Home Study Education

 

Adoptive Family from Florida taking online trainingIf you live in the United States and are going to adopt a baby, you will need an adoption home study. The purpose of the home study is to make sure you can provide a child with a safe and secure home. A completed home study is required before a child can be placed in your custody as adoptive parents.

Within the home study, there are a number of mandatory components that must be assessed by the writer, one of which is adoption education. All states have their own requirements regarding the training that adoptive parents must complete to satisfy the education component in the home study. If you live in the state of Florida, the Florida Department of Children and Families recommends 21 hours of training on topics that include safety, legal issues and relationships. Lifetime’s exclusive webinars are designed to educate our families on all aspects of adoption. These webinars are approved as part of Lifetime’s home study curriculum for adoptive parents.

If you are in the home study process, these webinars are an essential piece in completing the training component of the home study. These webinars cover topics that are vital in understanding the adoption process.

Please take the time to complete these webinars and then advise your home study writer. A confirmation will be issued once completion is verified.

Important Adoption Topics

New Parents Academy

New Parents Academy

Preparing For Your New Arrival Just Got Easier!

This webinar covers baby gear, newborn care, soothing, newborn sleep, bonding and more.  Includes 5 printables/checklists.  You will be able to access this webinar for two years so that videos can be re-watched at any time as you encounter different situations. 

A certificate is available upon completion. This link is an affiliate link. This means if you click through and make a purchase, the non-profit, Lifetime Adoption Foundation will get a portion of the proceeds. The foundation supports educational scholarships for birth mothers.

Price: $297

Talking About Adoption With Your Child, part of online training

Talking About Adoption With Your Child

Lifetime recommends that you talk about adoption with your child from day one, even when they’re an infant! Starting the conversation about adoption with your child doesn’t have to be a major event.
 
In this webinar, two experienced adoptive moms share where to get started and provide tips to encourage discussion with your child. You’ll learn how these moms have talked about adoption with their children, at different stages of childhood.
 
Gain from their years of experience about what works for their families when it comes to helping their child understand their own unique adoption story.

Webinar about the Adoption Tax Credit

Understanding the Adoption Tax Credit

An important financial resource for adoptive parents is the Federal Adoption Tax Credit. In this webinar, we answered questions about the Adoption Tax Credit like:

  • Is there a time cap on the adoption expenses we can claim?
  • How long do we have to claim this tax credit?
  • How might the tax credit be helpful for our adoption?
  • What sort of adoption expenses can we claim, and what records are required when we file?
  • When can we claim this tax credit?
  • What if we adopt more than one child in the same year?
  • Can we claim expenses for a failed adoption?

Bonding and Attachment in Adoption

Mardie Caldwell Presents: Bonding & Attachment After Adoption

As you get ready to adopt, it’s important to also prepare for your lives after adoption. In this webinar, Lifetime’s founder Mardie Caldwell shares adoptive parenting tips for healthy bonding and attachment. She draws from her decades of experience helping others adopt and from her own life as an adoptive mother.
 
Speaking from both professional and personal experience, Mardie’s guidance will help adoptive parents focus on the moments they bring their future child home and start bonding as a new family.
 

adoption after infertility icon

Embracing Adoption After Infertility

Hearing Lifetime’s Founder Mardie Caldwell share her story of moving through miscarriage, infertility, and adoption will encourage and motivate hopeful adoptive parents.

Every adoption journey comes with its own questions, hurdles, and excitement. In this webinar, Mardie openly shares about the moments that challenged her on her path to motherhood. You’ll learn what helped her remain focused on her dream of becoming a mother.

Mardie brought wisdom and hope to each hopeful adoptive parent who attended. She offered tips for staying positive, keeping perspective, and embracing the blessings of adoption, as well as validating the emotions of waiting adoptive parents.

Adoption legal questions answered

Your Adoption’s Legal Needs: Answers from an Adoption Law Expert

In this webinar, we hear from an adoption law professional, Kris Miller, of Little Flower Adoptions and Law Office of David Cole in Texas. She addressed many questions, including:

  • When should we retain an adoption attorney?
  • What steps is my adoption attorney taking to move my adoption match forward?
  • What is ICPC clearance, and what will that process involve for our adoption?
  • How is our home study involved once we meet our baby?
  • What’s the legal process like for a birth mother?

