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Adoption Services of Northeast Michigan |
Today, there are Michigan children who are in need of families who can provide a safe, nurturing, supportive, and loving environment. To accomplish this, recruitment of families from all areas of life is an ongoing campaign. At Child & Family Services of NE MI, our primary goal is to carefully bring together children and family creating a forever ending family. As a State of Michigan licensed private child care agency, our professional staff have and continue to receive exceptional training through the Michigan Department of Human Services Child Welfare Institute but equally important is their compassion for everlasting families.
We welcome all adoption inquiries and try to provide enough initial information to help families in making a decision about a particular adoption. Our brochure will help answer many of your initial questions. (Printable Brochure)
We offer families the choice of an open or closed adoption. Many families choose to adopt infants, but we often handle adoption of toddlers, young children, teenagers, and children with special needs.
To adopt a child, we require families to submit an application and attend an orientation/training session. Once this is completed, the families participate in a pre-placement assessment. An adoption worker helps the parents in deciding what type of adoption is best for them. Following the completed home study, Child & Family Services remains available for consultations and support, through the period of supervision before confirmation.
Adoption Process
The adoption process can be at times, complicated. However, the highly specialized staff will assist you through each phase. The adoption process entails the following:
- Completion of an adoption application
- Completion of a Preliminary Family Assessment
- Upon approval of the preliminary assessment, completion of a comprehensive Family Assessment
- Extensive Criminal History Clearances *Criminal convictions are evaluated for type of offense, length since conviction, severity of crime*
- Home Inspection
- Evaluation of Applicant’s Health
- Visitation with the identified child to be adopted
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Adoption Services we provide:
Orientation- An overview of our adoption program
Costs: There are no costs related to adopting a child who is committed to the Michigan Children's Institute.
However there are fees that apply to newborn infants released directly to the agency by the biological parent.
Financial Assistance for Special Needs Children
Although there is a wide array of children in need of adoption, often, they present with special needs; physical, medical, or emotional conditions. For eligible adoptive families, financial assistance comes in the form of what is referred to as Subsidy which there are three types; support, medical, and non-reoccurring. A support subsidy provides a monthly payment for the support of the adopted child until the child reaches 18 years. A medical subsidy may assist in paying for expenses that result from a physical, mental, or emotional condition which existed before the adoption. And Non-reoccurring subsidy is for reimbursement of court costs, psychological evaluations, etc. Publication 538, Michigan Adoption Subsidy Program Information Guide is a free informational pamphlet that describes subsidy.
Types of Children Who Are Available for Adoption
Children who are available for adoption are those whose biological parents parental rights have been terminated through the judicial process. Once parental rights have been terminated, these children are committed to the State of Michigan; Michigan Children’s Institute. Often, these children are placed in relative care, foster care, or alternate living arrangements until a permanent family can be identified and studied. There are all types of children awaiting adoption that range from infants to teenage years, children with physical, emotional or mental impairments, and siblings of two or more children.
To see a list of children awaiting adoption in Michigan, please visit the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange website at www.mare.org.
An additional website that features children throughout the United States can be located at www.adoptuskids.org.
Costs Associated with Adopting a Child
There are two types of adoption services conducted by Child & Family Services of NE MI. As a licensed child placing agency, we provide contractual adoption services to the Department of Human Services for children whose permanency goal is adoption. Families are recruited based on the specific needs of the child. There are no costs associated with adopting children committed to the Michigan Children’s Institute.
The second service is for those children who are not committed to the Michigan Children’s Institute such as international adoptions. For further information, please contact the main agency and an associate will assist you with you questions.
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Locations:
Alpena Main Office
1044 US 23 South
Alpena MI 49707
800-779-0396 (Toll free)
989-356-4048
989-356-4567
West Branch Satellite Office
PO Box 431
West Branch, MI 48661
866-939-5438 (Toll free)
989-345-3466
As a result of these two locations, we are able to provide services to Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Arenac, Bay, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Gladwin, Iosco, Kalkaska, Missaukee, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, and Roscommon counties.
For more information email:
James Juchartz Adoption Supervisor
Or Call Direct Program # (989) 356-4048 Toll free # (800) 779-0396 Main Agency # (989) 356-4567
