The adoption process begins with the prospective adoptive parents filling out an application which involves getting an adoption order from the High court of Kenya. Next follows completion of a dossier which is a collection of other documents that form a framework for the adoption process. The dossiers must receive different levels of certification before they are completely filled.
Among the dossier documents is a home report. It is completed by a social worker who evaluates the family of the prospective adoptive parents to ascertain that they are eligible for the adoption. When completely filled, the dossier is then mailed to the Kenya Children’s Home for further processing. If it gets approved, it is then taken to the National Adoption Committee who presides over the adoption process. The above process may take six to eight months
Once the National Adoption Committee approves the dossier, the prospective adoptive parents are then issued with a referral document. The document contains information on the adoptable child. This includes the photograph, medical information and the social history of the child. At this stage, the prospective adoptive parents review the information on the referral with an international doctor to ascertain whether they are willing to adopt that child or not.
If the prospective adoptive parents accept to adopt the given child, they are then expected to remain in Kenya for at least six months for bonding purposes especially in the first three months. A social worker will visit the family who now live with the child temporarily to assess the bonding process. The social worker then forwards a report to the Court.
During this time, the prospective adoptive parents will wait for various approvals from the United States immigration and the Kenyan government authorities. This is because they are expected to leave the country after the bonding period is over. The family is also expected to work with their lawyer to finalize on the adoption process during the bonding period.
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