“They’re people helping other people. That’s why I trusted Graceful Adoptions with my daughter’s future. Together, we found the perfect family.”
Making an Adoption Plan for a child doesn’t mean you don’t care for your child. It doesn’t mean you don’t love your child either. Parents make an Adoption Plan because, for whatever reason, they’re not able to parent their child at this point in their lives.
Newborn adoption is when parents make an Adoption Plan for an unborn or recently born child. Graceful Adoptions starts working with mothers whenever they are ready – before the baby is born or after the baby’s birth.
Infant and toddler adoption is when parents make an Adoption Plan for a child that is between 1 month and 4 years of age. Graceful Adoptions regularly works with mothers who realize they are unable to parent their child. This usually occurs because support they anticipated would be available is no longer available. This could be the child’s father or the mother’s family who committed to being there to help, however are unable to do so.
When I started Graceful Adoptions, I talked with mothers who had placed a child for adoption using another agency. One thing they all had in common – communications from the adoptive parents ended long before they anticipated.
This bothered me – a lot.
It’s not a negotiation between the parents placing and the adoptive parents they select. The parents placing select the type of adoption they want, the frequency, and how the communications take place. We put everything in writing and it’s our job to find adoptive parents who will follow the Communications Plan the placing parents want.
This communication requirement helps determines which adoptive parents we present for your consideration.
With Open Adoption there is a direct on-going relationship, and there are in-person visits. The number of visits vary for each relationship; however, one or two visits per year tend to be the most popular.
With Semi-Open Adoption there is a direct on-going relationship. The only difference between Open and Semi-Open Adoptions is that with Semi-Open Adoptions there are no visits between the parents following placement, although the expectant and adoptive parents still meet prior to the birth.
With Closed Adoption there is no contact between the parents following placement of the child with the adoptive parents, although the expectant and adoptive parents still meet prior to the birth.
One of the first questions mothers considering adoption ask…
“Do I need the father’s permission to place my child for adoption?”
The short answer – no. That is, unless the mother and father are married. Generally, the legal process is smoother if the father is involved. Although each state is different, there is no state that requires the father of the child’s “permission” to place a child for adoption if the mother and father aren’t married.
Assuming you are not legally married to the father, you may legally place the child for adoption as long as the father of the child does not take action to stop the adoption.
If the father of the child wants to be involved in the Adoption Plan – selecting the family and receiving updates following placement – we welcome and encourage their participation. All of the services and support that is available to the mother of the child is available to the father as well.