Private Agency Adoption

If the birth parents or adoptive parents need assistance in locating one another, a private agency can get involved to match the parents. Typically, the agency provides adoption services such as counseling and financial support to the birth parents. The birth parents often assist in choosing the adoptive parents by reviewing “resumes” of interested parents, which include non-identifying information and photos of the prospective adoptive parents.

Home studies are required as part of the adoption process. The agency working with the families will provide the home study services.

After the adoptive parents have been identified and after the child is born, each birth parent gives consent to guardianship of the child in favor of the agency. This consent gives the agency the right to place the child for adoption. The birth parents have 30 days after signing to revoke their consent. Meanwhile, the adoption agency files a petition in the appropriate circuit court to obtain legal guardianship of the child. Once the revocation period expires, the court will grant legal guardianship to the agency and terminate the parental rights of the birthparents. While the guardianship proceeding is pending, the child will be placed with the prospective adopting parents if the parents are willing to assume the risk of placement before the parental rights are terminated. Otherwise the baby will be placed in a foster home until the parental rights are terminated. The child will then be placed with the adopting couple.

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