Free Adoption Information

One of your options when facing pregnancy is adoption. Adoption is a wonderful option that is sometimes the best parental decision. It is a path many parents have walked and one you don’t have to walk alone.

That said, the thought of making a plan for adoption can be overwhelming. It’s important to know that a great deal has changed in how adoptions are performed. The most significant changes have given the birth mother a great deal of control over the process.

If you are considering adoption and would like more trustworthy free adoption information, we encourage you to call or come in to talk with one of our peer-to-peer pregnancy counselors.

The Truth About Adoption

We know that for many birth mothers, making the choice to place their child for adoption is difficult. Some facts about how adoption works in your state may help to put your mind at ease:

• You can choose the adoptive family, if you wish
• You can choose the adoption agency or organization you work with
• You can choose the degree of openness in the adoption, which can allow total privacy or for ongoing contact with the adoptive family and your child both before and after birth
• You can choose how things go at the hospital and throughout your pregnancy
• You can choose the timing of your child’s placement
• In most instances, adoption is of no cost to the birthparent

To get connected with a trustworthy adoption agency in your area who will work to protect you and your child, contact your local Pregnancy Resource Center.

Free Adoption Information On this Page

• The truth about adoption
• Placing a child for adoption
• The adoptive process
• Further information
• Commonly asked questions

The Process of Placing a Child for Adoption

There are many little steps that must be taken to legally place a child for adoption. Your adoption agency will provide you with the help you need to get all those details taken care of. In broad strokes, there are four steps to the process of placing a child for adoption, and they are all in the control of the birth mother:

1. Create an adoption plan with a specialist through your adoption agency
2. Get to know adoptive families and choose one who you believe will be best for your baby (if an open or semi-open adoption)
3. Giving birth and officially signing over rights
4. Maintaining a relationship with your child and their adoptive family (if an open or semi-open adoption)

An Overview of the Adoptive Process

This will look different depending on if you are adopting through a public agency (such as DHS) or private agency.

In the case of a public agency, the first steps will be to take the necessary training courses through your local DHS office. Once you have completed these courses, you will be subject to thorough background checks and evaluations of your fitness to have a child placed in your care as their forever home.

Then, unless you are related to or have another connection with the adopted child which moves you to the front of the list for them, you will need to wait for children to appear on the state’s adoption database. You can apply to be considered for these children based on the limited profile information you are provided, but moving forward in the process will be at the discretion of the child’s caseworker, who will examine your profile to see if they believe you are a good fit. If all things work out, adoption can take place once parental rights have been fully terminated or given up. One major advantage to going with a public agency is that the process is mostly free, but your choices and opportunities will be more limited.

Private adoptions will often look very similar to public adoptions, with the significant exception that you will be working with a private adoption agency and paying for fees associated with that service. However, private adoptions are able to avoid some of the hangups and extra difficulties that come with public adoptions, and for many, are therefore worth the cost. Especially if you are looking to adopt a newborn with fewer health considerations, it is probably the way to go.

PRC is not an adoption agency, but we have good relationships with many. If you have additional questions or would like to get connected with a great resources near you, give us a call today.

Sites to Check Out for Further Information

All God’s Children

1400 NE 136th Ave Suite 201

Vancouver, WA 98684

503.282.7652 (call or text)

allgodschildren.org

• All Adoption Services, Options Counseling and Support Services
• Oregon or Washington area. Will come to the client or provide a neutral place to meet
• Support throughout and after the adoption

Catholic Charities

2740 SE Powell Blvd., Third Floor #7

Portland, OR 97202

503-231-4866 (main phone line)

503-238-5196 (answering service for family support)

CatholicCharitiesOregon.org

• Options counseling for parenting or adoption
• Services include: adoption services, parenting class, trauma class, safe sleep class, maternity clothing, diapers, wipes, in home visits, and case managers

Lifetime Adoption

400 Idaho Maryland Rd, Grass Valley, CA 95945

4952 US 19 North, Newport Richey, FL 34652

24 Hour Birth Mother Line: (800) 9-Adopt-4 (1-800-923-6784)

Oregon Residents: 1-877-383-6847 24/7

www.lifetimeadoption.com

[email protected]

• All types of adoption plans are available
• Quality counseling from outside counselors
• Follow-up counseling

Choice Adoptions

12901 SE 97th Ave. ste. 150

Clackamas, OR 97015

503-232-1211

Monday-Thursday 9-5 and Friday 9-1

[email protected]

https://www.christianfamilyadoptions.org/

1. Offers options counseling for parenting or adoption
2. Provides all types of adoption services
3. Post-adoption counseling

Free Adoption Information Q&A

If your question isn’t on the list below or if you would like to talk with one of our staff for more free adoption information, give us a call at one a PRC near you today.

