Greater Hopes Family Services, Inc. 1345 Monroe Ave. NW, Suite 246 Grand Rapids, MI 49505 (616) 451-0245 Fax (616) 451-0240 greaterhopes@greaterhopes.orgmailto:greaterhopes@greaterhopes.orgshapeimage_1_link_0
Greater Hopes Family Services, Inc.
 
 
 
 
 
The Mission of Greater Hopes Family Services, Inc. is to tenderly care for and restore human lives through providing ethical, gentle and loving crisis intervention services. One purpose is to help parents make wise plans for their children's futures and to recruit resource families who will support these parents in the manner most reasonable under the circumstances. Domestic Adoption Greater Hopes Family Services embraces Open Adoption. What is Open Adoption? An open adoption is a legal transfer of parental rights from one set of parents to another. Original parents become birthparents, adoptive applicants become parents. Both sets of parents love and nurture the adopted child. The new parents raise, teach, discipline, make decisions on behalf of, and provide for the child as their son or daughter, as a member of their immediate family. What might an open adoption look like? Sometimes birthparents and birth families become very close with the newly created family and develop relationships much like you see with today’s extended families. Frequently birthmothers and mothers, and birthfathers and fathers, develop relationships similar to siblinghood. Of course, problems may arise -- given that we are dealing with humans and intense emotions. But you will learn to work through them with support from your case worker and through classes specifically designed to address adoption related issues. Other adoptions may experience openness in the form of ongoing letters, telephone calls or electronic communication. Every case is a little different depending on the people involved.
-Services- Fees & Services for Adoptive Parent Applicants Each adoption’s cost will vary according to services used. Fees are charged and paid in full when each service is initiated. One adoption match that uses only this agency's services will cost no more than $12,150 plus mileage*. In addition, your county court may assess filing fees from $10-$170 per adoption. There may be additional fees paid to other agents. Please obtain specifics from your primary facilitator. The fees below apply to clients who have signed a Fee Agreement and to any other service provider with whom we have a contract. ORIENTATION TO ADOPTION: This meeting is open to anyone. Clients may schedule a meeting at a mutually agreeable time with the specialist, or attend a group meeting. Discussion topics include types of adoptions, types of children available for adoption, the adoption process, current laws, agency policies, fees, and information regarding support services available. Time is provided for questions. No charge. APPLICATION: Adoptive applicants submit an application when they wish to proceed. $200. OPEN ADOPTION EDUCATION: Adoption education sessions occur year round to address common issues in adoption. All families must participate in at least 8-24 hours of formal adoption education, and are encouraged to attend monthly support group meetings. $300. PRE-PLACEMENT ASSESSMENT (PRE-HOME STUDY) CONSULTATION: This assessment addresses major issues addressed in a complete assessment. It is designed to help determine whether an applicant is likely to be a suitable adoptive parent and able to successfully complete a Preplacement Assessment prior to committing the remaining fee for a complete assessment. $300.* PRE-PLACEMENT ASSESSMENT (HOME STUDY): This necessary assessment of an adoptive family and their desires is handled with utmost care and sensitivity. An experienced specialist will collect information about the adoptive applicants in a relaxed, friendly and open manner over the course of several meetings. Included in the Pre-Placement Assessment is a narration and supporting documents such as reference letters, Physician's Certificates, criminal clearances, financial evaluation, birth certificates, and marriage and divorce decrees. Normal process (2-4 months): $1500.* Expedited process (requested less than 8 weeks):$2000.* ADOPTIVE FAMILY PRE-PLACEMENT SUPPORT SERVICES: Once a profile is “in the pool” adoptive families find that support from an experienced professional is comforting and helpful when experiencing the roller coaster of adoption. They seek advice and find relief in consulting with their specialist. Sensitive to the existing issues of loss and frustration, the specialist can help ease adoptive applicants through complex issues in adoption planning. These services occur to ascertain information required about an adoptee in a variety of settings and situations including adoption education sessions, support groups, caseworker contacts, phone interviews, face to face encounters with an adoptee, the first meeting with a birthparent, waiting at the hospital for the birth, attending court events, etc. $1250 when profile enters pool, $1250 when match is made.