Families waiting to adopt have many domestic adoption options in New York State. Families may adopt a child or children through an authorized private agency, the public foster care system or through a private independent relationship with a birth family.
Adopting through a New York State authorized child placing agency (private agency):
- Families can adopt a child through a New York State authorized adoption agency. The New York State Office of Children and Families Services authorizes and regulates adoption agencies in New York. The majority of children available for adoption with a private agency are newborn or young infants.
- Family Connections, Inc. is a New York State authorized adoption agency that places infants into adoptive families throughout the State. If you are interested learning more about infant adoption or becoming a prospective adoptive family (New York residents only), please contact the agency at 607-756-6574 or dan@adoptfamilyconnections.org or click below to schedule a free consultation meeting with the agency's adoption professionals.
- Families can adopt a child through a licensed adoption agency in another State. There are adoption agencies in the United States that place children into New York State from other States (e.g. Adoption Alliance). There are also adoption agencies who have their headquarters in one State but then place children from multiple states. Please be cautious when choosing an out-of-state agency; every State's adoption regulations are different and other States may not provide you with the same safeguards ensured by New York State.
Adopting through the public foster care system:
- Families who are foster parents may be able to adopt the child(ren) placed in their home if the child(ren)'s birth parents' parental rights are terminated and no birth relatives are suitable to adopt the child(ren). Please understand that the goal of foster care is the reunification of the child(ren) with their birth parent(s) and thus the majority of foster children are returned to their birth parents and not eligible for adoption.
- Families who do not wish to be foster parents may adopt a child(ren) from the foster care system after the child's birth parents rights are terminated, no birth relative is found suitable, and the child's foster parents decline to adopt the child. Many of the children in the foster care system in need if adoptive families are listed on www.adoptuskids.org. The majority of children in need of families are older or have special medical and/or developmental needs.
To learn more about adopting from the public foster care system, you can contact your county's Department of Social Services Adoption Unit, or speak to an adoption professional at Family Connections, Inc. (1-607-756-6574).
Adopting through a private independent relationship with a birth parent(s);
- Adoptive families may reach out to potential birth parents on their own (e.g. online profiles, social media, word-of-mouth). The majority of children in need of a home are newborn or young infants.The adoptive parents would then talk, and eventually meet, with potential birth families. Then the adoptive parents and birth parents would agree to an adoption plan. The adoptive parents would support the birth parents and facilitate the adoption plan and placement. The birth parents and adoptive parents would each have attorneys who would make the legal adoptive placement.
- In New York State, for families who wish to pursue a private independent adoption, the family must first complete a home study investigation and apply to be per-qualified as adoptive parents through their county's court. Family Connections, Inc. is available to provide home study services for families pursuing a private independent adoption.
If your family is interested in pursuing domestic adoption - public, private agency, or private independent adoption - Family Connections, Inc. can help. Please contact the agency at 1-607-756-6574 or dan@adoptfamilyconnections.org. We look forward to supporting your adoption plans.
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