Adoptive Couples
Interested in Adopting?
What are the qualifications?
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute
Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy
Proverbs 31:8,9
If you are interested in adopting through Bundle of Hope Ministries (BOH), these requirements must be met. Some of these requirements are mandated by the State of Florida and the others are stipulated by our agency.
You must be able to submit to our agency a favorable Home Study Report. If you live in the State of Florida, BOH can provide this through our staff Social Worker. Our agency will also accept Home Studies from other agencies in Florida with pre-approval into our adoption program
If you live in another state, we can help you find an agency to provide home study services for you.
Post-Placement Supervision:
- If you live in the State of Florida, our agency will provide post-placement supervision and all required reporting. Once the baby is placed in your home, our agency social worker will visit your home (for Florida residents) and submit monthly reports until finalization. Out of state families will be required to have their social worker submit monthly post-placement reports until adoption finalization to meet ICPC (Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children) requirements. The social worker will need for you to provide the baby’s daily routine, feeding schedule, any pediatrician reports, and a summary of how the new addition to your family has affected your family life. Your social worker will supervise your adoptive placement until the finalization of the adoption. If you live out of state, the agency or social worker that provided your home study will be required to supervise and provide post-placement reports to our agency headquarters.
- You must be married for at least 5 years and be heterosexual.
- You and your spouse both need to be at least 25 years of age.
- Only Christian couples are qualified for the Bundle of Hope adoption program. Both spouses and your pastor must send in Statement of Faith that is approved by our agency.
- You must have a home church that you and your family are regularly attending.
- You will sign an agreement stating that you will submit to our agency photographs of your baby at 3 months intervals for the 1st year, and then every year thereafter until the age of 5. Your birth mother could request pictures until the age of 18 years of age, but it is not the norm. These photos will be placed in your birth mother’s file and released to her upon request.
- You must attend pre-adoption training classes or provide a statement listing at least 3 books that you have studied pertaining to adoption. You will be required to complete training and submit proof of completion before we can present your profile to birth mothers in the matching process.
Wait time for birth mother matching could take longer if the adoptive parents:
- Are over the age of 45
- Has a specific gender or racial preference for their adoptive child
- Have biological children
- Have more than 3 children (although some birth mothers request bigger families)
- Do not want a birth mother that smokes cigarettes during pregnancy
Typical Birth Mother
- She is usually in her last trimester of pregnancy
- She is typically in good health, but limited prenatal care
- Tested negative for HIV
- She is normally between the ages of 14–35 years of age
- She is already parenting a child, normally a single parent
- She has little or no financial support
- Does not want foster care for her child
- Does not want the State of Florida to help with her adoption plan and chooses a private adoption plan
- Wants a Christian couple to instill moral values and Godly character to the child
- Happily married couple with a big extended family that is excited about the adoption and is supportive
- Very nervous about meeting with the adoptive family. She wants them to not think badly of her but to understand her situation.
The Adoption Journey
Submit Application
Complete the application and forward this to our headquarters with the non-refundable application fee. If your application is denied, we will return your check with a denial letter.
Submit Home Study
All families are required to have a home study. If this study has not been completed, a preliminary program approval can be extended, pending your home study submission or Bundle of Hope social worker report completion.
Profile (or Portfolio)
The adoptive coordinator assigned to you will help you prepare your birth mother letter and your personal profile.
Waiting List
When your home study and 3 copies of your profile is submitted to our office, we will then place you on our waiting adoptive family list.
When we begin working with a pregnant woman that is choosing the gift of adoption, we ask her to complete a questionnaire that will indicate what she is looking for in a family that she will choose to parent her child. We then begin to pray over the profiles, asking for God’s will to be done, and then present her with 3 to 4 families that match what she is requesting. If the Birth mother wants us to select the family for her, we normally will select a family that has had a failed adoption or the family that has been on our wait list the longest. Bundle of Hope Ministries average waiting time is approximately 3 to 6 months for African American babies, 6 months to 1 year for biracial and 9 to 18 months for Caucasian. We at Bundle of Hope Ministries believe that God’s timing is always perfect and He has ordained the families that He has for any given child.
Matched With Your Birth Mother
Once your birth mother selects you to parent her child, your journey is about to begin.
We believe that with adoption situations, the baby will have 2 mothers: one mother that is birthing in the womb, the other mother birthing the baby in her heart.
This journey can be emotional for you and the birth mother, and we at Bundle of Hope Ministries are here to help you and your birth mother through this difficult but exciting time.
Bundle of Hope Ministries will coordinate all meetings between the birth mother and adoptive parents. We will communicate all situations that develop while you go through the process.
A representative will be with you at your first meeting with the birth mother. If the first meeting is by telephone, we will conference the call and accompany both you and the birth mother.
The birth mother may request that she speak with you weekly to get to know you better and feel more comfortable before placing her baby with your family. We will make those arrangements for you with the birth mother.
Placement
You will be contacted immediately at the time your birth mother goes into labor. If the birth mother and adoptive couple have agreed that they will all be in the delivery room, the adoptive family will need to leave for the hospital as soon as possible. Sometimes the birth mom only feels comfortable for the family to be at the hospital but not in the delivery room. In either event, you will still need to get to the hospital quickly. The birth mother will make her wishes known in a hospital plan done before delivery.
Once the baby is born, the baby may stay either in the nursery or with the birth mother in her room. You can visit with the baby in either situation. There is nor right or wrong way for visitation to happen. We need to have an understanding on the birth mother’s wishes before we get to the hospital. The birth mother will have the option to change her mind on the hospital plan at birth. Just because she wants the baby in her room does not necessarily mean that she is going to parent the child. Please try to cooperate with the birth mother at this time and have faith. This is very hard on all involved and we will make every effort to help with any issues that may arise at the hospital.
The birthmother does not sign the final Consent to Adoption legal documents until either she has been officially discharged from the hospital or a minimum 48 hours after the birth of the baby. You will then take the baby home with you if you live in the State Of Florida. For residents of all other states, you will get approval from our Florida and your home State’s ICPC office. These legal procedures normally take approximately 5 to 10 days. Once Bundle of Hope receives verbal approval from both ICPC offices, you may then travel back home with your child!
Post Placement
Your post placement supervision phase will begin immediately upon your return home. You will have monthly contact with your social worker on the progress of the baby until we finalize all legal procedures. Finalization of your adoption normally is completed 5 to 6 months after placement, in accordance with Florida law.