Online training - Behind the Scenes of Your Adoption Home Study

Behind the Scenes of Your Adoption Home Study

Go beyond the home study basics with Lifetime’s Director, Linda Rotz. Our expert guest speaker helped us get a more in-depth look at what’s involved in your adoption home study. You’ll discover how your home study writer serves as an important partner in your adoption.
 
In this webinar, we answered many home study questions from our audience of hopeful adoptive parents. We also provided helpful tips for keeping perspective and staying on task while you work on your home study items. Watch and learn from home study do’s and don’ts that have helped or hurt other adoptive couples.
 

Questions & Answers

Newborn adoption basics, part of online trainingAdoption 101 Q&A: Adoption Basics…and Beyond

In this question and answer webinar, we address some of the most common domestic adoption topics. Lifetime also answered individual questions from our live audience of hopeful adoptive parents.
 
The topics discussed in this webinar will help you better understand modern adoption and get acquainted with Lifetime Adoption. Whether you’re just starting to learn about infant adoption in the US, or if you’re ready to actively begin seeking an adoption match, this webinar is for you!
 
 
 

Q&A Webinar About Transracial AdoptionQ&A Webinar About Transracial Adoption

When you begin your adoption journey, you’ll need to set your adoption preferences, or search criteria. To determine your preferences, make sure to learn as much as you can. In doing so, you can be confident that your preferences will lead to an adoption opportunity that you can comfortably accept.
 
The panel of adoptive moms featured in this webinar are a helpful resource if you’ve been thinking about adopting a child of a race different than your own.
 
 
 

What is Open Adoption?

Online training Webinar about modern adoptionLifetime Webinar: The Modern Adoption

In today’s world, adoption is so different than it was years ago. With modern adoption, birth parents and hopeful adoptive parents can create a plan together for the best interest of the child.
 
Listen in as we discuss the benefits of modern adoption for birth parents and families who hope to expand their family through adoption. Discover how open adoption can work best for your family and get a glimpse into how women choosing adoption and adoptive families have gone through the modern adoption process.
 
We encourage you to listen if you are at any stage of your adoption journey!

Jason and Ally's Adoption StoryJason & Ally’s Adoption Story: From Grieving to Hope for the Future

Lifetime meets families at all different stages of their journeys to parenthood. Listening to other adoptive parents’ experiences about their adoption story can help you make the right decision for your family. We spoke with Ally, a Lifetime Adoptive mom, in this webinar about how she went through a lot of trials before she was called to adopt. She talked about having four miscarriages, going through IVF treatments, and when she knew she was meant to adopt a child.
 
Ally went over her tips on starting an adoption process, waiting for the child meant for your family, and preparing your hearts and home for a child. Her story provides hope through her faith and courage.

Jake's Adoption StoryJake’s Adoption Story: An Adoptive Dad’s View of Open Adoption

In this webinar, adoptive father, Jake, shares his journey of adopting two children into his family. You will hear how he kept an open adoption with both of his children’s birth families, and how he grew his relationship with them throughout the years.
 
We loved hearing Jake’s perspective on open adoption, his love for his children, and his unwavering faith throughout the adoption process.
 
If you are a father who is hoping to adopt, this open adoption webinar will inspire you!
 

Learn about the top 3 myths of open adoption online trainingThe Truth About the Top 3 Myths of Open Adoption

With open adoption comes a lot of stereotypes and fears that present inaccurate information. These thoughts lead to myths and a lack of understanding about the open adoption process.
 
This webinar will teach you what to expect with having an open adoption with your child’s birth family.
 
We discuss how the process will go, what it means to have an open adoption, and how to tell if open adoption is right for your family.
 
 

Celebrating African American AdoptionCelebrating African American Adoption

In this story of two African American families coming together through the power of adoption, you will hear how adoptive parents, Doug & Cheryl, created a relationship with birth mother, Adrianne.
 
You will learn how these two families decided on adoption, grew their relationship through open adoption for the benefit of the child, and what challenges came up for them along their journey.
 
This webinar features both sides of this adoption story, from the adoptive parents and the birth mother’s side. This adoption story will help you if you are hoping to adopt a child, thinking about adoption for your child, or you have been touched by adoption in some way.