Open Adoption Agencies [How to Find One]
Open adoption has a lot of benefits, and an open adoption agency can help you place your baby for adoption.
To get free adoption information now, you can fill out our online contact form whenever you’re ready.
In the meantime, though, we’ve put together this complete guide about open adoptions and the agencies that complete them. Almost all private adoption agencies encourage open adoption, so we’ll discuss what it is, how to find open adoption agencies, the services those agencies provide and much more.
How to Find Open Adoption Agencies?
As you may have guessed, open adoption agencies specialize in open adoptions for prospective birth parents and hopeful adoptive families. Most agencies that complete private domestic adoption, which is the placement of an infant born in the United States with an adoptive family, complete open adoptions.
With that being said, it is not that difficult to find open adoption agencies. Still, how do you find the best open adoption agency? There is no one-size-fits-all approach to adoption, so some agencies that are a great fit for you might not be right for others.
Here are a few open adoption agencies that you can look into:
What Is Open Adoption? [What You Should Know]
Open adoption is when the birth parents maintain a relationship with their child and the adoptive family during and after placement occurs. You’ll share identifying information with the hopeful adoptive parents, so you will be able to contact one another directly.
The vast majority of adoptions today are open, but they did not used to be. Up until a few decades ago, closed adoption was the standard. As a result, many children grew up not knowing who their birth family was or why they were placed for adoption in the first place.
Now, though, there are plenty of both open and semi-open adoption agencies to ensure that children can stay in touch with their birth family long after the adoption takes place.
There is also semi-open adoption, which, as its name suggests, is the middle ground between open and closed adoption. Birth parents and adoptive families know who each other are, but the adoption professional mediates all contact because identifying information remains private.
But, we should mention that contact is different in every case of open adoption. As the prospective birth parent, you are in 100% control of your adoption plan from start to finish. When you work with open adoption agencies, keep in mind that you get to call all the shots while your trusted adoption professional does all the heavy lifting for you.
To give you a better idea of what to expect in open adoption, here are some forms of communication that you can decide to use with the adoptive family and your child:
- Phone calls
- Text messages
- In-person visits
- Zoom or Skype meetings
- Handwritten letters
- Photographs
- Or whatever you feel comfortable with
You can also change the method of contact you use at any time you like. Open adoption agencies will respect your wishes, needs and preferences, so take some time to consider what you want out of the adoption process, and your professional will respect that.
How Open Adoption Agencies Help
There are many kinds of services that open adoption agencies provide. From a general standpoint, here are some examples of services that many open adoption agencies offer for prospective birth parents like you:
- Facilitating communication between you and the adoptive family. Although semi-open adoption agencies are known for mediating contact between birth parents and adoptive families, this doesn’t’ mean open adoption agencies can’t do the same. Your trusted adoption professional can mediate your first meeting with the adoptive parents to help break the ice and dispel any nerves or tension.
- Providing free, 24/7 counseling so that you are never alone. Another vital service that many open adoption agencies offer is free, 24/7 counseling. When you place your child for adoption, experiencing complex emotions such as grief, doubt or loss is common. That’s why these agencies provide counseling to help you navigate these complicated feelings. No one should have to go through this difficult journey alone.
- Providing education about the adoption process. Plenty of open adoption agencies include educational services to help you develop a deeper understanding of adoption. There’s no doubt that it can be a difficult concept to grasp. There are many moving parts to it, but an open adoption agency can help you wrap your head around it.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Open Adoption?
Just as with anything in life, there are both pros and cons when it comes to open adoption. At the end of the day, we want to help you make the right decision for you, your baby and your situation.
Although the vast majority of adoption professionals out there encourage open adoption whenever possible, we recognize that it is not right for everyone. Below, we’ve listed some of the pros and cons of working with open adoption agencies.
Pros of Open Adoption Agencies
- You can watch your child grow up happy and healthy firsthand.
- You can get to know the adoptive family and feel more confident in your decision for adoption.
- You can update the adoptive family with potentially life-saving medical information.
- Your child will grow up knowing who you are and why they were placed for adoption to begin with.
- Your child will understand the sacrifice you made for them.
Cons of Open Adoption Agencies
- You may find regular contact with the adoptive family and your child to be difficult.
- Your child may feel confused at a young age about who their birth parents and adoptive parents are.
- The adoptive family may worry that you want to “co-parent,” but you can tell them that it’s not the case.
This can be a lot to soak in at once, so we understand if you have some more questions about open adoption agencies. That’s why you can get more adoption information now and fill out our online contact form at any time.