If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy, we can help you explore your options whether it is parenting or adoption. If you want to make an adoption plan for your child Family Connections will guide you through the planning steps to ensure a positive outcome for you and your child.
Step One: Contact and meet with a qualified adoption agency like Family Connections, Inc. The agency will assist you with making an adoption plan for your child that meets your wishes. The choices are yours.
Step Two: The adoption agency can refer you to an adoption attorney who will explain your legal rights and the legal process of adoption. An adoption agency should refer you to an attorney who specializes in adoption.
Step Three: Create a preliminary adoption plan with the adoption agency. This is just a plan, it can change and will change over time as you wait for the baby to be born. The plan may include, but is not limited to, the level of openness, type of adoptive family, need for resources, and wishes for counseling services.
Step Four: View profiles of adoptive parents. You will be given the profiles of the adoptive families that match your choices regarding the type of family you want to consider for your child. You may chose a family from these profiles or you may wish to meet with two or three of the families over lunch to get to know them better before making your decision. You will then decide which adoptive family you wish to make an adoption plan with. Click here to view the families waiting to adopt through Family Connections, Inc.
Step Five: Tweak the adoption plan and build a relationship with the chosen adoptive family (if you choose an open adoption). Family Connections will support you as you continue in the pregnancy and adoption planning. If you choose to build a relationship with the adoptive family prior to your child’s birth, the agency will help you work out additional visits with the adoptive family. If you wish to have post adoption contact with your child and adoptive family, the adoption agency will help you and the adoptive family develop a post-adoption contact plan (e.g. sharing of pictures/letters regarding the child’s growth and/or visitation between you and the adoptive family) and draft a Post Adoption Contact Agreement with your attorney.
Step Six: Design a hospital plan. The adoption agency will give you options so you can make decisions regarding your wishes for the delivery and care of your baby at the hospital. For example, you can decide who you wish to have at the hospital. You can choose how and who will care for the baby while at the hospital. The hospital plan can be changed by you at any time, including during the hospital stay.
Step Seven: Make the decision about adoption; to surrender custody of your baby and place the baby into the adoptive family of your choice. Up until your child’s birth, your adoption plan is just that - a plan. Once the baby is born, you will decide whether or not to surrender the custody of your child to the adoption agency for placement with the adoptive family.
Step Eight: You will meet with your attorney to review and sign the required legal documents for the surrender of custody of your child. You and the birth father (if involved) will sign the surrender instrument and supporting documents granting custody of your child to the adoption agency. The adoption agency will then legally place the child into the adoptive family that you have chosen. If you wish to have post-adoption contact, your attorney will also have you and the adoptive parents review and then sign the Post Adoption Contact Agreement.
Step Nine: After you surrender custody of your child and the child is placed into the adoptive family, the adoption agency will provide needed support to you and the adoptive family in the short and long term (life-long services). These supports many include but are not limited to: therapeutic counseling for you, supervision of the adoptive family’s progress by a social worker, guidance for you and the adoptive parents regarding the post-adoption contact, etc.
Step Ten: Participate in the post adoption relationship with the adoptive family you have chosen. The Post Adoption Contact Agreement will guarantee minimum contact requirements. Many birth family and adoptive family relationships change over time but the minimum contract requirements are enforceable by the agency and the Courts.
Family Connections, Inc. will ensure that supportive counseling is available throughout the adoption planning process, the surrender and placement of your child, and post-adoption for you and the birth father.
Ten steps in adoption planning may seem overwhelming. However, know that with the assistance of a qualified adoption agency (Family Connections, Inc.), you and the birth father (if involved) will be guided through the process over months or over only a few hours depending upon your circumstances and the birth of your child.
Family Connections, Inc. would be honored to support your adoption plan. For free and confidential adoption planning, please contact Dan or Angela at 1-607-756-6574 or info@adoptfamilyconnections.org We look forward to hearing from you.
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