How to Adopt Through Us
The Steps for Prospective Adoptive Parents
Adoption Information Meeting
If you’d like to learn more about our philosophy and hear an overview of the agency’s process, please contact Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS) to attend an optional, no-cost Adoption Information Meeting: 1-800-772-1115 or information@openadopt.org.
1. Pre-Adoption Seminar
To complete an adoption through OA&FS, the first step is to attend our required Pre-Adoption Seminar. Insights you gain in the seminar will be invaluable as you plan your adoption. The 12-hour workshop guides prospective adoptive parents in an exploration of the emotional, procedural and legal issues involved in planning an open adoption.
In the seminar, OA&FS staff members discuss the dynamics of an open adoption and each step towards completing an adoption through our agency. A guest panel of birthparents and adoptive parents share their adoption stories and answer questions. An adoption attorney discusses legal issues. This seminar satisfies Oregon’s requirement for pre-adoption training.
Please call the office nearest you to obtain fee information and to register for a seminar.
2. Application and Intake Interview
After you complete the necessary application forms, the agency will schedule an Intake Interview in which you’ll meet your OA&FS counselor. The interview provides you the opportunity to ask further questions as your counselor learns more about your unique circumstances and adoption vision.
3. Homestudy and Family Preparation
As part of your Family Profile, your OA&FS counselor will write a homestudy report based on information gathered during interviews in your home and at the OA&FS office near you. Our unique and descriptively written homestudy reports are read by pregnant women/couples when selecting an adoptive family. Your OA&FS counselor will also help you create a Family Introduction Letter, autobiographies and a photo collage to include in your Family Profile.
4. Pool Entry
When your Family Profile is complete, you enter into our pool of waiting families. Each year, between 250 and 300 pregnant women/couples contact OA&FS to request free options counseling. Those that choose adoption select an adoptive family after reviewing Family Profiles. Adoptive parents wait an average of 9 to 12 months once they enter the pool.
5. Adoption Planning
When a pregnant woman or couple selects you, OA&FS schedules an introductory meeting. After meeting, both parties decide whether to proceed into Adoption Planning. During adoption planning, you will receive support and guidance as you begin building your open adoption relationship. Your counselor will also ensure the procedural and logistical details of the adoption plan are in place, help you create a birthplan and assist you in creating an open adoption agreement outlining future communication and contact.
6. Placement
During the hospital stay, OA&FS provides guidance and support to all parties. We facilitate the placement and entrustment ceremony, and accept birthparent relinquishments. After placement, you and your child’s birthparents will have access to lifelong support through unlimited counseling and guidance from OA&FS.
7. Finalization
State laws require an attorney to finalize all adoptions completed in Oregon and Washington. Attorneys typically charge $600 to $1,200 for this service.
For a current information packet and fee schedule, please contact us at 1-800-772-1115 or information@openadopt.org.
Information for Adoptive Parents
At Open Adoption and Family Services (OA&FS), we take pride in providing comprehensive services to our clients. We are the premier Northwest adoption agency, with over 25 years of experience planning child-centered open adoptions. Each year, OA&FS completes more domestic infant and newborn adoptions than other agencies in Oregon and Washington.
We understand that prospective parents explore adoption for many reasons. Whether you are struggling with infertility, you are a gay or lesbian couple or you are a single person wanting to start a family -- our agency is committed to listening to you, identifying your needs and addressing them.
We hope the wealth of information available on our web site will begin to answer your questions and offer you an overview of our open adoption philosophy and process. Please contact us at 1-800-772-1115 or at information@openadopt.org with any questions you may have.
You can also learn more about our agency and how open adoption works by attending one of our free adoption information meetings.
Gay and Lesbian Adoptive Parents
Open Adoption & Family Services has welcomed gay and lesbian prospective adoptive parents into our infant adoption program since we opened our doors in 1985. OA&FS is on the cutting edge of offering progressive and inclusive open adoption services. In 2008, OA&FS was recognized by the Pride Foundation for strengthening and serving the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community. Additionally, OA&FS was a significant contributor to All Children – All Families, an initiative launched by the Human Rights Campaign to develop Promising Practices in Adoption and Foster Care, a Comprehensive Guide to Policies and Practices that Welcome, Affirm and Support Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Foster and Adoptive Parents.
Approximately 30% of the adoptive placements at OA&FS are with same-sex families. The average wait for same-sex families working with OA&FS is approximately 14 months, compared to an all-client average wait of roughly 11 months. Typically, our pool of prospective adoptive parents is comprised of 30% same-sex families. These families come to OA&FS from throughout the United States. To date, we have successfully placed children with GLBTQ parents living in California, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington D.C., and Oregon and Washington.
