Adopt Through NCHS

A home study includes exploring marital and family relationships, family history, and preparation for parenthood and permanency through adoption. A Home Study also includes:

• Conjoint Interviews
• Individual Interviews
• Educational Training Sessions (ISM & ADOPT)
• Background checks
• Health information

The State of Nebraska requires a home study. After a couple has completed the required educational training, they are assigned an adoption specialist who completes the home study. A home study is valid for one year and must be renewed annually to remain in our adoption program.

We encourage you to check out other agencies. They all have different requirements and processes, and it is important for you to find one that is most comfortable for you. Once you do start your home study, we ask that you only work with one agency. All agencies will ask the same.

It’s impossible to predict how soon a placement might occur. The birth parents are involved in the selection process, and decide what qualities and characteristics they will look for in adoptive parents. NCHS cannot guarantee that placement for an approved family will occur.

Once a placement is made, the State of Nebraska requires your child to be in your home a minimum of 6 months before legal paperwork can be filed and permanency is achieved. During these 6 months, your specialist will visit your family to assess how your family is adjusting to parenthood. This process will also be explained to you in more detail during your home study and educational meetings.

Adoption Steps	Service Fee
Information Share Meeting	$25 per couple
Application Fee	$250 (full amount due upon submission)
Home Study Fee	$4,000 (full amount due upon approval)
Post-Placement Support Fee	15% of the (adoptive) family’s gross income (before all expenses e.g. taxes). Families with income over $200,000, pay 15% of 200,000. Fees are due at the first post-placement visit.

Open adoption involves a continued relationship between a birth family and an adoptive family. This relationship can have varying degrees of contact and is different within each individual situation. Oftentimes, birth parents choose to meet the adopting parents prior to the child’s birth, at placement, or sometime after the placement. In the majority of our current placements, adoptive families and birth families schedule get-togethers, share pictures, and write letters.

Yes, adoption is unique, and raising an adopted child is different than raising a biological child. This child has a biological history and a medical history that is not your own. At NCHS, you are given the education and support needed to guide you through the life-long journey of adoption. Our specialists will always be there to support, educate, and advocate for you and anyone involved in the adoption process. Our post-adoption support for adoptive parents also provides additional support and assistance after the placement.

Absolutely! You will be informed of support groups during your home study process. We have support groups called PREPARE across the state for adoptive couples. These support groups meet at different times and locations, with some focused on social and networking opportunities and others focused on educational purposes. Please contact your local NCHS office if you want to be involved with a PREPARE group.

We ask that you devote your full attention to adoption and conclude your infertility treatments once you start the adoption process. This allows you to focus on the adoption process wholeheartedly.

To learn more about our eligibility requirements, adoption laws, and our services, and to take the next step toward adopting a child, please email us at adopt@nchs.org, or call us at 402-483-7879.

When you email us, please include the following information:

• Your Full Name
• Address
• Phone Number(s): home, work and/or mobile number
• Date of Marriage
• Date of Birth
• If you have children, how many?
• Specify which adoption avenue you are interested in (e.g. Infant Adoption, Adopting a Child, Adopting a Family Member In Foster Care, or Foster Care Adoption)

After you email us this information, please give us 7-10 working days to process your request information and respond to you. This will begin your adoption process.

The following are our requirements and guidelines for prospective adoptive parents for our program:

• Couples must be married to each other for at least 2 years before they start their journey to adopting a child.
• Applicants must be under the age of 48 at the time of application and may participate in the program until the first spouse reaches the age of 50.
• Couples must live in Nebraska.
• Each spouse must have medical insurance.
• Each spouse must carry $50,000 in life insurance coverage.
• If you previously filed bankruptcy, you must wait at least 3 years from the date of filing before applying to the program.
• If parenting, your youngest child must be 18 months of age before applying. If approved, you would not be eligible for selection by a pregnancy client until your youngest child is 2 years old.
• We do not require a certain income level, nor do we require that families own a home. Our primary concerns are how a couple manages their resources and how able they are to adequately provide for the needs of a child.