Adoption For Dummies

Get the facts on adoption fees and legal issues What to expect every step of the way when adopting a child Are you ready to adopt? This reassuring guide walks you through the process, from choosing the right form of adoption and finding an agency to filling out forms, meeting with birthparents, and getting through the waiting period. You get tips on surviving the home study, dealing with family members, and sharing the adoption story with your child. The Dummies Way Explanations in plain English "Get in, get out" information Icons and other navigational aids Tear–out cheat sheet Top ten lists A dash of humor and fun

Introduction. Part I: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Adoption but Didn’t Know Whom to Ask. Chapter 1: Adoption Basics. Chapter 2: Sorting It All Out: Types of Adoptions. Chapter 3: The Adoption Process from Beginning to End. Chapter 4: The Gasp Factor: What You Can Expect to Pay. Chapter 5: Who Can Adopt? Chapter 6: Building a Family through Adoption: Is It for You? Part II: Getting Started and Moving Forward, One Milestone at a Time. Chapter 7: Getting the Ball Rolling: Finding an Agency or Lawyer. Chapter 8: Thinking about Your Future Child. Chapter 9: Applications, Home Studies, and Other Really Fun Stuff. Chapter 10: Doing Hard Time: The Wait. Chapter 11: A Child’s Available! Now What? Placement and Follow–up Visits. Chapter 12: Here Comes the Judge: The Court Appearance. Part III: Birthmothers and Birthfathers. Chapter 13: God Bless the Birthmothers. Chapter 14: Birthfathers and Their Role in Your Adoption. Chapter 15: Keeping in Touch: Meetings and Contact with the Birthmother. Part IV: Issues Adoptive Families Face. Chapter 16: All in the Family: Issues You Deal with at Home. Chapter 17: Beyond the Family: Dealing with Outsiders. Chapter 18: What Can Go Wrong and What You Can Do. Chapter 19: In Search of . . . Birthparents. Part V: The Part of Tens. Chapter 20: Ten Great Books to Read to Your Kids. Chapter 21: Ten Support Groups for Adoptive Families. Chapter 22: Ten Helpful Web Sites. Index.

Tracy Barr is the coauthor of Latin For Dummies and contributor to World War II For Dummies and Religion For Dummies . Katrina Carlisle, BSW, LSW , is a social worker with 14 years experience in adoption and child welfare agencies.