Adoption is a process by which a child who has been abandoned or relinquished is given to a safe, secure & loving family through a legal process.

Adoption is a wonderful option to expand your family. On one hand, you have orphaned children; on the other, you have infertile couples who long for a child. The needs of both the child and the prospective parents can be fulfilled through adoption. It is not just childless couples that go in for adoption. Some couples feel that they would like to offer a secure and loving home to an orphan. Others may want a child of a particular sex, or they may be too old to have achild, or a biological child may have a high risk of having genetic problems. Single parents also have the option to adopt.

Just because a child carries its parents' genes does not necessarily make it superior in any way. Both heredity and environment work in tandem to shape the development of a child. Adoptive parents often have more control over the variables,  in the sense that they choose when to adopt, the sex of the child and they can check whether the child is physically and mentally normal before they take a final decision. Biological parents do not have this option. 

   

The adoptive parents should have a sufficient & regular source of income which can support the needs of a child within a family.

Neither of the parents should have a major illness that would come in the way of parenting.

Neither of the parents should have a criminal record.

The composite age of the adoptive couple should not exceed 90 years.

Single parents upto 35 years can adopt too.

Prospective adoptive parent(s) should register themselves with state adoption cell or Adoption Coordinating Agency. 

Get all the information that you need to make up your mind, clarify your doubts and then register with one agency. Please do not register with several agencies in the hope of getting a "better" choice or a faster placements. All adoption agencies have a networking system to co-ordinate with each other to locate a suitable child for you. 

Prepare the documents that you need to complete as part of the formalities in the process of adoption.

To register with Snehankur Adoption center, please fill this form or contact snehankur@snehalaya.org.  

A home study will be conducted by the social worker of the Agency. To allay the fears and apprehensions of the prospective adoptive parent(s), pre-adoptive counseling sessions will be provided as required.  This study is conducted to assess the ability of a couple to parent a child, not born to them. Documents relating to financial and health status of the prospective parent(s) will be part of the Home Study Report. Prospective adoptive parents should create and complete the necessary documentation as per this list below. Home Visit is also intended for per -adoption counselling. Use the meetings with the social worker to clarify all your apprehensions and to freely discuss your expectations.

After a Home Study has been accepted and approved, a suitable child admitted and legally free for adoption will be identified for the parent(s). This seems to be the most difficult part of the process, because once you have made a decision to adopt, you would like it to be completed as early as possible. This may take even upto six months, depending on the availability of children. It would be an appropriate analogy to draw here, that just as nature has provided time between conception and the birth of a baby,  so does the adoption process includes this period of waiting to allow a couple to get emotionally prepared for parenthood. The agency will take care to match a child meeting the description, if any, desired by the parent(s). In case of placement of older children (above the age of 6), both written and verbal consent of the child will be obtained.

Once a successful matching has been, the social worker will arrange for you to see the child that has been identified for you.  This is the moment you have been waiting for with mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety. Adoptive parents can get an independent medical report about the child before acceptance. It is important to get a complete medical re-examination done with a doctor of your choice to reassure yourself of the child's health. The social worker will help you file all the relevant papers in court before you can take the child home in pre-adoptive foster care. 

The foster care agreement will be signed between the adoptive parents and Snehankur.  Snehankur and the parents will together file a petition in the Court for obtaining the necessary orders under the relevant Act.  Till the court hearing is completed and orders are issued, the child will be under foster care with the parents, with the agency still being the legal guardian of the child

The social worker will assist you with all legal formalities and you may be required to attend court for a hearing. 

Once the court completes all the hearings, the court will issue an order, approving the adoption of the child by the family

The court order will be registered to complete the adoption process . 

In cities like Ahmednagar there is no family court to hear adoption cases. Hence it could take upto an year to get the court order. We realize this causes a few inconveniences like having to wait for a passport for the child.  But the institution has limited means to expedite matters.

Documents related to the adoption will include the court decree of Adoption deed and the child's birth affidavit.

With these documents, adoptive parents will be legal guardians of the child

Once the adoption process is completed, Snehankur conducts follow-up visits and post adoption counseling by the social worker till the child is adjusted in the new environment. The follow up could be upto one year or as directed by the Court/JJB. Copies of the follow-up reports will be sent to the District Social Welfare Officer/concerned State Government Department, concerned Scrutiny Agency and the Court/JJB from where the order was obtained. 

The social worker will keep in touch with you and visit you for follow-ups as per the stipulation of the court and the agency's rules. This is mostly to help the parents as required. Even after the legal follow-up period is over, you can feel free to approach Snehankur for any advice or assistance.