Dan Savage, syndicated columnist, author, and regular contributor to NPR’s This American Life, is an OA&FS adoptive father and active advocate of our agency. To get a firsthand account of adopting through OA&FS as a same sex family, check out his book The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant. This book chronicles Dan and his partner Terry’s experience adopting through our agency.
Facts About Lesbian and Gay Parenting
Numerous well-respected authorities agree that children of same-sex parents are as healthy, happy and well-adjusted as their peers raised by heterosexual parents:
- The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) affirms that lesbian, gay, and bisexual parents are as well suited to raise children as their heterosexual counterparts.
- The American Psychological Association, representing more than 155,000 psychologists, states that children of gay and lesbian parents are at no disadvantage psychologically or socially compared to children of heterosexual parents.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics, the nation’s leading pediatric authority with 57,000 members, says that children who grow up with gay and/or lesbian parents fare as well in emotional, cognitive, social and sexual functioning as children with straight parents.
- The National Association of Social Workers, with nearly 150,000 members, agrees that research on gay and lesbian parenting shows a total absence of pathological findings in their children.
What Research Tells Us
A 1995 National Health and Social Life Survey by E.O. Lauman found that up to nine million children in America have gay or lesbian parents (Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, 2002).
- Evidence to date suggests home environments provided by lesbian and gay parents support and enable children's psychosocial growth, just as do those provided by heterosexual parents (Patterson, 1995)
- There are no systematic differences between gay or lesbian and non-gay or lesbian parents in emotional health, parenting skills, and attitudes toward parenting (Stacey & Biblarz, 2001)
- Evidence shows that children's optimal development is influenced more by the nature of the relationships and interactions within the family unit than by its particular structural form (Perrin, 2002)
- No studies have found risks to or disadvantages for children growing up in families with one or more gay parents, compared to children growing up with heterosexual parents (Perrin, 2002).
How We Are Unique
Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS) is a nonprofit, private adoption agency specializing in planning domestic infant adoptions. Families seeking to adopt will find our services are unique because:
- We are the experts on open adoption in the Northwest, with 26 years of experience. We’ve planned over 1,200 successful open adoptions.
- Each year, we complete more domestic infant adoptions than any other private agency in Oregon and Washington. On average, we facilitate between 40-60 placements per year.
- We are a licensed nonprofit agency that is not affiliated with any governmental or religious organizations.
- We welcome prospective adoptive parents regardless of age, race, religion, sexual orientation or marital status. Our pool of waiting families includes heterosexual couples, same-sex couples, and single parents.
- Each year hundreds of pregnant women, couples or their loved ones, contact OA&FS as a result of our extensive marketing and outreach programs. We provide them with free, unlimited options counseling.
- Pregnant women/couples typically choose adoptive parents during their third trimester of pregnancy, after receiving extensive counseling at OA&FS.
- After placement, you and the birthparents will have ongoing access to counseling at no additional cost as you navigate your open adoption relationship.
- At OA&FS, openness is not just about ongoing contact, but rather the development of an enjoyable and genuine relationship. You will receive the tools necessary to build a healthy open adoption.
- You will be a welcomed member of our active open adoption community. Services and events include an adoptive parent mentor program, waiting family groups, adoptive parent gatherings, client picnics and holiday parties, and open adoption workshops.
- As part of our child-centered adoption program, we are continually exploring new ways to meet the ongoing needs of the children we place.
Answers to Questions Frequently Asked by Adoptive Parents
How long is the waiting period to adopt through Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS)?
The typical wait in our prospective parent pool is nine to twelve months.
How large is the prospective parent pool?
It ranges in size from 45 to 75 families.
How many children does OA&FS place each year?
We place more domestic infants than any other adoption agency in Oregon and Washington. On average, we place between 40 to 60 children per year. In the fiscal year 2010-2011, we placed 48 children. Over the past 10 years, we’ve averaged 49 placements per year.
How many placements are infants?
Last year, 95% of placements were newborns.
What are your restrictions?
We place no restrictions (age, religion, marital status, residency, etc.) on adoptive parents. Those interested in adopting must meet the minimum requirements for the states of Oregon and Washington and participate in a careful screening process with our agency. Adoptive parents from throughout the country have adopted through OA&FS. Note that the legal restrictions of some states (New York, for example) prohibit residents from working with an out-of-state agency. Please contact us at 1-800-772-1115 for details.
What if I’m a sexual minority?
OA&FS welcomes people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. We honor and celebrate the diversity of our clients, and we strive to create an inclusive environment where all of our clients feel safe and respected.
How do birthmothers find Open Adoption & Family Services?
