1. Why does adopting a child cost so much?

There is a lot of work that goes into locating birth mothers. For instance, we do a lot of advertising across the United States, provide housing, counseling services, travel expenses, medical expenses, and case managers support services for each of our birthmothers. As well, we assist birth mothers financially to get back on their feet after giving birth to your child. We also complete all Interstate compact (ICPC) services for you. The culmination of all these services is the reason for the expense.

2. What financial assistance is available to prospective adoptive parents?

There are numerous financial assistance grants, subsidies, and tax credits that support families in moving forward to adopt a waiting child. Listed below is a link to a fact sheet of the many available options. If you have further questions a Heart to Heart representative will be more than willing to tell you more.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE SHEET (MS Word)
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE SHEET (PDF)

Tax deductions
Talk to your tax professional about tax deductions you can claim for the year of your adoption. The current Federal deduction is set at up to $10,390.00. Check to see what the deduction is for your state of residence. For more information click on the following link:

http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc607.html

3. What if I wish to adopt now but do not have the necessary resources?

It is virtually free to adopt from your state foster care system and many children even have state subsidies that assist the family who adopt them to meet their needs. As well, there are many grants, subsidies, and lines of credit available to assist families who wish to adopt but do not have the necessary resources. Please review the financial assistance sheet provided as a link in question 2 to review and decide what course of action is best for you and your family.

4. Does Heart to Heart conduct the home study?

Heart to Heart employs several adoption professionals that are licensed to conduct home studies in the state of Utah. As well, Heart to Heart maintains a large network of other adoption agencies and profession outside the state of Utah to assist families who reside in other states. Heart to Heart charges a one time home study fee of $650. This home study is transferable to the agency of your choice. In addition, Heart to Heart willingly accepts home studies that were completed by other licensed adoption agencies or licensed professionals.

5. How long does it take to adopt?

Generally the wait times to adopt a child are as follows:
To adopt a full Caucasian infant is 8 – 12 months, to adopt a bi-racial child the wait is 3 – 5 months, and to adopt a full African American child the wait is between 1- 3 months. The wait periods above can vary as each individual birthmother chooses her adoptive family by reviewing the adoptive family profiles.

6. What happens if a birthmother elects to parent after she has selected us as prospective adoptive parents?

Only the expenses that were used would be lost (living up to that point, and travel). The rest would be rolled over to a new situation.

7. Do you work with birthmothers all over the United States?

Yes, Heart to Heart works with birth mother in all 50 states. We do not discriminate on the basis of location.

8. How does Heart to Heart Adoptions find healthy babies faster than other programs?

A. There are TWO distinct reasons why Heart to Heart brings children and families together much more quickly than other agencies:

1) Heart to Heart’s staff is the principle reason we locate waiting children so swiftly. At Heart to Heart Adoptions, we pride ourselves on developing a uniquely special relationship with each of our birth mothers. As well, all Heart to Heart employees are readily accessible for our birth mothers 24 hour a day, 7 day a week, to provide them with the counseling and support services they need.

2) Heart to Heart does not restrict advertising solely to the state of Utah. In Fact, Heart to Heart maintains a national advertising campaign that combined with Heart to Heart’s national marketing research, permits us to be one of the most efficient agencies in locating birth mothers. In fact we are contact by almost 300 pregnant women each month inquiring about our adoption services.

9. When and how do birth mothers select the adoptive parents?

There are generally two ways in which a birth mother can select an adoptive family for her child:

1) The birth mother can choose for Heart to Heart to select an appropriate family for her child. If this is the case, Heart to Heart makes all efforts be timely in selecting the most appropriate family for the waiting child.

2) If the birth mother wishes to select an adoptive family on her own, she will begin the selection process as soon as she has arrived in Utah, completed her initial paper work, and visited the doctor for the first time. A Heart to Heart employee then provides the birth mother with adoptive individual or couple profiles until the birth mother selects the individual or couple that she feels is right for her child.

10. Is our Adoptive Profile shown to more than one birthmother at a time?

No. Birth mothers are generally provided with any where from 3 to 5 adoptive individual and couple profiles at any given time. Heart to Heart strives to present the birth mother with the profiles which best correspond to the wishes of the individual birth mother and the adoptive individual or couple. More profiles are shown to a birth mother upon her request.

11. Can we choose the gender of our baby?

Yes! Heart to Heart does allow our adoptive individuals and couples to be gender specific. It may be the case that you are matched with the birth mother prior to the gender of the child being revealed. Heart to Heart hopes that all adoptive individuals and couples would not reject a baby because it ends up being the “wrong” gender, but we do respect the wishes and desire of our clients. In the end, Heart to Heart strives to match you with the child you request.

12. What are the ages of children being adopted?

Heart to Heart most often places newborns, though from time to time we have placed children ranging in ages from infants to 10 years old.

13. Do I need to be married to adopt a child from Heart to Heart?

No, you do not need to be married to adopt with Heart to Heart Adoptions. Heart to Heart is willing to work with individuals as well as couples. Some of the best adoptive parents that Heart to Heart has worked with have been individuals.

14. Is there any age criterion to adopt?

The only age criterion to adopt is set forth in the Utah State Adoption Code which reads as follows:

78-30-2. Relative Ages
A person adopting a child must be at least ten years older than the child adopted, unless the petitioners for adoption are a married couple, one of which is at least ten years older than the child.

15. Is there a designated physician for the birthmother’s pre-natal care?

Heart to Heart currently works with Pioneer Valley Hospital OB-GYN doctors to provide our birth mothers with the up-most prenatal care possible.

16. Does Heart to Heart require HIV and Drug testing for birthmothers?

Yes, Heart to Heart does require that the birth mothers complete HIV and Drug screenings.

17. Can a birth mother change her mind and take the baby back? How secure is our adoption?

Adoption security is the number one issue on the minds of most adoptive individuals and couples today. Over the last ten years there have been more than 1,000,000 children placed for adoption. Only a minute fraction of these adoptions have ever been DISRUPTED, and the baby returned to the birth parents. In most of these instances, smaller adoption agencies and incompetent attorneys made severe errors that contributed to the unsuccessful adoption.

Heart to Heart has completed hundreds of successful adoptions without any complications. As well, the state of Utah protects the rights of Adoptive Parents. Heart to Heart’s legal contemporaries have the knowledge and know-how to guide you through the legal steps of adoption. Heat to Heart is committed to providing you with a secure adoption.

18. Can we be at the hospital when the baby is born?

This is completely up to the birth mother. The birth mother has the sole discretion to decide who will be in the delivery room when the child is born. Many times the birth mother and the adoptive family have built a strong relationship, and the birth mother will request that they be in attendance during the birthing process. Be sure to discuss with your birth mother you desires while at the same time respecting hers.

CALL OUR TOLL FREE HOTLINE AT 1-866-71ADOPT (1-866-712-3678)