Oklahoma Adoption Services

PROVIDING ADOPTION SERVICES TO FAMILIES IN THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA

America World Adoption - Oklahoma is licensed and Hague accredited in the State of Oklahoma to provide home study services for adoption. 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 Stillwater, OK but we are able to provide services for families living throughout the state.

Oklahoma 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 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 Oklahoma, 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 documentation and medical statements for all members of the family. All of these items will be collected and reported in the home study.

Oklahoma Post-Adoption Services

America World - Oklahoma 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 their own post-adoption requirements. Oklahoma requires that adoptive families receive three post-placement visits within the first six months of your adoption. 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 adoption support and referrals for special services, adoption education and/or adoption training.

A Note from Our Oklahoma Director of Social Services - Amber Lewis, LPC

The Oklahoma office of America World was founded in 2005. Amber Lewis, the Director of Social Services for Oklahoma, is an adoptive mom and Licensed Professional Counselor. She enjoys traveling around the state to meet with families and help them along in their adoptive journeys. America World Adoption - Oklahoma provides home studies and post-adoption services for America World families and also for other Oklahoma families who are pursuing adoption through another means.

How to Begin

If you are adopting through America World, you will begin by completing an application online. Once your application has been approved and we have received your program agreements, Amber Lewis 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 Oklahoma, 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, Amber Lewis 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. Feel free to contact Amber at Amber.Lewis@awaa.org, or 405-742-7191 to ask questions about the services offered in Oklahoma.