ADOPTION SERVICES

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Adoption laws in every state require prospective adoptive parents to complete a pre-adoption assessment usually called a home study.  Birth parents who are planning to relinquish their child for adoption are required to complete counseling specific to the relinquishment process.  The State of New Mexico requires certification through the Children, Youth, & Families Department to provide these services in both private and agency adoptions.  Dr. Kenney is certified by the State to perform home studies and birth parent counseling.

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The home study prepares prospective couples for parenting an adopted child. The home study consists of interviews, the collection of various documents and paperwork, background clearances, and a home safety check.  Through this process, Dr. Kenney  gathers information about you and assess if a stable environment exists for your family to receive an adoptive placement. It is a time when the prospective adoptive parents and Dr. Kenney mutually assess the qualities and behaviors of each family member – the parents and other children in the home. The home study is an opportunity to identify family strengths and potential areas of challenge.   

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Dr. Kenney can complete home studies and provide required counseling services for: domestic private and agency adoptions; foster care adoptions; step-parent adoptions; guardianship and kinship adoptions; surrogacy; complex adoption situations; and wrongful adoptions.

Most home studies can be completed within two to three months. The home study process may take longer it may take more time to gather paperwork or complete other requirements. Additionally, sometimes certain child abuse clearances or criminal clearances take longer to receive, process, and clear.  Expedited studies are sometimes possible. Please feel free to contact Dr. Kenney to discuss time frames in more detail.