7 Adoption Services You'll Need on Your Journey

1. Counseling, Screening and Education
2. Screening Services
3. Home Study Services
4. Adoption Marketing & Advertising
5. Adoption and Hospital Planning
6. Legal Adoption Referral Services
7. Open Adoption Education and Support

American Adoptions’ Unique Child Adoption Services

1. Financial protection for adoptive parents
2. Shorter average adoption wait times
3. Video adoption profile services
4. 24/7 support for prospective birth mothers
5. Birth parent scholarships
6. Post-placement adoption services and support

With so many different adoption professionals offering so many different programs and services, prospective birth mothers and adoptive parents often wonder what adoption services are available to them.

You may be asking yourself the same thing: Which adoption resources do you need, and which adoption service provider can help you best achieve your adoption goals?

Don’t look any further — American Adoptions is here to provide all of the adoption-related services you need. As a national, full-service adoption agency, we can guide you through every step of this journey, whether you’re considering placing a child for adoption or adopting a child into your family.

We know finding private adoption services can be hard, so let us make it easy. Give our team a call anytime at 1-800-ADOPTION or request free information online to connect with a trained specialist. We will be happy to answer your questions and get you the adoption help you’re looking for.

Please note: As a private domestic infant adoption agency, American Adoptions can only provide information on the infant adoption process in the U.S. Those considering international or foster care adoption should consider online resources such as The Child Welfare Information Gateway.

All that said, the adoption services you need and choose will depend upon your own circumstances. It’s important that you educate yourself about all of the U.S adoption services available to you, so you can find all of the support you deserve during this journey.

 

Learn more about these child adoption services — and how American Adoptions can help — below.

 

7 Adoption Services You’ll Need on Your Journey

There are several adoption services involved through each step of the adoption process. Some services, such as the home study and the legal adoption process, must be completed by an adoption service provider. Others, such as screening and matching services, may not be required in certain adoption situations, such as in identified adoption arrangements.

However, if you’re considering private domestic infant adoption, there are a few categories of services you’ll need along the way. Fortunately, American Adoptions is here to provide all that you need — for free if you’re a prospective birth mother, or as part of one inclusive agency fee if you’re a hopeful adoptive parent.

 

As you move forward with this journey, here are the adoption and family services you’ll need along the way:

 

1. Counseling, Support and Education

Adoption is an emotional experience, both for prospective birth parents and adoptive families. Any couple or individual pursuing adoption should receive the education they need to make the best decisions for their situation. Both parties should also get support and counseling to help them process any difficult emotions and remain committed to their adoption plan.

From the moment you first contact American Adoptions, our trained specialists will serve as your infant adoption referral and information service. We’ll answer all of your questions about working with our agency, help you understand what adoption might mean for you and (should you decide to work with us) provide referrals to any other professionals needed along the way.

 

We’ll never pressure you into a decision you’re not ready for; we’ll just stand ready to guide you and provide the adoption services you need, should you decide to move forward.

 

2. Screening Services

Adoption professionals should screen the prospective adoptive families and birth parents they work with to measure their commitment to adoption and ensure that the prospective birth mother and her baby are safe and healthy. These screening services protect everyone involved in the adoption process.

 

American Adoptions takes steps to ensure all adoptive parents are prepared for adoption and can provide the safe home a child needs. These include home study investigations, background checks and more. Prospective birth parents also receive counseling and education to confirm their commitment to the adoption process, reducing the likelihood of adoption scammers taking advantage of adoptive families.

 

3. Home Study Services

Those home studies we mentioned? Every adoptive family needs to complete one, and it must be conducted by a licensed professional. The home study is an evaluation of the adoptive family, their home and their background information to determine whether they are ready to provide a stable, nurturing home to an adopted child.

 

As a national agency, American Adoptions can provide home study adoption services to prospective adoptive parents in several states, whether or not they work with us for placement. And, if you don’t live in a state where we provide home study services, we can provide adoption referral services to licensed agencies through 1-800-homestudy.com.

 

4. Adoption Marketing & Advertising

In most private adoptions, a prospective birth mother and adoptive parents will need assistance locating each other. This is where an adoption advertising agency (like American Adoptions) comes in handy.

Any parents interested in adopting a child will need to advertise their family to pregnant women considering adoption, and expectant mothers will then choose the perfect family for her child. Adoption professionals can coordinate these services and help expectant mothers and adoptive parents find each other based on each party’s adoption goals.

As you start the adoption process, marketing is at the forefront of American Adoptions’ focus. We work hard to provide domestic adoption advertising services unparalleled by other agencies, including the development of print, online and video profiles for every hopeful adoptive family. We’ve also contracted with additional informational adoption sites to provide even more exposure for your adoption situation. Our national reach means that you’ll connect with the right adoption opportunity or adoptive family much quicker, and our team will take care of every piece of your adoption advertising campaign.

 

By getting prospective birth mothers the information they need and by working with a variety of families across the U.S., our agency can provide the most successful adoption advertising services you’ll find out there.

