It is a difficult decision to place a child for adoption. We are here to help. Adoption is a legal process and we are here to guide you through it as we have helped hundreds of women in placing a child for adoption.
Our role is not to choose the family or make the decisions for you. Our role is to educate you so that you can make the best decision for you and the baby. We are here to make the process easy for you.
- Choosing a Family
- If you have chosen a couple or individual to adopt the child you are expecting, we will work with you to ensure that you receive the necessary support, services and assistance you need.
If you would like us to assist you in finding the right family for your baby, we can help. First, we want to listen to you to learn what is important to you in a family. We will then contact other adoption attorneys and agencies, either locally or nationally, to find potential families that meet your criteria. We will collect a number of Adoption Profiles, a photo album with a letter from the adoptive family and other information for you to review. Once you select a family or two, we help you set up a telephone call or meeting so you can see if you like them. Once you decide, we will assist you in obtaining adoption counseling and help with hospital arrangements and financial management.
- What About Open Adoption?
- Most adoptions over the last 20 years have been open adoptions. In parental placements, most adoptive families meet during the pregnancy and go through the adoptive process together. Often everybody becomes temporary best friends where they go out to dinner and the adoptive mom joins you for some doctor visits. The adoptive parents often become part of your emotional support group during the process.
As you go through your pregnancy, you and the adoptive parents get to know each other. What we all fear is the unknown and a level trust develops as you become friends. Many of the women we assist view themselves as the child’s aunt trading information and occasional contacts with the family after the adoption.
The vast majority of adoptive parents send periodic pictures and updates on how the child is growing up. Some even create websites. Many families enjoy taking telephones calls and some are open to visits. Today, the adoptive parents understand that you probably want to know how the child is doing and they want to reassure you that you made a loving decision for the child. Many adoptive families want to keep in contact so they can update family medical information and be able to answer the child’s questions as he or she grows up.
Open adoption is not for everybody. If you do not want to meet the family, we will still work with you. Usually we will work with a licensed adoption agency and if you wanted, you could still be involved in the selection process by choosing from the adoptive parents profiles.
- Is it Safe?
- All adoptive families must go through an investigative process called a Home Study. Child abuse registries are checked in all states where any adult in the home has lived in within the previous five years. Police and FBI fingerprint checks are done on all adults. An adoption social worker working for a licensed adoption agency will conduct at least three interviews with each member of the family and inspect their home. The social worker will review family finances, daily schedules, day care arrangements, medical histories, review references, and talk to them about their relationships, their relationship with extended family, discipline, attitudes towards both parents and their life experiences and how they dealt with whatever problems they have faced in life.
- Finances
- You cannot sell a child. It is a felony where both you and the adoptive family could be sentenced to five years in prison. Placing a child for adoption is a loving decision and you should be considering adoption because you want to do what is best for the child.
However, adoptive parents understand that many women need some financial help during their pregnancy. Adoptive parents are allowed to pay for uninsured medical expenses, counseling services, legal fees and certain transportation costs. Additionally, reasonable living expenses are allowed if your doctor writes a note stating you need money because of your pregnancy. A court will review all expenditures.
- Birth Fathers
- If the birth father is cooperative, we will try to obtain family medical history for the benefit of the child. He can consent before the birth of the child or afterwards when you do.
