Domestic Adoption Agencies Missouri
Missouri has several adoption agencies to select from. Some agencies emphasize infant adoption, while others emphasize older orphans, usually foster care children. Missouri has approximately 10,000 children in foster care and 1,800 who still need to be placed, according to Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri. Choosing the type of adoption, whether to maintain contact with the birth family or choose to have none at all, is also an issue that prospective parents should research prior to adopting.
Closed Adoption
Closed adoption is when the birth family and adoptive parents do not meet before or after the infant or child is placed. In domestic closed adoptions, no longer as popular as they were in the past, the records are sealed.
Family Connections provides closed, semi-open and open adoptions in the St. Louis area.
Semi-Open Adoption
Adoption For Families is a licensed adoption agency in the state of Missouri. In order to adopt through this agency, couples must be comfortable with meeting the birth mother prior to the baby's birth. After the infant is placed in the adoptive couple's home, the new parents are expected to send photos and letters to the adoption agency that will then be forwarded to the birth mother.
Open Adoption
Love Basket is an adoption agency that supports open adoption. Birth mothers choose the adoptive parents from a profile. After the adoption takes place, both parties maintain contact that is comfortable for them. This agency places infants and older children.
Lutheran Family and Children's Services provides adoptions of infants and older children, also emphasizing open adoption; ethnic and cultural identity is a strong point in the match. A majority of the infants waiting to be adopted are healthy African-Americans.
Newborns
Adoption Option, Inc., mostly deals with facilitating newborn adoptions. Couples must be 24 years or older and have exhausted all resources in attempting to become pregnant, in order to start the adoption process.
Siblings
Even though most prospective adoptive parents look to adopt only one infant or older child, it is very important to not separate siblings in adoption. The pain of being separated from their birth mother can make further separation from family members traumatic for adoptees. Usually, siblings are in the foster care system.
Good Shepherd Children and Family Services provides adoption for infants, older children and siblings, urging prospective parents to keep brothers and sisters together.
Christian
Some religious organizations run private adoption agencies that work only with people who follow their faith.
Lighthouse looks to place orphans into loving Christian homes. With over 20 years of experience, the agency has placed almost 300 orphans.
Tags: adoption agency, adoptive parents, birth mother, foster care, infants older