Oregon Adoption Services

PROVIDING ADOPTION SERVICES TO FAMILIES IN THE STATE OF OREGON

America World Adoption - Oregon is licensed and Hague accredited in the State of Oregon 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 White Salmon, OR but we are able to provide services for families living throughout the state.

Oregon 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 Oregon, state criminal background checks through the Oregon Background Check Unit and the State Police must be completed, as well as child abuse registry checks and references will be obtained. You will need to provide a copy of your birth certificate, marriage license, divorce decree (if applicable), several financial documents, four written references and medical statements for all members of the family. The State of Oregon also requires 10 hours of adoption-related training to be completed before the home study is finalized. All of these items will be collected and reported in the home study.

Oregon Post-Adoption Services

America World - Oregon 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. The State of Oregon required all post-adoption visits to be face to face and documented. 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. Having a connection with your social worker is very important to help support you through your adoption process. This connection does not end after the last post placement but can continue as a support to you through annual summer picnics and updates.

Oregon and Washington have an annual summer reunion picnic so families can get together and allow their children from around the world to interact and play. This is an excellent way to build relationships in the adoption world, exchange contact information and advice, and to get reacquainted with families you may have traveled with.

How to Begin Your Adoption Process

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, we 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 OR, 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. If you have any questions, please contact Deborah Vermillion.

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