“The desire to have a child is so strong, and A Child’s Hope helped to make our dreams come true. They were with us every step of the way, to comfort us and to answer all our questions.” – Mike & Jennifer, Adoptive Parents (adopted 2016)
Our waiting families share Mike and Jennifer’s strong desire to have a child. For these hopeful parents looking to adopt a baby, the adoption process is one of the most rewarding and worthwhile experiences of a lifetime.
But the infant adoption process is not always easy. Like Mike and Jennifer, you will need the comfort, support and guidance of an experienced adoption professional along each step of the way. A Child’s Hope has helped hundreds of families like yours fulfill their dreams of parenthood and can offer all of the services and support you need to adopt a baby in North Carolina. The agency prides itself on counseling services for birth mothers and adoptive parents.
If you would like to adopt a baby, read on to learn more about newborn adoption and find out how to adopt a baby with A Child’s Hope.
Newly adoptive parents share their experiences.
About Domestic Infant Adoption with A Child’s Hope
Domestic infant adoption refers to situations in which a birth mother voluntarily places her baby for adoption in the United States. For families who are interested in adopting a newborn , adoption through an agency is often the best way to build a family. Although you can adopt without using an agency, using an agency gives you all of the services you need — marketing and advertising, counseling and screening of birth parents, home studies and post=placement visits, education about adoption, support through the process and legal finalization.
A Child’s Hope will guide you through the North Carolina adoption process and be with you through each step of your adoption journey. When you choose to work with our agency, you can expect:
- Responsiveness: We are a small agency that works with a limited number of adoptive families at a time. This minimizes our adoption wait times and allows our adoption counselors to be directly involved with all of our clients, providing each family and birth mother with the individual care and attention they deserve.
- Experience: A Child’s Hope is directed by a well-respected North Carolina adoption attorney with more than 30 years of experience. In addition, all of our adoption counselors are highly qualified, licensed social workers with extensive experience in adoption. Our agency director and counseling supervisor are also both adoptive mothers themselves, so you always have the support and guidance of someone who has been in your shoes.
- Local, personal service: Our offices are located in Raleigh, N.C., with adoption counselors serving families throughout the state. We are focused on matching North Carolina birth mothers with North Carolina families, which reduces the need for travel and helps keep our adoption costs In addition, this allows us to offer in-person counseling services, which helps limit adoption disruption rates and ensures all of our clients have the local support and services they need.
- Low adoption costs: As a local adoption agency, we strive to keep our adoption fees as low as possible and to provide the highest-quality adoption services in return. The average total cost to adopt a child with A Child’s Hope is about $35,000, thousands less than the national average.
“A Child’s Hope and the birthmothers they so compassionately work with are the reason we were able to be the family we are.” – Steve, Adoptive Father (adopted 2000, 2002 & 2006)
The Process of Adopting a Newborn with A Child’s Hope
A Child’s Hope completed its first adoption in 2000. Since then, we have helped more than 316 couples and individuals create their happy families, walking them through each step of the adoption process.
From your first phone call through finalization, our agency offers all of the adoption services and support you need to adopt a newborn baby. Here’s how to adopt an infant with A Child’s Hope:
- Contact our agency to schedule a consultation and get more information about A Child’s Hope.
- Meet in person with our agency director to learn more about adopting an infant with our agency, as well as your other family-building options and your own adoption preferences.
- Officially join A Child’s Hope to begin your adoption journey.
- Begin the home study process with one of our licensed adoption counselors.
- Work directly with an adoption profile artist to create a unique family profile, website, and social media pages to show to expectant mothers.
- Attend the required parent orientation classes offered by A Child’s Hope.
- Complete additional agency requirements, including infant CPR training, a newborn care class, and more.
- Read about our infants available for adoption and let us know when you want your profile to be shown for an adoption opportunity.
- Be selected by a prospective birth mother and get to know her at a match meeting, mediated by an adoption counselor.
- Continue pre-placement contact with the prospective birth mother.
- Meet the baby when he or she is born. Take the baby home from the hospital or from respite care when the birth mother’s revocation period ends.
- Attend placement day with your baby at our office to complete the legal paperwork and begin the finalization process.
- Complete post-placement visits with your home study counselor.
- Receive the final adoption decree from a North Carolina court and legally complete your adoption.
- Continue your post-placement relationship with your child’s birth family based on your communication agreement.
- Receive support through the years in communicating with your birthparents.
While the road to adoption may seem long, difficult or confusing at times, our staff will be available through each step of the process to answer your questions, offer the emotional support you need, and ensure your adoption is completed safely and legally. Most of our adoptive families legally finalize their adoption within 12 months of joining our agency.
I Want to Adopt a Baby – What’s next?
If you are looking to adopt a baby in North Carolina and want to learn more about the infant adoption process, contact A Child’s Hope to schedule a no-obligation consultation. One of our adoption counselors will reach out to you with more information to help you get started.
More information for couples hoping to adopt is available through the following resources: