Adoption Professionals

Adoption Agency

Adoption Agencies are licensed by the State Department of Social Services or the State Department of Youth and Family Services to provide adoption services to birthparents and adoptive families. This usually includes counseling and other support services.

Unlike attorneys or facilitators, adoption agencies often assign the expectant parent(s) a personal counselor who is a licensed and trained professional counselor. They use varying levels of openness, meaning some allow birthparents to choose adoptive parents and keep in touch with their baby and others do not.

Adoption Attorney

Adoption attorneys operate in every state in the United States. This is a specialized area of law so be sure to work with someone who specializes in adoption law. For a list of adoption attorneys by state visit the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys.

Adoption attorneys can provide all the legal services needed to complete an adoption, although they often work with agencies so that a counselor with an MSW can complete the home study of the adoptive parents, as many states require a professional counselor prepare the home study. A few adoption attorneys have counselors on staff to provide the counseling needed in an adoption, but most do not, and only provide legal services.

Adoption Facilitator

Facilitators often present themselves as adoption agencies, but they do not provide the necessary adoption services that agencies and attorneys do; they only link families with a baby. You can tell the difference between an agency and a facilitator because agencies will include “licensed adoption agency” in their description. You can also just ask them when you call.