Is PRC an adoption agency?

Pregnancy Resource Center helps women and their families handle all aspects of unplanned, crisis, or supported pregnancies in the ways which are best for themselves, their families, and their unborn babies. We have good relationships with trusted adoption service providers, but we are not ourselves an adoption agency. Whether you are looking to adopt or to place a child for adoption, if you are looking for a great adoption agency, please give us a call so we can help connect you.

How long does the average adoption take?

The time frame can very widely, depending in large part upon the biological parents’ position toward their parental rights and how prepared the adoptive parents are legally and financially to enter into the adoption process. For good reason, there are many safeguards and checks in place concerning adoption, and these can take time to process through. For parents who are looking to place their unborn child for adoption, the earlier the process is begun, the more smoothly your child will be able to enter into the world being placed in a loving, prepared, adoptive family.

Are many people looking to adopt a newborn?

Many adoptive parents are actively seeking newborns for a variety of reasons, especially that chance to connect with a child in their early days, months, and years when bond formation is so essential to a child’s healthy development. Because of the demand, it can take months or years for those seeking to adopt to receive the newborn they’ve been waiting for into their family.

Do adoptions cost anything for the birth mothers?

In most cases, there is no cost for the birth mother who chooses to put their child up for adoption. If costs are not covered by Medicaid or a state health plan, medical costs are often arranged to be paid for by the adoptive parents. Birth mothers can also receive additional support for other expenses such as clothing, housing, and even counseling during this time. Each arrangement will be different, which is where having a knowledgeable team able to provide you with free adoption information as you walk through the process is invaluable.

What are open and closed adoptions?

When many people think of adoption, they probably imaging closed adoptions. This is where the records of the birth parents are kept sealed, and there is no communication between biological parents and adoptive parents before or after the adoption. If adopted children wish to track down their biological parents in the future, the work will be difficult. Some birth mothers prefer for this to be the situation for a variety of reasons.

Others have chosen to go the route of open adoption. In this situation, communication is permitted and even expected between the birth family, adoptive family, and adopted child before and after birth. Each arrangement can look different, and may change over time as the relationship evolves.

Semi-open adoptions permit the birth mother to have some say in which family will raise their child, but are not given any personally identifiable information about them to facilitate communication before or after birth.

The choice of what kind of adoption to use is up to the birth parents. Adoptive parents can elect to only seek children who are put up for closed or open adoptions as it fits their goals for their family.

Is there a way to maintain contact with a child I place for adoption?

If you are a birth mother looking to place a child for adoption, but still want to maintain contact with that child and their adoptive family, choose an open adoption. You will then be able to legally have contact with your birth child according to the arrangement that has been agreed upon and the relationship that develops between yourself and the adoptive family over time.

How late can I void my decision to place my child for adoption?

Birth parents have a strong set of rights which are protected by law. Until final papers signing over parental rights are signed, no one can force you to give up those rights. There may be financial considerations to think through if the prospective adoptive parents have helped support the birth mom through her pregnancy, but birth parents are not required to give up their child unless you lose your rights through neglect or abuse.

Are there advantages to adopting locally verses internationally?

We believe that all adoption is beautiful. Advantages specific to domestic adoption include:

1. Expenses may be lower when adopting domestically rather than internationally, though this is not always the case
2. Cultural and ethnic differences of the birth country compared to the US can be minimized, which may help a child to avoid feeling like they don’t belong in the family who has adopted them

Do all babies placed for adoption get adopted?

Yes. That is the purpose of an adoption agency: to ensure that all infants find a good home. Birth mothers do not need to worry about whether their child will find a placement. In fact, there a great deal of control that birth mothers can exercised in this process.

Who names babies which are placed for adoption?

In many cases of open adoption, birth parents and adoptive parents work together to decide upon a name together. Sometimes a birth mother will name the child, and other times the adoptive family will name him or her. However, the adoptive family has the legal right to choose the name of the child which will be printed on their amended birth certificate showing them as the adoptive parents.

What are the first steps of adoption?

The first step of adoption beyond educating yourself with free adoption information, is to contact an adoption agency which can help you on your path to becoming adoptive parents or placing a child for adoption. If you would like any help with that process or to be connected to a reputable agency, we encourage you to reach our to your local Pregnancy Resource Center.