Give a child a forever family…
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Cardinal McCloskey Services has been recognized by NYC for its Outstanding
Achievements in the field of Adoption for 10 consecutive years.
Read More.
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The Cardinal McCloskey Services Adoption Unit works to find permanent loving families for our children who cannot return to living with their biological families and who have been legally freed for adoption by a family court judge or by a parent's voluntary surrender.
When a child is legally freed for adoption, the child's foster family is always given first consideration as an adoptive family. In many instances, the foster family does choose to adopt and there is little disruption in the child's life. In some cases, the foster family chooses not to adopt and then adoptive parents are needed.
The "Blue Book" Adoption Album
Once it is known that adoptive parents are needed, the child's name and photo
are placed in a state-wide Adoption Album - often referred to as the Blue
Book - which is a child photo-listing registry with the NYS Office of
Children & Family Services. Each page contains a photograph and a brief
biography of a child needing a family. The Adoption Album is updated
regularly to add children newly freed for adoption. Copies of The Adoption
Album are available at public and private adoption agencies, at most
libraries, and at other locations across the state and throughout the
country as well as on-line.
Click here to visit the Adoption Album on-line.
Once a family interested in adopting a Cardinal McCloskey child contacts us, the adoption process begins. The legal process of adopting, from application to finalization, can be a lengthy one. It may take six months or more from the time a family applies until a child is placed in their home due to the need to conduct a home study, match the right child with the right family and to prepare the child for his new home. It will take at least three to twelve months after that before the adoption may be finalized in court.
The Adoption Process
Submitting An Adoption Application
This application requests information on background, family composition, and the number of people living in the home. Prospective adoptive parents are asked to describe the type of child they would like to adopt. This information is necessary to ensure that each child is placed with the family most able to meet the child's needs.
When families apply to adopt, agencies must check with the New York State Child Abuse and Maltreatment Register to determine whether an applicant, or any person over the age of 18 who resides in the home, has previously abused or maltreated a child. A criminal history check for a prospective adoptive parent or any other person over the age of 18, who is currently residing in the home is also required.
Completing A Home-study
Once a family has completed an application, a social worker specializing in adoption works with the prospective adoptive family to complete a home-study report. A home-study is a series of meetings, interviews, and training sessions involving Cardinal McCloskey and the prospective adoptive family. The home-study requests family history and medical information and will require documentation of information provided.
Sometimes prospective adoptive families find the home-study process difficult, but it is an essential part of adoption that helps them decide whether they are ready to adopt. A home-study also allows Cardinal McCloskey to find out more about what the prospective family has to offer. This helps agencies appropriately place children in their care. The process can be intense, but it is in the best interest of both the child and the prospective adoptive family. Some families withdraw temporarily to consider whether they are ready to adopt.
New York State regulations require Cardinal McCloskey Services to complete the home-study within four months. After completion of the home-study, the social worker prepares a written summary about the family. Prospective adoptive families can review and discuss the written summary and add their own comments. Cardinal McCloskey uses this summary in the placement process.
Working With The Adoption Specialist
Once a home-study has been approved and all parties are in agreement regarding the proposed adoption, Cardinal McCloskey Services works with the family and child to facilitate the adoption.
Visiting With The Child
Once it is decided that a child is ready to meet the prospective adoptive family, the family and child can begin visiting. Visits often take place in one of the visiting rooms at one of the Cardinal McCloskey offices, in the home where the child lives, or in the adoptive family's home. Visits start as short meetings, increasing in length as the family and child get to know one another. Visitation can last for a period of weeks or months before the child moves in with the adoptive family.
Attending Agency-sponsored Training
Cardinal McCloskey Services expects prospective adoptive parents to participate in adoptive parent training. This training usually consists of multiple sessions designed to help families understand adoption; examine the strengths they bring to adoption; decide whether they are ready to adopt; provide skills and knowledge needed when adopting and help families understand the needs of foster children, as well as the kind of child they would best parent.
Arranging Adoption Subsidies
Adoption subsidies are available for children who are handicapped or hard to place. Families adopting older children and children requiring greater resources receive higher adoption subsidies.
Adoption subsidies are paid monthly. They continue until the child reaches the age of 21, unless the adoptive parent is no longer legally responsible for the support of the child or the child is no longer receiving any support from the adoptive parent.
Many children also qualify for Medicaid. This is especially important for families adopting children with disabilities. Medical coverage ensures that the family's financial situation will not be threatened by potentially catastrophic medical costs.
In cases where adoption subsidies are available, they are available regardless of the adoptive parents' income.
Supervision & Support
Adoption does not become official the day a child is placed with an adoptive family. Unless the adoptive parent is seeking to adopt a foster child for whom he or she has already been providing care, New York State law requires that Cardinal McCloskey supervise families for three months after placement before an adoption becomes legal. This waiting period is very important. It allows CMS to ensure that the family and child are comfortable together and that the family can meet the child's needs.
During the supervisory period, a caseworker will visit regularly to provide support and assistance. After three months, if the placement is deemed successful, then Cardinal McCloskey Services will consent to the family's petition to adopt.
Completing The Adoption in New York State Court
An adoption generally is completed with the assistance of an attorney
retained by the adoptive parents. The attorney files a petition in court.
When all of Cardinal McCloskey's paperwork has been submitted, the adoption
is finalized in court. The family agrees to assume full legal rights and
obligations for the child's care, and CMS's supervision is no longer
required.
The NYC Department of Social Services offers pre-adoptive families financial assistance with their legal fees. If a prospective family cannot afford an attorney, the Cardinal McCloskey Services Adoption Unit has a list of attorneys that will wait for reimbursement of legal fees from New York City.
Post Adoption Services May Be Needed
The adoption experience requires that families and children make a series of transitions. Many of these changes are exciting, but some are difficult. Adoptive parent groups can be a valuable resource for helping families through the adoption experience. New York State has many adoptive parent groups that provide:
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For a list of parent support groups, call the New York State Adoption Service at 1-800-345-5437
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- informational meetings
- newsletters and other printed materials
- community adoption recruitment materials
- listings of community resources
- support groups
- social events
These groups bring together adoptive families and families considering adoption to exchange ideas and offer support. This opportunity can be helpful throughout the adoption experience, even after the adoption is finalized. Because adoption is a lifelong process, sometimes adoptive families need advice or information many years after adopting a child. It is important for families to know that support is available at any time, before and after the adoption is finalized. Adoptive parent groups provide an excellent means to discuss age-appropriate responses to the questions adopted children ask about their birth families and why they were adopted.
There are many children waiting for that forever family that they have dreamed about.
If you are interested in adopting a child, visit the
Adoption Album today.
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