The following is an overview of AAAA's private adoption process.  Because multiple parties are involved, each step requires flexibility, honest communication and patience.

1. Pre-birth counseling
   Adoptive parents attend pre-adoptive training and work with an adoption resource worker to complete a home study.  This 10 to 20-page document provides biological parents and other social workers background necessary to the selection process.  Birth parents receive counseling to help consider options.

2. Family and child matching
   If the birth mother did not come to the agency with a particular family in mind, the agency works to identity a waiting family.  Key to finding a suitable match is whether each party wants an open vs closed adoption.

3. Pre-adoption planning
   Both biological and adoptive parents have input into where the child is placed and the terms of the adoption.  After a series of mediated discussions and personal decision-making, a cooperative agreement establishing prenatal care, financial or housing obligations, labor and birthing arrangements, etc., is spelled out.  Expectations for contact or communication after adoption are also formalized.

4. Birth and/or transfer of custody
   In the case of infants, the hospital discharges the baby to the agency and the infant either goes directly to adoptive parents or into foster care for 72 hours.

   The birth mother can sign an agreement conferring authority to place the child with the adoptive family 72 hours after giving birth.  She then has 10 working days before the agreement is irrevocable.

   For older children, legal parental rights must be terminated for a child to be free for adoption.  While the termination is pending, adoptive parents may care for the child with a temporary foster care license.

5. Post-adoption supervision
   Adoptive parents may file a petition for adoption any time after the child is placed in the home.  The agency supervises adoptive families for at least three months before the adoption can be finalized.  The agency then has 90 days in which to provide a formal report to the court.

6. Adoption finalization
   The adoption is made official in court.  The agency provides the court an itemized list of expenses paid by adoptive parents and a referral list of all attorneys involved in the case.