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Adoption Agency or Attorney

Deciding between an adoption agency or adoption attorney? Find the right adoption route for your family.

The process or adoption can be overwhelming. When choosing the best route for your family in this journey, should you choose an adoption agency or attorney? Below you will find many of the important aspects of deciding between an adoption agency or adoption attorney. Find out what kind of questions to ask yourself to help make the best decision for you and your growing family.

Adoption Agency or Attorney?

Attorneys and agencies in Texas can provide services for placement and during the adoption process. Typically, agencies will be a “full service” provider as they will complete the necessary home study for you to adopt and the post-placement visits. However, attorneys can have resources for the family to accomplish this also. Finding agencies and attorneys to discuss their services throughout this process is a great way to figure out what will work best for you.

Domestically or Internationally? 

Caring Adoptions oversaw many international adoptions until 2012, when the laws changed requiring agencies to be HAGUE compliant, per the Universal Accreditation Act.

Today, Caring Adoptions participates in domestic adoptions exclusively. Deciding which is best for you could depend on various parameters, such as age range and are you willing to travel to another country to complete an adoption. 

National Agency or a Local Agency? 

There are positives to both options. 

National agencies may have offices in different states, work throughout the United States, and can find a match in any state. Typically, this means you will be traveling for your child’s placement and staying in that state until ICPC (Interstate Compact on Placement for Children) regulations and requirements have been met in both states. 

Local agencies, like Caring Adoptions, with just one location in Houston, Texas, work just in Texas for placements; however, we have families from all over the US. 

Unlike national agencies that sometimes work with hundreds of families, Caring Adoptions works with a small number of families to offer one-on-one support ensuring they can reach us with any questions or concerns throughout their process.

Foster Care or Straight Adoption?

Many children in the foster care system need a loving family. Adoptions through foster care can mean that you could adopt a sibling group or adopt a child of any age. Foster care adoptions are often funded through the state, and at times there are little to no fees for the adopting family. 

Private adoptions (not through the foster care system) are usually infants as birthparents voluntarily relinquish their parental rights. 

Foster care adoptions are typically a case of involuntary relinquishment of parental rights. Of course, this is not the case for all adoptions. 

At this time, Caring Adoptions caters to birthparents that are voluntarily relinquishing their rights and do not have a contract with CPS for foster care placements.

These are important questions to ask yourself before deciding if an agency or attorney is right for you. Regardless of what you choose, you want to be happy in your decision as they will be the ones who guide you through your adoption process and be a means of support. 

These are all great options, and we wish you the best on your adoption journey!

Are you pregnant and in crisis? Do you need a safe place to stay? We want to help!  Contact us today!

TEXT: 832.526.4333

CALL: 1.833.603.7169

EMAIL: INFO@CARINGADOPTIONS.ORG