Adopting a Baby? FAQ answers about infant adoption and open adoption.

What services can Adoption Connection provide for my family?

As a licensed full service adoption agency we provide:

Extensive nationwide electronic advertising on your behalf
Adoption professionals and social workers available 24 hours a day, seven days a week
An adoption homestudy (if you live in Northern California) or referrals to qualified homestudy professionals (if you live in another area of California or in another state)
Direction and consultation so you create a beautiful Parent Profile (Dear Birthmother Letter)
Facilitation of your adoption “match” with you and your birthmother and support and counseling for all of you
Guide you and the birthmother through the adoption process so it will be as seamless as possible
Handle arrangements for an adoption anywhere in the United States
Provide you with the education and support both pre- and post-adoption in the form of groups, webinars and workshops
No waiting lists for adoptive parents – we want birth and adoptive parents to find each other as quickly as possible
The peace of mind of working with ethical and seasoned professionals who build long-lasting relationships with the birth families and adoptive families we serve

Do you work with adoptive parents throughout the United States?

Yes! Adoption Connection works with pregnant women (birth mothers) and adoptive parents anywhere in the United States. We have extensive experience working in out-of-area adoption; meaning the birth and adoptive parent reside in different states.

Can I work with you if I live in another state besides California?

Yes! Adoption Connection works with adoptive parents throughout the United States. We have extensive experience working in out-of-area adoption.

Pregnant women considering placing their baby for adoption can be from anywhere in the United States as well.

What is an adoption home study and what is required to pass one?

An adoption home study is a written report required by state law for individuals and couples who wish to adopt.

Many families considering adoption are concerned that the home study process will be uncomfortable, and that getting "approved" or passing the home study will take many months. Not so! Our clients let us know after completing their home study that they now feel more prepared to bring a baby into their home through adoption.

The home study process gives your adoption caseworker a chance to provide support and education to you about the journey ahead, and helps families think through adoption-related issues and the responsibilities of parenting.

During a home study you will provide:

Autobiographical statements
Employment and financial information
Personal references
Medical Reports for all family members
Criminal background clearances

The home study will also consist of prearranged meetings, one at your home.

As a licensed nonprofit adoption agency in California, Adoption Connection provides home study only services for families working with attorneys and facilitators on their adoption in Northern California. Call Christina DeLeon, our Homestudy Coordinator, directly at 415-359-2491 to learn more about the home study process and to request a home study application immediately.

Click here to request more information.

How long does it take to complete a Home Study?

Completing the Homestudy process typically takes 2-3 months.

If an adoptive family is expecting their birthmother to give birth very soon, an expedited adoption home study can be arranged. rest assured, you will be legally prepared to adopt in any last-minute placement.

Click here to request a open adoption home study application.

Does Adoption Connection complete out-of-state adoptions?

Yes, we have completed hundreds of adoptions throughout the United States and are very experienced. Many of the birthmothers we work with live throughout the country and find us through our website. From 2011-2014, 57% of our adoptions occurred with birthmothers living in California and 43% lived and gave birth outside of California.

Do you work with LGBT families?

Yes, Adoption Connection has been providing services to LGBT families since we opened our doors in 1984. In any given year LGBT families make up 20% - 25% of the adoptive families we serve. We have received the All Children – All Families Agency Seal of Recognition for our efforts from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

Adoption Connection works to make sure that all our families adopting a child in any state are abiding by all the current rules and regulations to ensure the adoption goes smoothly.

How long do adoptive parents wait to bring a baby home from the hospital?

Over the past four years (2011-2014) the average wait for our adoptive families has been 15 months (from the start of their outreach process until a baby was in their home). Some families will connect in a shorter time while others will wait longer. We believe there is a birth family out there for everyone!

Percentage of Families (2011-2014) Placed within:

6 months or less	6 - 12 months	12 - 18 months	18 - 24 months	24 - 30 months	24 - 36 months
17%	29%	21%	17%	6%	7%

What is a "Dear Birthmother Letter" or Parent Profile, and how do I write one?

A Parent Profile is a letter that will help introduce you to a pregnant women considering adoption and her family.

Every adoptive family is unique. Adoption Connection will work with you one-on-one and guide you through the process of composing text, choosing photographs, and designing the best letter possible by giving you examples, recommendations, instruction and practical support.

Families joining our Birthmother Outreach Program create a physical brochure (Dear Birthmother Letter) and also gain access to our online content management system so they can upload their letter to the Parent Profile section of our website.

When Adoption Connection starts working with a prospective birthmother, we will present these letters as a way for the birthmother to learn more about our families and choose the right family for her baby.

