Domestic |
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| It is a great
time to join our domestic program! |
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In order to have a diverse and successful
waiting family population JOH asks the
following:
1. All families who live outside of Oregon and Washington be open to adopting a
child of any race
2. All Illinois families be open to adopting a
child of any race
*JOH staff are
working with many expectant parents and need more
adoptive parents to show them at this time.
*Christian
families needed for Christian birth mothers
making an adoption plan |
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| 2011
Statistics are in! |
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Pacific NW
JOH Families |
*43% of families had a child
home within six months of being home
study ready
*93% of families had a child home within
one year of being home study ready |
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Illinois
JOH Families |
*43% of families had a child
home within six months of being home
study ready
*100% of families had a child home
within one year of being home study ready |
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| All
JOH Domestic Families |
*68% of
families had a child home within six
months of being home study ready
*94% of families had a child home within
one year of being home study ready |
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Quick Facts:
Age requirements:
Birthmothers often choose
youthful, active families. All families are encouraged
to contact
Kimberly@journeysoftheheart.net for
additional details.
Hague: No
Characteristics of Child:
Newborn infants, on occasion children up to toddler age.
The ethnicity of the children varies but can be
Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, or Asian.
Currently JOH is placing 75% Caucasian and 25% minority
races.
Wait Time (Vary) :70%
of JOH families complete an adoption within 6 months of
being home study ready. Approximately 85% of families
complete an adoption within one year.
Eligibility:
Usually, birthparents choose the adopting parents. Often
birthparents choose a couple who have an active,
youthful lifestyle and have 0-2 other children in the
home. However, families who don’t meet this criteria
also get chosen - call or email with JOH to discuss your
situation. All families must embrace or be able to come
to embrace open adoption - Call or email with JOH staff
who will describe typical open adoption situations |
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Overview:
The domestic adoption program has been placing infants
and toddlers since1993 and is a highly successful
program. Over the years it has grown to a program that
places approximately 38-40 infants a year. The program
remains open to new adopting families all year.
This program is set up to
provide for minimal financial risk to the adopting
parents. Journeys pays for the birth mother’s expenses
during her pregnancy and if she decides not to place
Journeys’ absorbs those costs.
Almost all our adoptions are
open ones with at least one-three visits a year. For
that reason it is important that all the adopting
families embrace open adoption. We suggest reading
“Making Room In Our Hearts,” by Micky Duxbury who takes
the fear and mystery out of open adoption. We firmly
believe after raising adopted children to adulthood that
knowing the birth parents helps the child emotionally.
JOH staff strives to develop
a close, trusting relationship with the expecting
parents in the program and meet as many of their
pregnancy related needs as is possible. The agency can
assist with rent, food, maternity clothes, medical bills
and any other pregnancy-related necessities. A drug and
HIV screen is completed during the pregnancy if at all
possible. Counseling to discuss options, the grief process, and
other issues that may be pertinent to the birth parent's
specific situation is available to all and is encouraged
before and after the birth.
Adopting parents who enroll
in the program will fill out the application and
additional paperwork allowing JOH staff to assess
whether the program will meet their needs. After an
in-person or over-the-phone interview, the family will
be notified about their status in the program. There
are no guarantees that a family will be chosen by
expecting parents, and no time frames can be predicted. For more
information please call (503) 681-3075 Monday-Friday, 9
AM to 5 PM or email
info@journeysoftheheart.net
Please Click Here
to read testimonials from our families. |
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| Laws: |
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Oregon
Adoption Law-
Oregon
adoption laws are among the most
progressive in the United States and are
strongly protective of the adoptive
parents. It is not necessary to have the
birth father's signature to complete the
adoption if he is not married to the
birth mother nor has supported her
throughout the pregnancy. Oregon birth
mothers usually sign legal documents
about 24 hours after the birth or close
to discharge from the hospital.
Once the adopting family has custody of
the baby and the birth mother has signed
the legal documents the adoption is
irrevocable.
However, if the birth mother changes her
mind after the adoption has taken place
and takes court action, the Oregon
courts may explore the legality of the
adoption for up to one year after
finalization. The birth mother has to
prove fraud or duress during the
adoption process in order to prevail.
