FAQ
Frequently asked questions
For Hopeful Adoptive Parents
Do you complete International Home Studies?
No. Our focus is on Domestic home studies.
What counties do you service?
We are currently offering our services to all of Pennsylvania. Please speak with a staff person to discuss your location.
How long does the Home Study take?
How long is a home study good for?
A full home study is valid for three years. During that time, however, we must conduct annual visits and complete a home study update. This ensures that any changes to family situation or dynamic are discussed and do not affect the ability to place a child in your home or family.
Can we specify gender of child?
Absolute Love Adoptions does not believe that specifying gender is ethical. We do not permit requests for the gender of the child desired.
What type of payments do you accept?
The agency accepts personal checks, cashier’s checks and we offer a pay online feature. Please speak with your Specialist to retrieve the code to pay online should you wish to use this service.
How do I get my clearances?
How often do we renew our clearances?
While each county may have different requirements, it is ALA policy that pre-adoptive families renew their clearances annually.
For Expectant Mothers
An expectant parent talks with the Adoption Specialist about the things that are important to them regarding the family they’d like for their child. Some expectant parents request the agency to pick a family, and want very little involvement. Others identify the race, family composition, religion, hobbies, or other characteristics of their desired family. We will work together to meet your needs regarding the things you feel are important. If the family of your reams is not available through Absolute Love, we use a large network of connections throughout the country to find the right fit for you.
We utilize our network of connections to other agencies, family profile sites and aggressive search to find the family that meets your needs.
You sure can! If you’d like to talk to the family beforehand, meet them, include them at the delivery, spend time with them, etc, that is up to you. We use the amount of contact you want with the family to help find the right family that is looking for the same level of openness and frequency of communication with you.
This also depends on what is decided in the Post Adoption Contact Agreement and is individualized based on the comfort levels of both families. You can communicate directly to one another and exchange personal information, you can go through the agency who will facilitate this arrangement for you, or you can go through an outside party to communicate. This will be discussed at length and included in your agreement.
You are not required to have your own attorney, but you are encouraged to. The agency covers the cost of any expenses related to your legal counsel. Best practice is that you at least consult with an attorney to know your rights and options, and it should be an attorney separate from the attorney the family is using.