Domestic adoption is when a person or a couple adopts a child that is a citizen of the same country that they are. This is opposed to international adoption, where a person or a couple adopts a child from a different country. In the context of the law, there are legal processes that must be followed in order to adopt a child.
Domestic adoptions are often carried out by adoption agencies. These agencies help to find suitable adoptive mothers and fathers for children in need. For their services, these agencies are usually compensated by the prospective mothers and fathers. Because adoption involves the complete custody of a child, prospective adoptive parents are screened to make sure that they are good candidates. People who have serious criminal records, or who are drug or alcohol abusers, can fail these screenings.