The birth father may also take court
action up to one year finalization,
under the same conditions. If the birth
mother resides in Oregon the adopting
parent’s, even those from other states,
must finalize in Oregon because of the
protective nature of these laws.
Washington
Adoption Law-
Birth parents are able to sign legal paperwork prior to the birth of the child
and their rights are terminated 48 hours after the birth of the child. The birth
father must be notified of the adoption plans and he has 30 days to come forward
to take steps to prevent the adoption.
Illinois
Adoption Law-
The birth mother cannot sign legal documents until 72 hours after the birth.
During that time the baby can be placed with a foster family or with the
adopting parents. The birth father must be notified and he has 30 days to come
forward and take steps to prevent the adoption.
Interstate Compact-
Interstate Compact, which is a review of the adoption documents and jurisdiction
between the sending state and the home state of the adopting parents, usually
takes 5-10 working days to complete after the signing of the legal documents.
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| Additional Information: |
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JOH staff gathers information about the medical and
mental health history of the expecting mother's family.
The accuracy of this information will vary depending
upon the expecting mother's knowledge of her family.
There may be no information available about the father.
Families will need to send JOH their approved home study
or have one completed by JOH-Oregon, JOH-Illinois, and
JOH-Washington if the family resides in these states.
Families also need to complete a portfolio that will be
shown to expecting mothers considering families. JOH has
good instructions for putting together a successful
portfolio and will review the draft copy. Suggestions
may be made and changes should be made. Fifteen copies
of the portfolio (five for each office) are necessary
because they are not always received back from expecting
parents. Families may be asked to replenish the supply,
as necessary. Expecting mothers almost always choose the
adopting family and start a relationship with them
during the pregnancy.
Photo listings and Family
Letters are posted to the website where expecting
parents can view and get to know the adopting parents
better. This is a powerful family-building tool. Click here to view our
Waiting Families Page. |
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Open Adoption:
JOH believes that open adoption is the healthiest
arrangement for the child. This belief comes from many
sources including pleased children, families and birth
parents who are actively involved in open adoptions and
knowing the grief of many children who will never know
their birth parents. It is encouraged with all
expecting parents. Therefore, it is necessary that all
adoptive parents who apply to the program feel
comfortable with and are willing to be in an open
adoption. JOH staff educates expecting parents that
all adopting parents enrolled in the domestic program
desire and are willing to be in a meaningful,
lifelong
relationship with them, all for the good of the child.
JOH staff is pleased to talk with adopting parent(s)
about open adoption and we recommend reading “Making
Room In Our Hearts,” by Micky Duxbury for more
information on this arrangement.
Open adoption helps the child in these ways:
-Know they are loved by their birth parent
-Reduce the feelings of loss, abandonment, rejection,
shame
-Gives access to birth family information (family
stories, medical information, cultural knowledge)
-Encourages connections that are lost in a traditional
adoption (siblings, extended family)
Open adoption does include visits with the child and the
birth parents and should not be viewed as something the
adopting parents have to do in order to be in the
program. Instead it should be seen as a positive
arrangement put in place to benefit the child and one
that the adopting parents look forward to being involved
in.
Adoption agreements between birth parents and the
adopting parents are legally binding in many states and
must be adhered to by the adopting family.
It is anticipated that this program will place babies,
toddlers and older children who may be Caucasian,
Hispanic, Asian or full or part African-American. JOH is
looking for families who can help the child achieve and
maintain an ethnic identity if adopting across racial
lines.
A special service for families in the Domestic Program
are the photo listings on all four of Journeys’ websites
where expectant parents can view and get to know the
families better. We have found this to be a powerful
family building tool. You can find an
example by clicking
here.
Photo listings and Family Letters are posted to our
multiple websites, where Birth Parents from all the
across the United States can view and get to know you
better, any time night or day. A professionally
administered marketing campaign assures that families
appear to Birth Parents via all the major search engines
and social networking sites. We find this to be a powerful
family-building tool. Please Click Here
to read testimonials from our families. |
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For
more information please email
info@journeysoftheheart.net
For answers to your questions for all adoption programs
including fees please
click
here
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