We are currently in our first month of the matching phase and this is gold. Also, I tell people the process is like applying for jobs, ghosting included...
Congratulations on your 100th video! I've recently started looking into adoption, and you provide so much helpful information. Thank you for all you do!
The matching phase I thought would be the best phase, but it is brutal. On Monday, we participate in a "formal staffing" to discuss a sibling group of two. We are the only family participating. Hopefully it goes well.
@@adoptinformedthanks! As an update, the match went through, we get to meet the kids as early as this weekend, and they can move in with us in about six weeks.
Not all kids on photolistings are actually available for adoption. I was listed and had no interest in adoption. People would inquire and I told my caseworker to tell them to f off. I really wonder now what they were told and if they just didn't hear back or they were told I didn't actually want to be adopted and they were wasting their time. I had no ability to remove my listing from the photolisting, only my photos. It's foster youth legally free for adoption - so I was included. Usually it's over the age of 12 kids have to consent to being adopted and can say no. But they get listed on these photolistings.
That's so interesting that they still listed your profile even though you weren't interested in adoption. I could see how that would be really frustrating to you! I'm glad that you at least had the ability to remove the photos from your listing if you didn't want them to be public. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Congrats on the 100th video! This video is much needed and will be a great help to others who are starting this process. So much patience is required while waiting through the matching, and it can be incredibly difficult!
Oh goodness I didn’t realize how ill equipped I was for this stage in the process… I was looking forward to this stage the whole time and just one month in and I’ve already experienced some wild highs and lows like never before
Congratulations on your 100th video!!! ❤ Your content is so wonderful, helpful, and needed. After hearing this I definitely feel a little silly being so nervous about the home study! I feel like it will all be worth it when we’re placed with the right child that we can give a stable, loving home to. ❤
@@adoptinformed that’s definitely understandable, and being an empathetic person I can see it being more emotional for me as well. I’m nervous about all of it. Your videos help though. And once our basement is further along my husband and I will be scheduling an appointment with you. (I talk about your videos all the time!)
Congratulations on your 100th! You do a great job on your videos and provide so much helpful info. I just uploaded my 5th video today, not nearly as polished as you, but maybe someday…
We have been matched with a sibling group from Ohio🎉🎉🎉❤ so excited and so true I’m losing my mind in the waiting period from being matched to waiting for medical records to presentation and so on especially around the holidays
@@adoptinformed thank you I’m currently researching subsidy and what’s acceptable and I’m see so much different language used some saying regular board payment until adoption is finalized then your negotiated subsidy starts at finalization and to include everything when negotiating but that’s so hard when you have no experience with the children I’ve seen some say some states initially starts at the maximum subsidy allowed but not always
@@thecainbunch2687 that part of the process was so co fusing for us the first time around too! If you ever want some pointers on any of those details that is something we could do in a consultation call! I know how confusing that subsidy process can be. We’ve navigated it through two different adoptions. I’ll stick a link here to schedule if you are ever interested ☺️ www.adoptinformed.com/service-page/consult?referral=service_list_widget
Thanks for the tips on state photo listing sites. Are there say a list of top 5 states you’d recommend focusing in on? 50 state sites is a bit daunting! Wondering which states are more responsive or whether we should also focus more on our surrounding states - we are in Maryland. Thanks!
Some states are more closed off than others to “outsiders” adopting. California, Michigan, and North Carolina are ones that stuck out to me. Texas was a lot more open. I think Ohio is fairly open as well. It’s definitely a great idea to start in your state and surrounding ones!
Guilty on the 5 and under checkbox. Does it make sense in some cases though? We homeschool, eat whole foods, and live on a farm so I felt it would be less of a culture shock for the younger kids. Definitely does worry me how different our lifestyle is for siblings coming into our family.
I think it makes sense to consider those factors when it comes to adopting. It’s good to think about how your lifestyle will affect your kids! I don’t think there is anything wrong with saying 0-5 is your range :)
Our age range is up to 12 but have inquired a few 13-15 year olds on AdoptUsKids. So even tho our paperwork says 12 but we inquired over that age does that mean we still wouldn’t be considered?
We are doing adoption from foster care and looking across the U.S. We are with an agency and have our home study approved. How many inquiries should we have out at a time? It's hard to not get discouraged. I'm trying to stay organized as best I can. This is quickly becoming much more of a job than the home study and education phases.
I am curious if you are able to test out a child you are interested in adopting? Everyone has different personalities and all don’t necessarily match, where others match beautifully. I am so happy you have such a wonderful family! Also, if you were to adopt, do you still get medicaid for that child or any subsidies like you would for a foster child?
