Couples attempt to adopt children for a number of reasons. Some couples look to adoption after repeated attempts to get pregnant come up empty, while others do so out of a desire to help children in difficult situations, such as those who left their home countries and who are now categorized as unaccompanied migrants or refugees.

The process of adopting a child is time-consuming. Many adoptive parents have waited years to adopt a child. The National Adoption Foundation, an organization that provides financial assistance to families looking to adopt, notes that adopting a child through foster care is the quickest form of adoption. That process typically occurs in three stages:

· Certification

· Certification · Placement and transition

· Severance to adoption 1. Certification

The NAF notes that the certification process varies by state. However, state processes share some common characteristics. For example, parents will be required to commit to training sessions that will help them learn how to care for a child who has very likely had some traumatic experiences in his or her past. Certification involves a home study as well. AdoptUSKids, a project operated by the Adoption Exchange Association that educates families about foster care and adoption, notes that all states require families applying to adopt a child to complete a home study. Caseworkers will conduct a home study and then file a final report, which will include a wealth of information about everything from a family's background, its finances, education and employment histories, daily life routines, and parenting experiences.

2. Placement and transition

Placement and transition is the next step after certification. In this stage, social workers work to find a child that matches the request of the prospective parents. Once a child is found, he or she will be placed with the parent. This stage of the process will be different for parents depending on their initial requests, and that will inform how the third step of the process goes.

3. Severance to adoption

Some parents request a child whose parental rights have already been severed, which means the child's biological parents will not have a legal right to get their child back. Adoptive parents who do not submit such a request will be in a foster situation when a match is found. During that period, the biological parents will be informed of certain requirements they will have to meet in order to get their child back. If the parent fails to meet those requirements, the parental rights will be severed, at which point adoptive parents will begin the transition to adoption.

The adoption process is complicated and unique to each state. The NAF notes that adoption is a sixmonth process, though that six-month period can be avoided if parents initially fostered the child. Adoption requires licensing whether or not adoptive parents previously fostered the child, and that will require an attorney working on behalf of the adoptive parents.

The process of adopting a child through foster care can be completed in six to 18 months. Though that may seem like a long time, foster parents should know that the NAF reports the process of adopting a newborn can take anywhere from two to seven years.