Most birthmothers are referred to us by other professionals. Many birthmothers find us through internet searches, our online or print ads or upon the advice of someone they know. We are contacted by an average of 23 birthmothers per month. Options counseling is available to them at no charge. Approximately 20% of the women who contact us complete an adoption through our agency. (Nationally, about 1% of all unplanned pregnancies result in adoption.)
Is open adoption co-parenting?
No. The adoptive parents are the legal and emotional parents. Openness does not detract from the permanency of parenting. Rather, it establishes an atmosphere of candor in which the ongoing needs of all parties are honored.
Who are our birthparents?
Birthparents who plan adoptions through OA&FS vary in age and background, but most have long-term plans for their lives and all care deeply about the welfare of their children. A tremendous amount of love and foresight goes into their decisions.
What is an open adoption?
Birthparents choose the adoptive family that they want to raise their child. Together the adoptive family and the birthparents create a legally enforceable, individualized plan for ongoing visits and the exchange of photos, letters, etc. Birth and adoptive parents can call OA&FS for help and guidance, or to oversee the open adoption in the future if circumstances change or problems arise.
How is the adoptive family chosen?
Birthparents chose the adoptive family. Birthparents receive books containing introduction letters from our prospective adoptive families. They request more information about families they are most interested in getting to know. Further review of those families' full homestudies, autobiographies and photo collages helps birthparents narrow their choice.
How much does adoption cost?
Our fees continue to be among the least expensive of all agencies in Oregon and Washington. Total adoption expenses are determined by the adoptive parents' state of residency, costs associated with the birthmother's pregnancy, and legal fees. Fees will be explained in detail at one of our free introductory meetings.
What's the next step?
Contact Open Adoption & Family Services at 1-800-772-1115 or information@openadopt.org to find out more, or to reserve a spot at one of our free Adoption Information Meetings. To find out when the next free meeting is scheduled in your area, contact us or check our Web site's announcement of upcoming meetings. You can also review our step-by-step guide of how to adopt through OA&FS.
Facts About Open Adoption
Fear: I’m afraid if she is in our lives, I will feel jealous of the birthmother.
Fact: In a survey conducted by Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS), 80% of parents who adopted through our agency found they did not feel jealous of their child’s birthmother.
Fear: I’m afraid pregnant women/couples would be more likely to change their minds.
Fact: On average, only 7% of pregnant women/couples who plan adoptions through OA&FS change their minds after the baby is born. Nationwide, the average is 20%.
Fear: Open adoptions don’t allow boundaries. The birthparents will visit whenever they want.
Fact: Adoptive parents and birthparents create a legally-enforceable open adoption agreement, an individualized plan that outlines in advance the number of ongoing visits and the exchange of letters and photos.
Fear: Having contact with the birth family will be an intrusion on my family.
Fact: In an OA&FS survey, families maintaining regular contact with the birth family reported higher levels of satisfaction with their adoptions.
Fear: I am afraid open adoption will be confusing for my child.
Fact: Closed adoptions have shown that secrecy confuses children. Children benefit from access to honest information. In an open adoption, the roles of adoptive parents and birthparents are separate and clearly defined.
Fear: If I adopt, I will continue to feel grief about not having a biological child.
Fact: In an OA&FS survey, 90% of adoptive parents reported they did not continue to feel infertility-related grief after adopting.
Fear: With an open adoption, my extended family will be less welcoming of my child.
Fact: Nearly 100% of OA&FS adoptive parents who responded to our survey reported that their extended families relate very positively to their adopted children.
Fear: I am afraid the birthparents will try to undermine my relationship with my child.
Fact: In an open adoption, the birthparents’ role is to support the adoptive parents as the child’s parents. The birthparents do not compete with the adoptive parents.
Fear: When my child is a teenager, he will want to live with his birthparents.
Fact: This is less likely to happen when children know their birthparents, because they have no fantasies about them. The bond between adoptive parents and their children is just as strong as a biological bond.
Fear: Ongoing contact will only benefit the birthparents.
Fact: A national study (Grotevant & McRoy, 1998) found that ongoing contact significantly benefits the adoptive parents by putting their fears of the unknown to rest.
Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS) distributed an extensive adoptive parent survey to families who adopted from 1985 to 2001. Forty-nine percent (297) of the 601 surveys were completed and returned. OA&FS is a nonprofit adoption agency that has helped plan over 1,000 successful open adoptions since 1985.
Families often find their open adoption family relationships so worthwhile, they want more openness. A national study of 360 open adoption families, including Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS) families who participated in the survey, found that over time, adoptive parents, birthparents and adoptees all tend to wish for more openness in their adoption. Learn more in The Birthparent Perspective, a special report from the September/October 2008 issue of Adoptive Families Magazine.