How do birthparents find Adoption Connection?

Our website -- extensive online advertising/paid search
A referral from a clinic, social service agency, or hospital social worker
Word of mouth
Adoptive parents’ adoption networking and outreach strategies
A third-party adoption agency or other adoption professional

Besides our website, many of our birthparent referrals result from our extensive outreach efforts to pregnancy counseling clinics, teen pregnancy programs, and other healthcare programs and social service organizations.

What is included in Adoption Connection's Outreach Program?

Adoption Connection advertises extensively in electronic media throughout the United States and as a result receives telephone calls, emails and texts from prospective birthmothers from all over the country. We also have close relationships with clinics, hospitals and social service organizations – which, combined with the extensive advertising programs, adds up to a stellar placement rate when compared to other agencies offering similar services.

Our services include, but are not limited to:

Answering all of your questions about the adoption process
Working with you to define what type of adoption preferences are best for your family
Assistance in drafting and completing your Parent Profile or "Dear Birth Mother" letter so your unique family will shine
Assistance in helping you complete an adoption homestudy
The screening of birth parents; verifying pregnancy and commitment to adoption
The presentation of your Parent Profile to pre-screened birth parents
Contacting you when a prospective birth parent wants to learn more about your family
Assisting you in that first connection that you have with a prospective birth parent so you feel prepared, confident and excited for that text, phone call or in-person meeting
Facilitating and managing your adoption plan with experienced adoption staff with many years of professional (and personal) experience in open adoption

What about gender preference?

We find that adoptive families with gender preferences wait substantially longer, therefore we request that families who have chosen to participate in our Birthmother Outreach Program are open to adopting a healthy infant of either gender.

Do you complete trans-racial adoptions?

Yes, many of our adoptive families are open and excited to adopt a child of a different race/ethnicity than themselves.

To prepare families, we require that they attend an educational workshop on trans-racial adoption. .

How many adoptions do you complete each year?

We average about 90-100 domestic placements per year. This includes placements where we worked as a cooperative agency liaison with other adoption agencies in out-of-area placements.

Our Birthmother Outreach Program completes 30-50 adoptions per year and we typically work with 80-100 waiting adoptive families in this program at any given time. In 2014, 40 individuals and couples completed their infant adoption with the help of this program.

View families that recently adopted with the help of our Birthmother Outreach Program.

Families joining our Birthmother Outreach Program create a physical brochure (Dear Birthmother Letter) and also gain access to our online content management system so they can upload their letter to the Parent Profile section of our website.

When Adoption Connection starts working with a prospective birthmother, we will present these letters as a way for the birthmother to learn more about our families and choose the right family for her baby.

Do you ever place toddlers or older children in adoptive homes?

Yes, occasionally. Since our domestic program specializes in infant adoption, we usually work with women who are pregnant or have just recently given birth. Occasionally, we work with a woman who wants to place a toddler or sibling voluntarily.

Does Adoption Connection complete immediate hospital placements?

Yes, Adoption Connection receives calls from hospital social workers or birthmothers very soon, or right after, the birth of a baby. Adoptive parents who are interested in this type of instant placement are required to work fast in order to be prepared to take home a baby with very little notice.

Does Adoption Connection ever complete closed adoptions?

Yes, rarely. As an adoption agency we can legally complete closed adoptions. (Only licensed agencies can complete closed adoptions -- unlike attorneys or unlicensed adoption centers.) If we are working with a birthmother who desires a closed adoption, we will honor her request; the adoption will be completed without any identifying information exchanged between the birth and adoptive families.

In both closed and open adoptions, written biological and health information about mother and baby are obtained.

On average, we complete one to two closed adoptions per year—very few.

Do I need an attorney if I work with Adoption Connection?

When you complete an agency adoption with a licensed adoption agency you do not need an attorney to complete your adoption and Adoption Connection does not require our clients to obtain an attorney.

However, if you need an attorney for work such as the termination of parental rights of a birth father during your adoption process, we will advise you of this. Every adoption is different. Some may require the work of an attorney and some will not.

If you choose to work with an adoption attorney or an adoption professional Adoption Connection would be happy to complete your homestudy only or other individual services in order to legally prepare for a new baby. Please contact us so that we can discuss your unique needs and situation.

How do I find out more?

Give us a call anytime at 415-359-2494 and ask to talk with one of our staff members about getting started on your adoption plan.

Click here to request additional information.

Come to our free Open Adoption Orientation to learn more about our services. Orientations take place at least twice per month throughout the Northern California Bay Area.

If you are unable to attend an orientation, an individual appointment can be arranged.

FAQs About Adopting a Baby and Open Adoption