New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department

Adopt a New Mexico Child or Youth

Welcome to the New Mexico Children, Youth & Families Adoption page. Many children become available for adoption each year in New Mexico. In some cases, foster children may eventually be eligible for adoption. You can choose the age, gender, ethnicity and needs level of the child you wish to adopt. As an adoptive parent you are able to provide a child with a permanent, loving, stable family and the security of a forever family.

Contents

Adoption Overview
Adoption Resources
Post-Adoption Support

Adoption Overview

What Is Adoption?
Who Are the Children Available for Adoption?
How Are Children Matched with Families?
Costs and Financial Assistance
Is Additional Financial Help Available?
Steps to Becoming an Adoptive Parent

What Is Adoption?

When you adopt a child, you legally and emotionally accept a child not born to you into your family. Your adopted child has the same legal rights as a birth child and can bear your name. The adoption must be approved by a court of law. After it is approved, you will receive an official adoption decree and birth certificate with your name noted as the parent of your adopted child.

Who Are the Children Available for Adoption in New Mexico?

Children become available for adoption for a number of reasons, including neglect or abuse. While many children available for adoption are generally healthy, some may have physical or behavioral challenges due to their past. In these cases, CYFD will provide additional medical or psychological help. Some children may need to re-live parts of their childhood, with their new adoptive parents as their guides. Some children experience conflicting emotions or grief over the loss of important people in their lives. They may have brothers and sisters. They are every race, age, and religion. All of these children have different talents, hopes and dreams. And, all of them deserve a loving family.

Children waiting to be adopted are in foster homes, group homes, or treatment centers. They are all under the legal guardianship of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department.

How Are Children Matched With Families?

You can choose the age, gender and needs level of the child or children you would like to adopt. When a child has been identified, your social worker will tell you about him or her in detail before you are introduced. You will be given available medical, social, educational and developmental information. You should ask lots of questions, especially about what the child is good at, what is most difficult, and about previous relationships and attachments. Arrangements can then be made for you to meet and spend time with the child. There may be several visits, including some overnights and weekends, before your child comes to live with you permanently. Each child's situation is different. Your experiences with visits and placement will vary depending on the child's needs.

Some people go into the adoption process with a specific child already identified. It is important to understand, however, that the child may be placed with another family before your adoption study is complete. Final placement decisions are always made by the child's social worker. Sometimes many families may be considered for the same child. In these cases, the social worker will try to provide the best "fit" between the child and prospective family by evaluating how the child's needs can best be met.

Costs and Financial Assistance

There is no fee for adoption through the Children, Youth and Families Department. In fact, you can receive financial assistance for some of the other standard costs of finalizing your adoption. The following expenses may be reimbursed in part, or completely.

Attorney's fees
Court costs
Transportation, lodging and meals during visits with your potential adoptive child
CYFD required physical and/or psychiatric exams not covered by your health insurance

Is Additional Financial Help Available?

Financial assistance is available for parents who adopt a child who is both certified as special needs and qualified for adoption assistance. Some of the characteristics of a child qualifying for assistance include a child who is:

Over the age of 5 years
From a minority ethnic background
Part of a sibling group of 3 or more brothers and sisters
Diagnosed with moderate to severe developmental, psychological or physical disabilities.

Adoption assistance may be used to pay for medical and/or psychological care for preexisting conditions not covered by the adoptive parents' insurance. Amounts may not exceed payments received in foster care. Medicaid may be available for psychological and medical care depending on the child's preexisting condition.

Steps to Becoming an Adoptive Parent

Some of the steps and requirements for New Mexico residents include:

Attend your local adoptive parent orientation program
Fill out the application completely, and provide personal references
Schedule time with your placement social worker to get your fingerprints taken for a background check
Attend 27 hours of required adoptive parenting classes
Have your placement social worker come to your house to do a home study which will include interviews with everyone living in your household
Please note that you must be over the age of 21 with a home, mobile home or apartment which has adequate space for an adopted child or children
Have a medical exam by your own physician to ensure that you are healthy
other documents that may be required
Inquiries may be made through foster/adoption hotline at 1-800-432-2075, or email your regional recruiter

Your assigned placement social worker will move you through the described steps over an approximately five-month period of preparation.

Some of the steps and requirements for out-of-New Mexico residents include:

Make an inquiry through our foster/adoption hotline at 1-800-432-2075.
A current home study is required for out-of-state adoptions. Forward a copy of your current home study to: Children, Youth and Families Department, Protective Services Division, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87502-5160 Attn: Central Adoptions Unit
If you do not have a current home study we can refer you to an agency in your state who can complete a home study for your family.
If you are inquiring about a specific child we will provide you with a name and phone number of the adoption consultant for updated information on the child.
To verify that we have received your home study you may call toll-free at 1-800-432-2075, or you may call (phone charges) at 505-827-8456.

Adoption Resources

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Post Adoption Support Information

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Overview

The Children, Youth and Families Department is in the process of developing more post adoption services for adoptive families in New Mexico. We will post new services to this website as they are established. If you are in need of help, please feel free to call your local CYFD office and ask to speak with a placement worker. You may also contact the Adoption Subsidy Supervisor, at 505-827-8400, who can help refer you to appropriate services.

Frequently Asked Questions

Download the FAQ Document (118KB)