Infant Adoption

In Virginia, the primary way to adopt an infant is through an open infant adoption that provides potential birth parents the opportunity to make an individualized adoption plan and to choose the family who will parent their child. It provides prospective parents the opportunity to meet, share information and discuss future plans with a child's birth family, to receive a child from the hospital and to access more complete information about family history. Potential birth parents receive counseling, support and assistance in exploring options, gathering resources and making an adoption plan. Adoptive parents receive home study, placement and post-placement services and support.

In Virginia , you can now choose two different legal paths to complete an open, infant adoption. The decision of which legal path to take is typically made by the birth parents as they are considering their adoptions for placement. The first is a Parental Placement Adoption that is considered a direct placement from birth parents to adoptive parents without an agency ever taking legal custody of the child. The birth parent(s) choose the adoptive family with whom they wish to place their child, usually prior to the birth of the child. This type of adoption requires the birth and adoptive parents to meet at least once “simultaneously” with their home study agency to exchange information such as names, addresses, medical and family history. If ALL parties agree, the exchange of names and addresses is no longer legally required, even though this meeting is still required and the exchange of medical and family history background is still required. However, Coordinators²inc believes that it is in a child's best interest for ALL information to be shared and will require the exchange of names and addresses if you choose to work with this agency.

The second legal path for an open, infant placement is an Agency Placement Adoption. For this type of adoption, the birth parent(s) sign an “entrustment” to an agency and the agency is responsible for placing the child into an adoptive family. The birth parent(s) may choose the family or allow the agency to choose the family for them. They may also choose to exchange identifying information or choose not to, preferring instead to keep names and addresses confidential. Currently, Coordinators²inc is not licensed to take entrustments but can assist in Parental Placement Adoptions. Coordinators²inc can also facilitate an infant adoption from another state. See Types of Adoption, Agency Placement.

Our staff knows that the decision to adopt a child or to place your child for adoption are life changing events and we are here to make sure that our clients feel supported from the beginning and for as long as they need our services.  Coordinators²inc is committed to a lifetime partnership with our families.

 

Services Offered

• Home studies specific to Parental Placement Adoption

• Placement and post-placement services and support

• Birth parent options counseling, support and referral to community resources.

What's Unique about Our Infant Program