I think that no matter what, it can be really hard to blend a family! Usually you will be matched before you ever meet the child. The reason is that it is really traumatic for kids to start to form attachments with a possible family and then be told no…almost like they failed the audition, you know? It does sometimes happen where a family decides not to move forward within the first 6 months of the placement before finalizing the adoption, but that is considered a disrupted adoption and doesn’t reflect favorably on the adoptive parents (it could hurt their chances in the future). There are sometimes meet and greet picnics or events where you can go meet a lot of different foster kids and see if there are any special connections you make! That can be a good option to be able to get a feel for what some kids are like :)
I have been looking for some information that I can't seem to find anywhere. We are close to being done with our Homestudy and I am trying to understand this process as best as possible to prepare my mind and heart properly, as we recently dealt with a heartbreak in international adoption. I am trying to figure out an approximate timeframe it takes to be matched with an older waiting child and an approximate timeframe that they get placed in your home after matching. I know each. case is different; I'm just trying to understand a ballpark so I know what to expect,
Like you said, time frames can vary wildly, but I can tell you what ours were. For our first adoption, it was around 6 months after we received our foster/adopt license. For our second adoption (of a sibling pair) it was a lot faster. More like 2 months. But that is suuuper fast! I would assume it will take 6 months to a year, and be pleasantly surprised if it is shorter! If you are open to older kids it can definitely go faster. Sorry to hear you had a hard experience with international adoption ❤️
🏡 we are in the process of adopting our girl she is newly 12, and in the short time she has been with us there have already been many firsts!!
Those firsts are so special! 🥰
We are currently in our first month of the matching phase and this is gold.
Also, I tell people the process is like applying for jobs, ghosting included...
Yes! It really is similar. The ghosting is the hardest part!
Congratulations on your 100th video! I've recently started looking into adoption, and you provide so much helpful information. Thank you for all you do!
Thank you for the video. Our foster son 6 is up for adoption. Prayers for him to find a wonderful forever home. 🥰
The matching phase I thought would be the best phase, but it is brutal. On Monday, we participate in a "formal staffing" to discuss a sibling group of two. We are the only family participating. Hopefully it goes well.
I agree…such an emotional roller coaster! Hoping all goes well for you!
@@adoptinformedthanks! As an update, the match went through, we get to meet the kids as early as this weekend, and they can move in with us in about six weeks.
Wow that’s exciting! I just started the matching phase and already want it to be over 🙈🙈
Not all kids on photolistings are actually available for adoption. I was listed and had no interest in adoption. People would inquire and I told my caseworker to tell them to f off. I really wonder now what they were told and if they just didn't hear back or they were told I didn't actually want to be adopted and they were wasting their time. I had no ability to remove my listing from the photolisting, only my photos. It's foster youth legally free for adoption - so I was included. Usually it's over the age of 12 kids have to consent to being adopted and can say no. But they get listed on these photolistings.
That's so interesting that they still listed your profile even though you weren't interested in adoption. I could see how that would be really frustrating to you! I'm glad that you at least had the ability to remove the photos from your listing if you didn't want them to be public. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Make a video generalized around visits and how they lead up to placement
Can you do an in depth video of the full adoption process? I really value you opinions and take everything you say to heart.
Thank you for this information. It was definitely very helpful.
Congrats on the 100th video! This video is much needed and will be a great help to others who are starting this process. So much patience is required while waiting through the matching, and it can be incredibly difficult!
Thanks, Holly! I was definitely inspired to make this video based off of our talk! :)
Oh goodness I didn’t realize how ill equipped I was for this stage in the process… I was looking forward to this stage the whole time and just one month in and I’ve already experienced some wild highs and lows like never before
It seriously is such an emotional rollercoaster!
This is such a helpful video! Thank you! Congratulations on 100 videos!
Congrats on 100!🎉
Thank you! 😊
Congratulations on your 100th video!!! ❤
Your content is so wonderful, helpful, and needed.
After hearing this I definitely feel a little silly being so nervous about the home study! I feel like it will all be worth it when we’re placed with the right child that we can give a stable, loving home to. ❤
No need to feel silly about it! I just found the matching process to be a lot more emotional 🥲
@@adoptinformed that’s definitely understandable, and being an empathetic person I can see it being more emotional for me as well.
I’m nervous about all of it. Your videos help though. And once our basement is further along my husband and I will be scheduling an appointment with you. (I talk about your videos all the time!)
