The world feels scary right now as our lives are all being disrupted by the global coronavirus pandemic. However, adoptions are still happening. Babies are still being born; birth parents are still making the decision to place children for adoption. Only time will tell how this pandemic will fully impact adoptions. This is an ever-evolving situation, and government recommendations and restrictions change daily and sometimes hourly. Based on the information I am seeing today, below are some predictions of how this unprecedented pandemic might affect your adoption.
Travel
If you are a hopeful adoptive family, seriously consider how comfortable you are with traveling over the next few months. If you are not comfortable traveling, inform the agency/attorney you are working with and ensure that you are not presented to expectant mothers that are out-of-state or outside of a reasonable distance you would be comfortable with right now (i.e., maybe your profile is only presented to expectant mothers who are within driving distance, if that’s something you are comfortable with).
Hospital
Most hospitals are severely restricting visitors and limiting the amount of support people that can be present for women delivering babies. As hopeful adoptive parents, the hospital experience always requires a certain amount of flexibility and deference to the expectant mother, but now more than ever, please be prepared to be flexible and always follow the hospital’s rules and procedures. Call ahead to find out what the visitor policy is at the particular hospital where the expectant mother will be delivering. Always defer to the expectant mother on who she wants present. Get comfortable with the idea that you may not be permitted to visit the hospital when the child is born.
ICPC
Many ICPC administrators are working remotely with less resources than they had previously. This may delay the ICPC approval process. On the flip side, I have heard that some ICPC approvals are happening quickly in order to get the family home as soon as possible. This will vary depending on the state and the backlog of cases they are working through.
Home Studies and Post-Placement Supervision
This will vary by region and by agency. Check in with your agency to see if they are still doing in-person meetings. If social workers are not permitted to meet in-person, it could delay your home study or the completion of your post-placement supervision.
Finalizations
Courts across the country are suspending services for non-emergency matters. For example, in San Diego, most courts are closed until April 3rd, Orange County courts until March 27th, and Los Angeles courts closed for three days, but are expected to extend most court closures. Expect that finalizations will get delayed as a result of the court closures. The extent of the delay will depend on how long the courts stay closed.
I know these are uncertain times but try to remember that we are all in this together and we will all have to learn to adjust as we go. Also remember that there are people here that are willing and able to help you!