Adoptions requirements in Arizona differ subject to the type of adoption you are seeking and the professional(s) you work with. For instance, adopting a child in Arizona is going to have different conditions than adopting a child in foster care. Similarly, there are varying requirements for adopting a child internationally compared to adopting a child in the states.
When you are an expecting birth mother, you could be reading this because you’re curious about what is required for prospective adoptive parents to be acceptable to adopt. Luckily, having a national adoption agency such as American Adoptions, they thoroughly screen all promising adoptive parents, and you get to decide on the adoptive family that is going to raise your baby.
The most significant adoption requirements in Arizona are without fail the same: that a family can fulfill the emotional, safety, social, physical, and mental well-being requirements of the child. Comprehending this and the additional requirements to adopt in the state is one of the initial actions to take when you are contemplating about adopting a child.
Do I have to be married to adopt in Arizona?
Any adult resident of the state of Arizona, regardless of marital standing – single, married, separated, divorced, or widowed – can adopt. Husbands and wives are able to adopt together. Nevertheless, in accordance with Arizona statutes, “If all relevant factors are equal and the choice is between a married man and woman certified to adopt and a single adult certified to adopt, placement preference shall be with a married man and woman.”
Are same-sex couples able to adopt in Arizona?
Absolutely. Same-sex couples can request for joint adoption, just like heterosexual couples. LGBT couples are welcome warmly to adopt using American Adoptions in Arizona. When looking into other adoption agencies, this question should always be asked. Even though the law enables LGBT couples to adopt, many agencies might still hold out of date prejudices.
What age do you have to be to adopt in Arizona? Are there adoption age restrictions?
In accordance with Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS), any adult age eighteen or older is acceptable to adopt. On the other hand, adoption professionals might have different predilections about what is an appropriate age range for being an adoptive parent. For instance, American Adoptions prefers possible adoptive parents to be between age twenty-two and fifty, but concessions have been made. The Arizona DCS has a requirement that adults to be at a minimum of twenty-one years old to become a foster parent.
What else am I required to have to adopt a child in Arizona? How difficult is it to adopt a baby in AZ?
Along with the requirements aforementioned, there are some more common qualifications for adoption in AZ that must be fulfilled to adopt a child. Possible adoptive family’s needs to also prepare for the following aspects to be taken under consideration by adoption agencies:
Health Requirements
You don’t have to be in ideal health to adopt a child in Arizona, but you do need to be able to fulfill the physical requirements of bringing up an infant or child. Throughout the home study assessment, you must submit a physician’s review of physical health. The overall health of your family is going to be review by adoption agencies.
Financial Requirements
You don’t need to be rich to adopt. But, as part of your home assessment, you are going to be required to submit a financial record indicating that you are financially stable enough to meet the costs of the adoption process and the expenses of providing for a new child. In Arizona, you can own and/or rent your house or apartment.
Emotional Requirements
The emotional requirements are probably the most vital adoption qualification in AZ. Whereas you can’t submit a straightforward document demonstrating that you are prepared emotionally to adopt a child; your adoption professional is going to be evaluating your overall preparedness as you begin this process. To guarantee your adoption experience is as streamlined and successful as feasible, it’s important to fulfill the below emotional requirements to adopt when you:
- have progressed from the distress of being infertile and have fully welcomed the vision of having a child through adoption rather than biologically.
- and your spouse are in complete agreement in regard to your intention to adopt and your plans for accomplishing it. An adoption can only be successful when both partners share the same passion and goals for adopting.
- have educated yourself concerning the Arizona adoption process and are prepared to manage the ups and downs that come along with it.
- are prepared for and enthusiastic about the relationship you are going to have with the child’s birth family, and you understand that you are going to need to let go of the aspirations of being biologically related to the child.
- are going to remain enthusiastic about and devoted to adoption, through the good days and the bad days. The successful outcome of your adoption is dependent upon this excitement.
Source:
- American Adoptions, I. (n.d.). “what does adoption mean to a child?”. American Adoptions – 5 Important Arizona Adoption Requirements to Know. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://www.americanadoptions.com/arizona-adoption/arizona-adoption-requirements
