristics in a child, and any specific preferences.
- Matching: Adoptive and birth parents can search for profiles that align with their preferences and initiate contact.
- Direct Communication: Once a match is found, the adoptive and birth parents can communicate directly, discussing their expectations, preferences, and any questions they may have.
- Legal Process: If both parties agree to proceed, they will work with legal professionals to complete the adoption process.
While online forums and social media are popular options for self-matching, Arkansas law does allow advertising. This is another route to self-matching.
Some hopeful adoptive parents feel more in control when they take the search into their own hands. They may hope that self-matching will be faster or more economical than working with professionals from the start.
Can you skip the adoption professionals entirely?
Adoption is a legal process and the laws governing it are complex and specific. Those laws are designed to protect the rights and the well-being of all the parties involved, so they’re important. An informal adoption is never a possibility.
If you decide on self-matching, it is essential that you work with an adoption lawyer to finalize the adoption. Both the adoptive parents and the birth parent or parents should have their own legal representation. You will need a home study, background checks, and guidance on the legal requirements of the adoption process.
Heimer Law has extensive experience with private adoptions. However you have connected with a child to adopt, we can help you make sure that your adoption process is ethical, fully legal, and as smooth as possible. Contact us today for a free consultation.
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