Pathways to Adoption

POOL PROGRAM

This is the only program in which we act as both the placing AND supervising agency.  We work with woman, here in Virginia, who are making an adoption plan and place with one of the families in our POOL of adoptive families.  Entrance into the pool program is not guaranteed and is dependent on the recommendation of the worker, available space in the pool, and on meeting some additional requirements.

INTERSTATE INFANT ADOPTION

In this scenario, we work as your local Virginia agency to complete your home study and then you work with another out-of-state agency who matches you with a prospective birth family.  You travel to that state for the placement and once you return to Virginia, we provide the required post placement supervision services that are required in order to finalize the adoption.ription text goes here

If you are open to adopting a child with special needs, we are able to connect you with networks that help match families in these situations.  We’ve successfully assisted families adopt through the programs below:

• National Down Syndrome Adoption Network

• ACF+ Special Needs Adoption

Private Adoption = Private adoption is handled by attorneys for each party.

Birth parents select the adoptive family for their child without the support of an adoption agency. The adoptive family still needs to have an approved home study. In Virginia, the birthparents are required to have at least one hour of counseling regarding their adoption decision.

We recommend pursuing private adoption only in instances when the birth parent is well known to the identified adoptive family, such as a family member or close friend.  We do not work with families who complete a home study for the purposes of self-matching.

There are over 70,000 children in foster care in the United States awaiting adoption.  This program is designed for families who do not wish to become foster parents, but who are motivated to adopt only. 

When children come into foster care, the local social services work with them and their family to try to first return the child(ren) to their family or to place with a relative, typically over the course of 6-18 months.  When this is not possible, adoption may become the child(ren)’s permanency goal and in that case, the family who has been fostering them would likely be approached as a potential adoption placement.  In instances when the foster family is not willing, or deemed appropriate, as a permanent adoption placement, social service agencies will recruit to identify an adoptive family.

Click here to learn more about our Waiting Child Adoption Program.