ADOPTION & ART ATTORNEYS IN MARYLAND, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA & VIRGINIA
A private agency adoption occurs when a prospective birth mother contacts an adoption agency and voluntarily places her baby for adoption. This differs from public agency adoptions (foster care adoptions), which often involve a child who has been removed from a birth family involuntarily due to allegations of abuse or neglect.
Private Agency Adoption Services in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC
Even when an adoptive family chooses to work with an agency rather than pursuing an independent adoption. The family will still need the guidance of an adoption attorney to complete the legal steps of the adoption process. We have helped many adoptive parents decide between independent and private agency adoption. We can provide all of the legal services you need to complete either adoption process.
To begin your adoption journey, contact us now.
How Does Private Agency Adoption Work?
In a private agency adoption, the birth parents usually choose to remain involved in the adoption process and personally select the adoptive parents they feel are perfect for their baby. In today’s infant adoptions, most birth parents choose to have an open adoption, so they can remain in contact with their child and the adoptive parents. The agency acts as a professional mediator to connect birth and adoptive parents.
If prospective birth parents or adoptive parents need assistance in locating one another, a private adoption agency can get involved to match the parents. Typically, the agency provides adoption services, such as counseling and financial support (if allowed by state law) to the birth parents. The prospective birth parents often choose the adoptive family by reviewing profiles of interested parents, which include non-identifying information and photos of the prospective adoptive family.
Adoption agencies also mediate pre-placement contact between prospective birth and adoptive families so they can get to know each other better and build a solid relationship prior to the adoption. This relationship can continue throughout the adoption process and beyond in the form of an open or
semi-open adoption, should the birth parents choose this level of openness. Adoption agencies are experienced at helping birth and adoptive families communicate with one another to help establish trust and good rapport between the two parties. The hope is that they can continue to communicate on their own comfortably and freely in the future.
After the adoptive parents have been chosen and the child is born, each birth parent may give consent to guardianship of the child in favor of the agency. This consent gives the agency the right to place the child for adoption. In Maryland, 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 birth parents. While the guardianship proceeding is pending, the child will be placed with the prospective adoptive parents if the parents are willing to assume the risk of placement before parental rights are terminated. The child will then be placed with the adoptive family.
In both Virginia and the District of Columbia, the agency obtains the right to consent based on the consents signed by the birth parents, and a court order is not required to terminate the birth parents’ rights. In this instance, the birth parents’ rights are terminated in accordance with the relevant statute.
Following a required
post-placement supervision period, the agency gives its consent to the adoption to the adoptive parents. The adoptive parents proceed to finalize the adoption by filing a petition for adoption in the circuit court in the county where they reside.
Who Chooses a Private Agency Adoption?
You may wish to pursue a private domestic agency adoption if:
- You would like to adopt an infant.
- You want someone to help you find potential birth parents who are a good fit for you.
- You would like the possibility of having a more open adoption relationship with your child’s birth parents.
- You want someone to screen potential birth parents for you.
- You want to receive adoption services, like emotional counseling and health care for the birth mother.
For some, alternatives to agency adoptions do exist. For example, U.S. families who aren’t sure they need to work with an agency may consider an independent adoption. Families interested in adopting an older child might consider a public agency (foster care) adoption.
If you’re unsure of which type of adoption is right for your family, we can walk you through the various adoption processes to help you find your desired path. Contact us now to learn more about public agency adoption if you’re interested in a foster care adoption in DC, MD or VA.
WHAT IS HOME STUDY ?
State law dictates whether an individual social worker, a private licensed child-placing agency or a public social service agency may perform the home study. The process is designed to evaluate the adoptive parents to ensure there is nothing in their homes or backgrounds that would be contrary to the best interests of the child. It is an independent investigation to verify your suitability as adoptive parents. It includes criminal and child abuse clearances. The home study is valid for one year and can be updated annually.
AGENCY ADOPTION
Agency adoptions are handled by a licensed child-placing agency in the state where the adoption is occurring. Agency adoptions are conducted through either public or private agencies. Residents of Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia may work with public and private agencies located anywhere in the United States. In agency adoptions, the birth parents place the child with the agency, which assumes guardianship of the child. The agency then places the child with the adoptive couple.
REVOCATION PERIOD
In Maryland, a birth parent has 30 calendar days to revoke their consent to an adoption, whether private or agency. In DC, consent is irrevocable upon execution for a private adoption, and a birth parent has 14 days to revoke their consent to adoption if the baby is placed through an agency. In Virginia, a birth mother consents in court in front of a judge three days or more after the baby is born; she has seven days to revoke consent. In a Virginia agency case, the birth mother signs a relinquishment to the agency and does not appear in court.