Original post by Renee Hettich
If you are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy have decided to place your child for adoption, the most important decision you will make is deciding on the adoptive family to place your child with. You need to find a family that you trust to love and care for your child for the rest of their lives. There are thousands of families around the country waiting to adopt- so how do you go about finding the right family for your child?
Step 1
Contact an Adoption Agency: Adoption agencies are licensed or authorized by their State's regulatory board. For example, Family Connections, Inc. is authorized by the New York State Office of Children and Families Services. Adoption agencies, like Family Connections, Inc will:
- provide you with information regarding your adoption options
- help you consider and select a family waiting to adopt
- respect your adoption choices, including your choice of family
- thoroughly investigate families waiting to adopt to ensure they will provide a safe and loving home for your child
- educate adoptive families about adoption and adoptive parenting
- support you and your chosen adoptive parents as you build a relationship (if wanted) before and after the adoption
Step 2
Consider Family Characteristics Important to You: As you think about your child growing up, what type of family do you envision for the child? You can tell your adoption agency what type of family you wish for your child and the adoption agency will provide you with families waiting to adopt who meet your criteria. For example you can specify:
- religion of the adoptive family
- type of family (two-parent, stay-at-home mom, childless couple, multi-child family, single parent, etc.)
- race of family
- educational level of adoptive parents
- age of adoptive parents
- financial status of waiting family
- place of residence (e.g. city, suburb, country)
- pets in the home
- any other characteristic that is important to you
Step 3
Review the Profiles of Families Waiting to Adopt: Your adoption agency will provide you with profiles of families waiting to adopt (booklet, web page, or video of pictures and information about an adoptive family) for you to consider.
Step 4
Consider a Family or Families from these Profiles: Review the profiles of the families waiting to adopt. If you wish, meet with one or more of these waiting families before making your decision.
Step 5
Choose an Adoptive Family for Your Baby: After reviewing family profiles and/or meeting with families waiting to adopt, you can choose the adotive family that is right for you and your child. The choice is yours!
Step 6
Build a Relationship with the Adoptive Family (if you want to): Once you chose a family, you can build a relationship with the adoptive family before and after the birth and adoption of the child if you wish for an semi-open or open adoption. Your adoption agency will help you foster a relationship.
Finding the right adoptive family for your baby is important. With the support of an adoption agency like Family Connections, you can find the family that is the best choice for you and your child. When making an adoption plan and choosing the adoptive family for your child, remember that the choices are all yours. Your adoption agency is there to educate and support you during your planning and adoption process.
If you have any questions about the adoption process or would like to learn more about your adoption options, please feel free to contact us. We keep all of your information 100% confidential and services are always free for birth parents. You can get in touch with Anita or Renee by email at renee@adoptfamilyconnections.org or anita@adoptfamilyconnections.org, give us a call at (607)756-6574 or (800)535-5556, or click the button below to ask us your adoption questions.
You can download a free adoption guide for birth families here:
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