* CRISIS PREGNANCY SUPPORT SERVICES: Parents need the support and encouragement from an experienced professional and support activities while undergoing their crisis pregnancy. They find value in talking about and problem-solving their situation with someone whose only goal is to help them. Effective pregnancy counselors are sensitive to the issues of grief and loss, trauma, indecision, frustration and intensified interpersonal relationships that accompany an unplanned pregnancy. Information about the adoptee and his family is collected through this process and is compiled for the court and the adoptive parents. $1250 when adoptive family profile enters or re-enters pool, $1250 when each match is made.* LEGAL RELINQUISHMENT/ADOPTION FILING SERVICES: Experienced adoption professionals will carefully prepare legal paperwork for all parties to complete the release/consent process and submit it to the probate court in a timely manner. $2500.* Birthparents only, $1500. Adoptive parent's only, $1500.* POST PLACEMENT SUPERVISION: The specialist will provide on-going support and make necessary visits to the adoptive home as required after placement. Appropriate reports will be filed. $250 per report period.* Additional Services (as needed on case by case basis) INTERSTATE and MULTIPLE AGENCY SERVICES: Domestic adoptions involving two states require communication with and approval from each state and each agency. Your specialist will insure that all state laws are being met to insure a solid legal placement of the child. $75 per hour.* UPDATE TO GREATER HOPES PRE-PLACEMENT ASSESSMENT: An update to a Pre-Placement Assessment may be completed after placement of a child, or for a client who has a Greater Hopes Pre-Placement Assessment that has been written less than three years prior. $800.00* YEARLY UPDATE TO PRE-PLACEMENT ASSESSMENT: When no placement or addition of a household member has occurred since the original study was approved, an update to a recently expired** Pre-Placement Assessment may be completed for a client who has an approved Pre-Placement Assessment written by Greater Hopes. $300.00.* UPDATE TO NON GREATER HOPES PRE-PLACEMENT ASSESSMENT: An update to a Pre-Placement Assessment may be completed after placement of a child, or for a client who has a Michigan approved Pre-Placement Assessment that has been written less than three years prior. $1200.00* ADDENDUM TO CURRENT PRE-PLACEMENT ASSESSMENTS: $75 per hour.* REPORT OF INVESTIGATION: A Report of Investigation may be written for a guardianship-adoption or an in-family adoption. This report replaces the Pre-Placement Assessment. $220.* POST ADOPTION SUPPORT SERVICES: As difficult issues arise over time, the adoption specialist is available for necessary support for members of the adoption triad. $75 per hour.* *Plus mileage @ the current rate from http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=176030,00.html **less than six months prior to the yearly assessment being startedhttp://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=176030,00.htmlshapeimage_5_link_0
Adoptive Applicant Eligibility Requirements Greater Hopes desires that any healthy and well-adjusted Michigan residents who wish to adopt apply at this agency. To meet the wide range of needs that children have, there must be a range of family types available to these children. Any family could be a desirable adoptive family if they are able to lovingly and freely embrace the adoptive child, his birthfamily, his culture, his self, and the difficult behaviors that the child may have. The adoptive evaluation will include, but is not limited to, exploring the following topics: motivation to adopt, health, infertility, criminal activity and convictions, emotional stability, compatibility between joint applicants, adjustment of other children, attitudes toward adoption, and parenting ideals. Inability to pay for services shall not make a family ineligible to adopt and waivers will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Applicants registered as a sex offender, or those with a child abuse history as a perpetrator or a current substance use problem shall not be eligible for adoption. The list of excluded backgrounds is not exhaustive.
 
Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange
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Search “Michigan’s Waiting Children”.
 
Pregnancy Resource Center
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Links of Interest
Michigan Department of Human Services
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Adoption Tax Credit Information
You may qualify for a tax credit for qualified adoption related expenses. More info here.
Types of Children to be Placed: 1) Greater Hopes assists in voluntary domestic adoptions in which birthparents have selected the adoptive family from either their own support systems and communities, or from our pool of resource families. Resource families/ potential adoptive parents also have the right to identify which birthparent circumstances they feel best able to support and assist. We fully support an ongoing and open relationship between the adoptive parents and the birthparents to whatever extent possible to benefit the child. 2) On a case-by-case basis we may assist in domestic adoptions involving older children. 3) By contract with Kent County, we write all Reports Of Investigation as needed for stepparent, in-family, and guardianship adoptions.
 
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