| Adoption Agency | Private Attorney |
|---|---|
| During birthmother's pregnancy: the agency provides counseling support, transportation to appointments, ensures basic needs are met (food, clothing, shelter) and provides assistance applying for social services. | |
| Adoptive parents have a Social Study (a.k.a. Home Study) before being accepted into our program: FBI background checks, references checks, assessments of their: motivation to adopt, finances, safety in the home, and more. | |
| Adoptive parents receive training and ongoing counseling about open adoption, talking to children about adoption, maintaining a relationship with birth family through the years, and more. | |
| Birthparents choose adoptive parents that the agency has already screened, trained, and investigated. Birthparents can meet several families before making decision. -OR- | |
| Identified adoption: Birthparents and adoptive family meet, then bring their relationship to the agency for the benefits of counseling and legal details. | Birthparents and adoptive family meet, then bring their relationship to an attorney to handle the legal details. |
| Hospital Work: The agency communicates with hospital staff about adoption plans, advocates for birthparents, and provides emotional support during hospitalization. | |
| Handles legal details of the termination of parental rights. | Handles legal details of the termination of parental rights. |
| Adoptive parents have home study after child has been placed in their home. | |
| The staff of the agency provides support to birth families during the grieving time following termination of parental rights. | |
| The agency remains available indefinitely to counsel birthmother, child, and adoptive family through the years. |