 

5. Adoption and Hospital Planning

Prospective birth parents and adoptive families will both need to make adoption plans, dependent upon their goals and preferences. Potential birth parents will also need to create a hospital plan to determine their wishes for their hospital experience.  

 

American Adoptions guides our prospective adoptive and birth parents through each step of this process, taking care of the details and taking the stress off of your shoulders. These can be the most helpful of our adoption services; they allow you to focus on building a relationship with a prospective birth mother or adoptive family.

 

6. Legal Adoption Referral Services

Adoption is a legal process that involves the transfer of parental rights, legal counsel for the adoptive family and the birth parents based on state laws and finalization of the adoption. An attorney is required in every adoption to complete these necessary legal services.

 

Other adoption agencies require you to locate your own adoption attorney — but not American Adoptions. We maintain a national network of attorneys and other professionals, so you will be connected with legal representation from the start, thanks to our adoption referral services.

 

7. Open Adoption Education and Support

The majority of adoptions today are open, meaning the adoptive family and birth parents maintain contact before, during and after the child’s birth. At American Adoptions, we require all prospective adoptive families to be open to open adoption communication with certain requirements, like exchanging contact information and pre-placement communication. But, if a prospective birth mother desires the confidentiality of a semi-open adoption, we will explain the options available to her and guide adoptive parents through that specific relationship.

 

Regardless of the amount and kind of contact shared, American Adoptions will always be there to answer questions from birth and adoptive parents in the months and years to come. We know every open adoption relationship is unique, which is why we will help you address challenges and provide support as needed.

 

American Adoptions’ Unique Child Adoption Services

While you can find these child adoption services with a variety of professionals, very few will provide all of the services — and more — in one place. For that, you’ll need to work with American Adoptions.

 

American Adoptions arranges, coordinates and oversees the entire adoption process, including all of the private adoption services above. Our agency is committed to meeting our client's needs by offering additional advantages to the adoptive families and prospective birth parents who choose to work with our agency, including:

 

1. Financial protection for adoptive parents

For hopeful adoptive parents, adoption is a commitment — emotionally as well as financially. A small percentage of women pursuing adoption change their minds and decide to parent, sometimes after an adoptive family has already invested considerable money in the adoption situation.

American Adoptions’ Risk-Sharing Program protects these families by refunding any money invested in the adoption, including living expenses, medical expenses, termination expenses and agency fees. This money does not automatically roll over into another adoption. Instead, it is returned directly to the adoptive family, so they can decide if and when to continue pursuing adoption.

 

For more information on this financial help for adoptive parents, please contact us.

 

2. Honest adoption wait times

 

Through extensive adoption advertising efforts, networking avenues and national exposure, American Adoptions is able to minimize wait times for adoptive families. Most adoptive parents hold their new babies within an average of 12 months.

 

3. Video adoption profile services

Another way we are able to decrease wait times for adoptive parents is through our video profiles.

While most professionals will only provide print adoption profile design services, our agency goes a step beyond with video profiles. Each adoptive family must create a video profile, which gives prospective birth parents a glimpse of what life is like for the adoptive family. These videos powerfully capture adoptive parents’ personalities and their desire to become parents.

 

Many birth parents report that our video profiles are the deciding factor when choosing an adoptive family – giving insight that print adoption profiles simply can’t provide.

 

4. 24/7 support for prospective birth mothers

Our adoption specialists are available at all times to provide support and answer questions for women who are working with our agency or considering adoption. Because the well-being of our prospective birth mothers and their babies is our number one priority, these highly trained professionals are always available to talk about the benefits of adoption, provide support and guidance and help prospective birth mothers stay committed to their adoption plan.

If you’re a pregnant woman considering adoption, we can provide all of the help with adoption you’re looking for, including:

• Free, no-obligation adoption counseling
• Financial assistance for pregnancy and living expenses
• A variety of pre-screened adoptive families to choose from
• References to additional professionals (like counselors and lawyers)
• Contact mediation with adoptive parents, if you require
• Post-placement support and counseling (more on that below)

 

Call our team anytime at 1-800-ADOPTION for answers to your questions and free information about adoption.

 

5. Birth parent scholarships

Adoption allows many birth parents to continue to pursue their goals and dreams in many ways. American Adoptions helps birth parents fulfill this potential by offering a scholarship fund.

 

Every birth parent who goes through the adoption process will receive a scholarship application and be considered for a financial scholarship to assist with the costs of education.

 

6. Post-placement adoption services and support

Our child adoption services don’t end with placement. Our agency specialists will continue to provide support and guidance for birth and adoptive parents following the adoption. Whatever questions or concerns you have in the years to come, we will always be there for you — to answer your questions and get you any post-adoption help you may need.

We are also able to recommend local support groups and other resources to birth parents and adoptive families. In fact, we host several gatherings and events throughout the year for all members of the American Adoptions family. When you work with our agency, you will forever have our care and support.

To learn more about the U.S. adoption services our agency provides, call 1-800-ADOPTION or request free adoption information today. 

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