Community Corner

Parents Talk: Speeding Up the Adoption Process

Parents adopting children in England are to be given extra support and a "more active role" in the adoption process. Should the United States do something similar?

Most adoptive parents or those waiting to adopt, will likely tell stories of the long and sometimes difficult process they go through to bring a child home.

According to BBC News, England's government is attempting to speed their own processes up and provide more support for adopting parents.

Government officials want more adoptive parents to come forward to increase the number and speed of adoptions. According to the article, the number of children approved for adoption rose from 3,000 in 2010 to more than 4,000 in 2012, government figures show. But there are still about 4,000 in care waiting to be matched with prospective parents.

Find out what's happening in Richfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In the article, Children's minister Edward Timpson said up to 25,000 people asked about adopting each year, but thousands ended up being deterred by the process and the delays.

In Minnesota, many times training classes are required before a person or couple can even submit an application to adopt. A home study follows and at this point, the process has taken anywhere from four to six months, according to MN Adopt. Then families wait for placement, which has no guaranteed time. The full Minnesota adoption process can be seen here.)

Find out what's happening in Richfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, 423,000 children are living without permanent families in the United States, with 115,000 of them eligible for adoption. 

Do you think the United States government or Minnesota's legislature should take a more active role in streamlining the adoption process? Do you think the current system is necessary to ensure the best fit for a child? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here