Once DCF has decided to consent to your adoption, you are ready to sign adoption paperwork with DCF. These documents will include a Memorandum of Agreement, a subsidy agreement, and your acknowledgment that DCF has fully disclosed all relevant information about the child and their background.

A diligent attorney will review all of these documents before you sign. Adoption is serious legal business and comes with all the responsibilities of parenthood, as if the child was born to you. DCF may offer some post-adoption support services but ultimately, DCF will charge you with child abuse if your adoption disrupts. If that happens, not only will you not be able to adopt again, but your family will be scrutinized monthly with case management visits and your employment may be in jeopardy. You must enter into this obligation fully informed and good legal representation is key. Neither DCF nor the foster agency represent your interests in the adoption; in some ways their interests may be adverse to yours.

The State of Florida will provide up to $1,000 for your adoption legal fees, but most families are also eligible for the Federal Adoption Tax Credit (ATC), which is significant. For adoptions finalized in 2024, the Federal Adoption Tax Credit is up to $16,810 per child! Some employers offer additional adoption grants and credits.

Adoption Day is special. Many adoptive families invite friends and family to their adoption hearing and celebrate after with a party or special activities with the child. Judges love adoptions and often invite families and children to take photos with them – sometimes even up on the judge’s bench!

Get 10 certified copies of your adoption decree and keep them in a special place. Within two weeks of your adoption the court will seal the adoption file and you won’t be able to get more copies of the order without going through the time and expense of reopening the adoption case. You will need certified copies to get birth certificates, passports, and make changes with the social security administration. Your attorney will advise you about getting these new legal documents.