Missouri Adoption Services

PROVIDING ADOPTION SERVICES TO FAMILIES IN THE STATE OF MISSOURI

America World Adoption Missouri is a licensed and Hague accredited Missouri adoption agency providing Missouri adoption services to families. Although our primary role is to provide home study services for families adopting through America World, we are also able to prepare a home study and post-adoption reports for families using other placement agencies and who meet America World's agency requirements. Our office is located in the St. Louis area, but we are able to provide services for families living throughout the state.

Missouri Home Study Services

The Home Study is a major part of the adoption process designed to help you, America World, the US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), and the foreign government assesses your ability to provide a loving home for an orphan. A home study is an assessment process that provides a written report that is a comprehensive picture of your background, current family life, and how this new child will be integrated into your family. It is designed to be a non-judgmental, educational and fruitful process. Some of the topics discussed during the home study process are the motivation for adoption, expectations regarding adoption: short-term and long-term, attitude towards biological parents, type of child desired: age, sex, medical or emotional concerns, and attitudes of extended family and non-resident siblings. Your home study coordinator will also explore your values related to parenting, marriage, finances, spiritual beliefs, and child-care plans. These discussions will all take place during four face-to-face visits, one of which must be in your home. For residents in the state of Missouri, state criminal record checks, child abuse registry checks, and references will be obtained. You will need to provide a copy of your birth certificate, marriage license, financial reports, and medical statements for all members of the family. Missouri also requires a home safety inspection to be completed. All of these items will be collected and reported in the home study.

Missouri Post Adoption Services

America World Adoption Missouri also provides post-adoption services for your adoption. Post-adoption visits are vital to helping an adoptive family adjust and transition to a new family unit. We will visit your family in your home to assess your transition and write a post-adoption report. Each country and even some states have its own post-adoption requirements. Your social worker will ensure that all state, agency, and country requirements are met in your post-adoptive reports. At a minimum, you will be required to have at least two post-adoption visits. In addition to post-adoption visits and reports, we will be available to offer support and referrals for special services, education, and/or training.

International Adoption Services

America World began in 1994 as a China adoption agency. Since then, we have expanded our adoption services to over a dozen countries around the world. Currently, we are looking for families who are called to adopt from China, India, and Haiti. Each of these countries has a great number of children in orphanages and foster care who are waiting for their forever families. America World believes that every child deserves and has a right to a family. Integrity in international adoption is critically important as corruption over the years has created some negativity to adoption as a whole. As a Christ-centered adoption agency, America World always places the interests of the child first by making sure the child is truly orphaned or parental rights have been given with a full understanding of what adoption means. America World is also known for its knowledgeable, caring staff who provide personal guidance to every family they assist. For more information on our international adoption services, visit our Programs page or contact us to speak with someone.

How to Begin Your Adoption in Missouri

If you are adopting through America World Adoption, you will begin by completing an application online. Once your application has been approved and we have received your program agreements, our Missouri Director of Social Services will contact you to initiate the home study. If you are not using America World as your placing agency but would like to use our local social services in Missouri, you may fill out the application online and choose "Social Services Only" under Application Type. The application fee for a social service only case is reduced to $295. Once the application is processed, our office will contact you and will work directly with you and your placement agency to ensure all requirements are met in your home study and post-adoption reports.