There’s no need to learn how to sign up for adoption, because any prospective birth mother can choose adoption.

You only need to seek out an adoption specialist who can answer all your questions, like “What papers are needed to ‘give a child up’ for adoption?”

Thankfully, adoption professionals who work at adoption agencies can help you fill out all adoption paperwork.

Outside of choosing your baby’s adoptive family, filling out the legal adoption paperwork is one of the most important parts of adoption. The “giving your child up” for adoption paperwork may feel intimidating, but the task is easier when you prepare.

The four types of adoption paperwork you’ll need to fill out include:

• An adoption plan
• A social-medical form
• A hospital adoption plan
• Forms that show legal consent to the adoption

If you don’t have an adoption specialist but are ready to start the adoption process, you can reach out to an adoption specialist today for free. Continue reading if you’d like more information about the adoption paperwork you will fill out during the adoption process.

What Papers are Needed to Give a Child Up for Adoption?

There are four forms every prospective birth mother has to fill out to complete the adoption process. Each of these forms accomplishes three things:

1. Protects the birth mother: These forms ensure that you get to choose your child’s adoptive family. The documents also ensure your legal rights are upheld.
2. Protects the adoptive family: The information you provide will help adoptive families get to know your social and medical history. This ensures that when the adoptive family agrees to adopt your child, they are prepared to handle all the child’s needs. The paperwork also proves that your parental rights are legally terminated. This allows the adoptive family to parent your child legally.
3. Helps the adoption agency: The information you provide in these forms will help the adoption agency better understand your needs. An adoption specialist must understand all your needs to help you find the perfect adoptive family for your child.

The 4 “Giving Your Child Up” for Adoption Legal Papers

Form 1: Your Adoption Plan

The adoption plan is one of the most important physical (or online) forms for giving a baby up for adoption. This plan will detail everything you want and need during and after your adoption. An adoption plan typically includes:

• The type of adoptive family you’re looking for: You get to choose the ideal hopeful adoptive family for your child. Your adoption specialist will help you list your preferences, so you can find the adoptive family that’s best for your child. You should consider the “ideal” prospective adoptive family’s location, culture, religion, values, lifestyle, hobbies, and more.
• The type of adoption you want: You can choose between an open adoption, semi-open adoption, or closed adoption. Your choice of adoption will be based on how much contact you want to have with your child and the adoptive family during and after the adoption.
• The services you need: When you start to work with an adoption specialist, you’ll need to provide information that outlines your living situation and lifestyle. You’ll be asked about your living arrangements, support system, personal goals, educational aspirations, and financial needs. Your adoption specialist will use this information to help you get emotional and financial support.
• Other adoption details: Your adoption specialist will help lay out the details of what you need during and after your adoption. No detail is too small, so try and let your adoption professional know everything you’d like your adoption to include.

Form 2: Your Social-Medical History

Your adoption professional will ask for some personal information to get to know you and better understand your needs. At this point, the birth father (if involved) will begin to fill out similar forms, too.

The social-medical history form can sometimes feel intimidating to fill out because it lists your medical, social, and substance use history.

It’s normal to feel vulnerable while you fill out this form. It’s challenging to write out potentially traumatic and triggering information. And no one enjoys sharing personal medical information with people they don’t know well. You may even feel like you’re filling out an “adoption application” for pregnant women.

But, it’s essential to answer all the social medical history questions honestly to find the perfect adoptive family.

Hopeful adoptive families need to know your history to prepare for your child’s specific needs. Sharing your information also ensures that you get all the adoption help you need. None of the information you include in this form is used against you; it just helps your adoption specialist understand what you need.

Form 3: Your Hospital Plan

Your hospital plan is part of your adoption plan. But because birth plans are so personal, we want to highlight what typical birth plans include.

Your hospital plan will most likely include:

• Where you want to give birth
• Any delivery preferences
• Who will accompany you during the birth (your family, friends, etc.)
• How much time you’ll spend with the adoptive family (before and after the birth, if they will be present in the delivery room, etc.)
• If you’d like to nurse your baby
• If you’d like to take pictures with the adoptive family at the hospital
• If you’d like to leave the hospital with the adoptive family
• And much more

Think of your hospital plan like a general blueprint. You can always change your hospital plan – even if you’re already at the hospital. Always tell your adoption specialist if you need to change your hospital plan. Your adoption professional will help you get what you need.

Form 4: Your Adoption Consent

Once you complete your adoption consent forms, the legal paperwork portion of your adoption is complete. These legal “giving up” for adoption forms indicate that you legally relinquished your parental rights. Once you fill out this paperwork, your parental rights are legally transferred to your baby’s adoptive family.

You don’t have to fill out the adoption consent forms immediately after your child is born. Once you’ve delivered your baby, you typically have between 24 hours to a few days to complete this legal paperwork. Check with your adoption specialist to determine the consent waiting period in your state.

After you sign your adoption consent paperwork, there is a period of revocation where you can change your mind about placing your baby for adoption in some states. However, after that period passes, you will not be able to take your baby back legally.

You can always change your mind about adoption. Don’t fill out the adoption consent forms unless you are ready, and speak with your adoption specialist if you have questions or doubts.

Your Adoption Specialist Can Help You

Remember: You don’t have to fill out the “giving your child up” for adoption paperwork alone.

Your adoption specialist will help you fill out all your adoption forms. Your adoption professional will answer any questions you have about your adoption paperwork.

You never have to figure out your adoption forms alone. So, don’t hesitate to reach out to your adoption specialist whenever you have a question or need support. If you’d like to be connected with an adoption specialist, you can contact us today.