Section #2: Selecting the Right Avenue of Adoption
These are many avenues prospective adoptive parents could consider when adopting, including:
Domestic Adoption Through an Agency
An Agency Adoption occurs when Adoption & Beyond, Inc. matches prospective birth parents who are considering an adoption plan for their child with hopeful adoptive parents looking to adopt a child as a way to grow their forever family. The prospective birth parents select a family based on a detailed family profile created by the adopting family. Our program is based on the concept of open adoption in which birth and adoptive families meet, choose each other and create an ongoing relationship that benefits the child.
Adoption Consultants
Adoption Consultants on behalf of prospective adoptive families, search for potential adoptive opportunities by networking with a number of domestic adoption agencies and/or attorneys. Since consultants provide networking throughout the country, the adoption could happen anywhere in the United States. Prospective adoptive parents will decide if they would like to have their family profile shown to a specific expecting birth parent. Once chosen, a match meeting typically occurs over the phone.
Private Adoption
A Private Adoption occurs when a family locates prospective birth parents through their own networking. Self-networking efforts can be in the form of posting the adoption wishes online, paid advertising, or close friends or family spreading the word that a family is looking to adopt. Once a family locates prospective birth parents in Kansas or Missouri, Adoption & Beyond, Inc. can assist families with their private adoption by providing both the expecting parents and the hopeful adoptive parents with adoption services, education and guidance.
Embryo Adoption
This type of adoption occurs when a genetic family has remaining embryos from previous in-vitro fertilization treatments that they wish to place for adoption. Adoptive parents may adopt frozen embryos in hopes they will be able to carry and give birth to their adopted child.
The number of embryos available depends on how many embryos a particular donating family has available. Hopefully once the embryo(s) are thawed, there will be at least one embryo available for transfer.
Foster Care Adoption
Children in the foster care system have been removed from the home for various reasons—abuse and neglect and/or alcohol and drug exposure. The primary focus for these children is reintegration into their birth family’s home. However, placing a child back into their original home is not always in the child’s best interest.
Your local public child welfare agency can work with you to identify children who are waiting for homes. Typically they are older children, sibling groups or children with specific medical or mental health issues. Prospective adoptive parents must attend several hours of training through a state foster care agency before qualifying for a Foster Care Adoption.
International Adoption
An International Adoption occurs when a family adopts a child from outside the United States. Adoption & Beyond is able to guide families in selecting which international placing agency will best match their family’s dynamics. We network with a number of international agencies who have programs in many different countries. Adoption & Beyond works closely with a family’s selected international placing agency in order to serve as the local liaison to complete the adoptive home study process and to provide post-adoption services and support.
As a professional, having trusted resources for families to explore is a huge help. Adoption & Beyond is a non-profit agency with years of experience finding safe homes for children in Kansas and Missouri.
We strive to be transparent in everything we do, providing birth and adoptive parents with all the information and support they need to have a successful adoption journey.