Getting our package together

In the post And the Ball is Rolling Folks... we went over some of the steps we would be going through on the road to domestic adoption. Today we want to share with you how the process is coming along.

There are 11 documents required for the main part of our application package. We are well on our way. We had hoped to have it done by Christmas but that proved to be difficult. We are now hoping to complete our package (at least the parts that are available to us) before the end of January.

1. Intervention Record Check (Status: COMPLETE/IN THE MAIL)

This is also known as a child welfare check. This check ensures that neither of us have ever been involved in a situation where welfare services or human services had to intervene on a child's behalf. It's kind of scary to think there are people like that out there.

It took a little digging but eventually we were able to find out where we needed to go to complete the check. The child and families services regional office in Calgary is in Kensington.

We tried to go over the holidays (the website says they're open M-F except stats) but they were closed for two weeks. We ended up being able to find time to go in mid January. So the papers are in the mail and the results should take 6-8 weeks to arrive. This check was free.

2. Security Clearance Check (Status: COMPLETE)

This is also known as a police check. Not all police stations can run this check so you need to go online and see which ones you can go to before heading out. We ended up going to one in the deep south while running errands one day. This check was $30 each and took about a month to come in the mail. All clear!

3. References (Status: OUR PART COMPLETE/REFERENCE QUESTIONNAIRE INCOMPLETE)

For the references we submit the names and contact information of three people (one of them can be a relative and two friends). We've chosen three amazing people in our lives to support us in this way. One is Taya's best friend who has supported our relationship since day one and has always been there for us. The second is a lady we work with that has been an inspiration and amazing support system for us and especially Taya through her sickness, the emotional ups and downs and the adoption process. The third has been our friend for over a decade and knows us both better than most. Once we submit our package these three will be sent a three page questionnaire by the adoption agency.

4. Medicals (Status: COMPLETE)

Included in our package were two forms for our doctor to fill in (one for each of us). These forms asked general questions about our mental and physical health. The forms also asked if, in our doctor's opinion, there was any reason we should not be parents. Our doctor's office charges $40 for each medical.

5. Financial Statements (Status: COMPLETE)
We thought this part would be a lot harder until we actually started filling it out. This is simply a one page form regarding our annual income, life insurance, assets, liabilities, and net worth. It's a very simple form. The only thing that was a little tricky is it asks about accounts that are very liquid. For example it asked how much we have in our bank account and how much we owe on our credit card. These amounts are very liquid but we did our best to be accurate.

6. T4 Slips (Status: COMPLETE)
This is simply a copy of our T4s from last year. We have all of these things in a giant "life" binder so they were easy to access.

7. Personal Legal Documents (Status: COMPLETE)

This is our birth certificates. We must either send the originals or a notarized copy. We didn't feel comfortable parting with the originals so we opted to have them notarized. Typically it would cost about $50 to have them notarized but we know a few lawyers and were able to get it done for free!

Once we are married in May we will have to get our marriage certificate notarized and added to our application.

 8. Application Part 1 and Contract (Status: COMPLETE)

The application part 1 is a three page form that starts by outlining our contact information, employment information and personal history. It later goes into a general description of both of us including physical descriptions, education levels, etc. The last part is about emotional/psychological care and asks if we currently or in the past accessed counseling services or support groups.

9. SAFE Questionnaire 1 (Status: COMPLETE)

SAFE stands for Structured Analysis Family Evaluation. The questionnaire is 11 pages and goes into depth regarding our relationship with our families (especially our parents). It paints a pretty vivid picture

10. Application Parts 2 and 3 (given out at a seminar) (Status: INCOMPLETE)
These parts will be given to us at a weekend seminar in February.

11. Dear Birthparent Letter and Photos (Status: INCOMPLETE)
This has been the hardest part of the whole process so far. We want to write a great letter and there is a lot of pressure. We plan on writing a full post on this process including websites we found helpful. The general guidelines from our agency state the letter should be no more than two pages and 4-6 pages of pictures. We plan on making ours look more like a newsletter/scrapbook than a letter so we will be combining these two.

Costs associated with application package:
Submission of application: $850
Security clearance check: $30 x 2 = $60
Medicals: $40 x 2 = $80
Personal legal documents: $0 (we had a friend donate her services but usually this costs $50)
TOTAL: $990

The overall package wasn't too difficult to put together. There were two big parts that were difficult: the amount of paper required and the letter. It does feel overwhelming at times but it will all be worth it. Soon it will be complete and we will be on our way!

Has anyone else out there gone through this process?? Do you have any tips/suggestions/words of encouragement?

Love,

Taya and Kyle

Thank you for all your love and support!!
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