Heartsent
Adoptions, Inc.
Main Office:
San Francisco Bay Area
15 Altarinda Rd, #100
Orinda, Ca 94563
Phone 925 254 8883
Fax 925 254 8866
Sacramento Area Office:
7940 California Av, #2
Fair Oaks, Ca 95628
Phone 916 965 8881
Fax 916 965 8893
Southern Ca. Office
454 S. Marengo Av
Pasadena, Ca 91101
Phone 626 793 8333
Fax 626 793 2738
Adoption Process
Adoption Articles
All photos on this website feature adopted children
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. How old are the children?
In China, mostly infant girls are able to be adopted. They are between the ages of 10 months and 12 months. There are also toddlers and girls up to ten years old. Special needs and healthy boys can be adopted as well, though not as frequently. From Eastern Europe/Central Asia (Kazahstan, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine), children can be adopted between the ages of 9 months to 10 years, most being 8 months to 3 years. There are both boys and girls who need families. From Guatemala, boys and girls can be adopted from infancy to 12 years. Most children referred to families are infants, then the court process begins which is 4-7 mths in length. Domestic adoption offers newborns, or toddlers and older children through the foster adopt program in California.
2. How do we start the adoption process?
You begin your process by calling to receive an information packet from Heartsent, requesting home study and country specific or domestic adoption information. Following this you can call to set up an appointment to meet with us at Heartsent and give us your application materials. We will discuss your options in an open, honest way, using our own experience as adoptive parents to help guide your process. After you make the decision to begin working with Heartsent as your home study agency, you will be matched with a social worker, file with INS (if adopting internationally), and begin your homestudy for an international or domestic adoption. The home study typically takes between 6-8 weeks to complete. Along the way you will attend focus classes, and have opportunities to meet others in the adoption process.
3. What is the next step?
While you are completing your home study, you will be discussing with your social worker the various country choices available, including domestic adoption. Once you select your child's birth country, you will be focusing your efforts on specific paperwork requirements for that country. For a foreign adoption,you must wait until the home study is done and INS approval has been granted before you will be able to locate your child or receive a child referral. If you are wanting a domestic adoption, you can choose between one of three domestic adoption options. Come interview with us to learn more!
4. After applying to a country (including US domestic) how long before we can adopt?
This depends on the country, but generally 5-10 months. Domestic adoptions typically take less than one year to complete.
5. Who will help us during our stay in our child's birth country? You will be assisted each step of the way, either by Heartsent staff who may be escorting you, or by individuals working with our staff such as program coordinators and guides. Heartsent will be in constant contact with the agencies and individuals in the birth country to track your progress and provide assistance if necessary.
6. How long is the stay in the birth country? Generally between 5 to 14 days, depending upon the country and the location within that country. Domestic adoption may require up to two weeks in the child's birth state before you can bring your infant home.
7. Is it possible for us to work with Heartsent all the way through our adoption? For countries where Heartsent has an internal program (currently Asian and central Asian countries, and Guatemala), you can work with us to complete your home study, prepare your foreign documents, then receive travel assistance once it is time to meet your child and bring him/her home. We can also work with our liaison programs and can network with you and the liaison program to form a "team" approach to your adoption. This way we can provide you with continuing clinical services, classes and cultural events throughout your adoption experience, as well as assist you with your dossier preparation and travel. For a domestic adoption, Heartsent joins with adoption agencies and attorneys to complete your adoption, providing local education, support and a personal touch to your adoption process.