Adoption

If you are considering placing your child for adoption, the information below should be very helpful to you.

Where to Start gives a birth mother and birth father a valuable overview of the entire adoption process and practical information about adoption alternatives.  This will help a birth mother or birth father whether you decide to place your child for adoption or raise your child yourself.  It describes the benefits of counseling and reviews the different types of confidential and open adoption arrangements.

This site looks carefully at the emotional issues that a birth mother and birth father face after making the decision to place an infant for adoption, in surrendering, terminating, and relinquishing their rights to the child, and in handling the feelings that often persist afterwards. 

Explains the major kinds of adoption: agency and private, open and closed, and intrastate, interstate, and international adoption. Understanding these can help a birth mother and birth father develop a meaningful adoption plan for their child.

Open and closed adoptions are frequently misunderstood not only by birth mothers and birth fathers but also by adopting families. This site will allow you to fully understand open adoption and a closed adoptions and give a birth mother and birth father some valuable help in custom-designing the arrangements so that they meet with your wishes and desires.

Agency versus private adoption is an important issue since the services available under each type of adoption can differ greatly. In many states private adoptions are illegal.  There are several reasons for the greater risks of a private adoption, and this and other information is provided in the site.

Facilitator adoptions have become such an important concern that the U.S. government has warned birth mothers, birth fathers and adopting families to work with an agency and avoid adoption facilitators. This site will explain the differences between using an agency and a facilitator and offer guidance to a birth mother and birth father.

Provides information and help is you are thinking of placing your child with a relative.

Selecting the right adopting family is critical.  In order to make sure the family is indeed the type you want, and to help assure a safe environment for your baby, every family needs to be carefully screened and evaluated.

This site will give a birth mother and birth father specific tips on how to select the agency that is best for you and tour baby.

Provided on this site are support groups to help a birth mother or birth father who is considering adoption.