@@AngPoe Oh that’s super exciting! I look forward to talking with you :)
Congratulations! Great video 😊😊😊
Congratulations!! 💯
Congratulations on your 100th! You do a great job on your videos and provide so much helpful info. I just uploaded my 5th video today, not nearly as polished as you, but maybe someday…
We have been matched with a sibling group from Ohio🎉🎉🎉❤ so excited and so true I’m losing my mind in the waiting period from being matched to waiting for medical records to presentation and so on especially around the holidays
Oh my goodness! That is so exciting! Congratulations!!!! :)
@@adoptinformed thank you I’m currently researching subsidy and what’s acceptable and I’m see so much different language used some saying regular board payment until adoption is finalized then your negotiated subsidy starts at finalization and to include everything when negotiating but that’s so hard when you have no experience with the children I’ve seen some say some states initially starts at the maximum subsidy allowed but not always
@@thecainbunch2687 that part of the process was so co fusing for us the first time around too! If you ever want some pointers on any of those details that is something we could do in a consultation call! I know how confusing that subsidy process can be. We’ve navigated it through two different adoptions. I’ll stick a link here to schedule if you are ever interested ☺️ www.adoptinformed.com/service-page/consult?referral=service_list_widget
Thanks for the tips on state photo listing sites. Are there say a list of top 5 states you’d recommend focusing in on? 50 state sites is a bit daunting! Wondering which states are more responsive or whether we should also focus more on our surrounding states - we are in Maryland. Thanks!
Some states are more closed off than others to “outsiders” adopting. California, Michigan, and North Carolina are ones that stuck out to me. Texas was a lot more open. I think Ohio is fairly open as well. It’s definitely a great idea to start in your state and surrounding ones!
Guilty on the 5 and under checkbox. Does it make sense in some cases though? We homeschool, eat whole foods, and live on a farm so I felt it would be less of a culture shock for the younger kids. Definitely does worry me how different our lifestyle is for siblings coming into our family.
I think it makes sense to consider those factors when it comes to adopting. It’s good to think about how your lifestyle will affect your kids! I don’t think there is anything wrong with saying 0-5 is your range :)
Our age range is up to 12 but have inquired a few 13-15 year olds on AdoptUsKids. So even tho our paperwork says 12 but we inquired over that age does that mean we still wouldn’t be considered?
They may make exceptions in cases like that, but I’m not sure! I would ask your agency or caseworker if that is a possibility though!
Thank you soooo much for this. On step 4, do they inform you how many other families have made it to this round???
I think we knew each time. You can definitely ask your social worker if there are other families being considered!
We are doing adoption from foster care and looking across the U.S. We are with an agency and have our home study approved. How many inquiries should we have out at a time? It's hard to not get discouraged. I'm trying to stay organized as best I can. This is quickly becoming much more of a job than the home study and education phases.
Hello! Just out of curiously, I’m struggling searching for a good agency. If you don’t mind sharing, which agency did you go with?
@@yayaelisa6300 we are with Nightlight Christian Adoptions in their Anchored in Hope program. They have been great.
I am curious if you are able to test out a child you are interested in adopting? Everyone has different personalities and all don’t necessarily match, where others match beautifully. I am so happy you have such a wonderful family! Also, if you were to adopt, do you still get medicaid for that child or any subsidies like you would for a foster child?
I think that no matter what, it can be really hard to blend a family! Usually you will be matched before you ever meet the child. The reason is that it is really traumatic for kids to start to form attachments with a possible family and then be told no…almost like they failed the audition, you know? It does sometimes happen where a family decides not to move forward within the first 6 months of the placement before finalizing the adoption, but that is considered a disrupted adoption and doesn’t reflect favorably on the adoptive parents (it could hurt their chances in the future). There are sometimes meet and greet picnics or events where you can go meet a lot of different foster kids and see if there are any special connections you make! That can be a good option to be able to get a feel for what some kids are like :)
I have been looking for some information that I can't seem to find anywhere. We are close to being done with our Homestudy and I am trying to understand this process as best as possible to prepare my mind and heart properly, as we recently dealt with a heartbreak in international adoption. I am trying to figure out an approximate timeframe it takes to be matched with an older waiting child and an approximate timeframe that they get placed in your home after matching. I know each. case is different; I'm just trying to understand a ballpark so I know what to expect,
Like you said, time frames can vary wildly, but I can tell you what ours were. For our first adoption, it was around 6 months after we received our foster/adopt license. For our second adoption (of a sibling pair) it was a lot faster. More like 2 months. But that is suuuper fast! I would assume it will take 6 months to a year, and be pleasantly surprised if it is shorter! If you are open to older kids it can definitely go faster. Sorry to hear you had a hard experience with international adoption ❤️
I am also in Ohio and in the marching phase. What is the website you’re referring to for waiting children in Ohio? Thank you!
Here you go! :) fosterandadopt.jfs.ohio.gov/adoption/adoption-photolist/adoption-photolist-app#/
How do i set up an appointment with you for questions please
Hey there! You can check out www.adoptinformed.com to book a consultation!