Deciding to adopt
Some suggestions of things to do to help you in deciding if adoption is right for you.
Australians living abroad should make themselves aware of immigration restrictions on adopting whilst abroad
Read
Read personal accounts of adoptees, adoptive parents and birth parents:
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in books
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on various websites
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of some AACASA members
Learn about adoption and intercountry adoption.
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Read books about adoption
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If you are not sure that adoption is for you then you can consider other options.
Learn about Ethiopia, and adopting from Ethiopia.
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Learn about adopting from Ethiopia
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Read about Ethiopia and ensure that Ethiopia is the right country for you
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If you are not sure Ethiopia is for you then consider other options.
Discuss
Discuss with your spouse:
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what you each think and feel about adoption and in particular about intercountry adoption
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if you already have a child (or children), how you will talk with your child/ren about adopting a child
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if you already have a child (or children) who are not from Ethiopia, how you will talk with your child/ren about them having a sibling of a different race.
Contact
There are cautions to take about who to contact and who not to contact:
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Read about who you can and cannot contact in regards to Adoption.
Contact your State/Territory Department:
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for information on the process for adoption for your State/Territory
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find out about the requirements for people in your State/Territory to be able to adopt
Contact the AACASA Representative for your State.
Join relevant egroups and talk with other waiting-parents and adoptive-parents
Preliminary plans
Most Australian State/Territory Departments expect one parent (or for single parents, 'the parent') to remain at home for the first 12 months after your child arrives in Australia.
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Make some preliminary plans for your financial situation for that 12 months.
