Types of Adoption

From the point of view of a birth parent, the primary types of child adoption are agency and private child adoption, open and closed child adoption, intrastate or interstate adoption, a facilitator adoption, and adoption by a relative.

An agency adoption is an adoption that is coordinated with the help of a licensed child adoption agency, such as Adoption Services. The most important factor in selecting an adoption agency is that the agency is licensed to provide you with a full range of professional services.

You may find that there are adoption facilitators or non-licensed programs that will attempt to make themselves look like a legitimate licensed adoption agency.  To check if an agency or organization is licensed, contact them and ask for the phone number of the licensing authority and then you call the authority and confirm that the agency is licensed and has a good reputation.

A private adoption is takes place through an attorney, physician, facilitator, other other private individual or referral service. This kind of child adoption can be very risky for you as the birth parent and for your child. Without a licensed child adoption agency supervising the process, adoption can be a nightmare. When you read a horror story in the news, it is typically a private child adoption.

Based on almost 40 years of experience and after helping hundreds of birth mothers, birth fathers, and adopting families get out of horrible situations, I very strongly recommend you proceed only with a licensed child adoption agency.

Click on the following link for more detailed information on agency and private adoption.

In a closed child adoption, you and the adopting family do not know each others identifying information such as last names, addresses, and social security numbers.  You and the adopting family can meet, share pictures and updates, and have ongoing contact through the agency, have direct contact, etc., but if you do not share last names and addresses it is considered a closed adoption.

In an open child adoption you and the adopting parents exchange identifying information.

Whether you have an adoption that is open or closed depends on several factors including what you want, what your state law allows, what the adopting family agrees to, and the restrictions of your adoption agency.  Adoption Services has experience with both types of adoption, has no restrictions that are added to your requirements, and is here to help you determine the best choice for you.

Click on the following link for more detailed information on open and closed adoption.

With an intrastate child adoption you and the adopting family live in the same state while in an interstate child adoption you and adopting family live in different states.

The distinction among these two types of adoption is important since each type of adoption requires a different set of legal requirements.  Click on the following link for more detailed information on intrastate and interstate child adoption.

Adoption facilitators are individuals, or groups of individuals, that match you and your baby with with an adopting family and then they withdraw from the situation and leave you and the adopting family to fend for yourselves.  Using an adoption facilitator can be such a problem and so risky that the U.S. government advises birth parents and adopting families not to use a facilitator.  For more information, please click on the link Facilitator Adoption.

Every biological parent has as an option to place their child with a relative.  The placement with a relative varies with each state since each U.S. state defines "relative" differently.  For additional information click on the link Placing with Relatives.

My staff and I (Dr Berger) truly care about you, about your baby and about other women in your situation.  We want to do all we can to help you.  You can call our toll free number anytime and from any place in the U.S.  You can get our help whether you are pregnant or have already delivered and are raising your child yourself or want to place your child for adoption.  We are here to help you and there is never any cost or obligation on your part. 

Adoption Services adoption agency does not add any requirements beyond what you want and we have extensive experience with open and closed child adoption as well as variations of these two. We also have extensive experience in intrastate and interstate child adoption. We are here to help you determine the best choice for you, and then to help implement your choices in a way that will eliminate problems and concerns.

Finally, if you need financial, medical, nutritional, health or other types of help including support groups, you may find this link helpful.  If you need additional information or assistance please feel free to contact me, Dr Berger, at Adoption Services by phone or email.