Why work with us?
The term “open adoption” means different things to different people. At Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS), open adoption means you will have an ongoing relationship with your child and the adoptive family. OA&FS was the first open adoption agency in the Northwest and has facilitated more than 800 adoptions since 1985. At OA&FS:
- You and the adoptive parents create a legally enforceable open adoption agreement. Together, you decide on the number of visits you will have and how often you will receive letters and pictures.
- At some agencies and with some attorneys, the open adoption agreement allows contact for only for a few years. At OA&FS, the open adoption agreement is for the child’s life.
- Some agencies and attorneys pre-select a few prospective adoptive families for you. At OA&FS, you choose from a pool of 40 to 60 adoptive families. We do not pre-select for you.
- After you review the adoptive families in our “Dear Birthparent” booklet, you receive a packet of information on the families you want to know more about. The packet includes a homestudy (a detailed report about the adoptive parents’ childhoods, marriage and lifestyle), autobiographies and a photo collage.
- Your extended family can be included in your visits. You and the adoptive family will decide the details of your visits.
- The adoptive parents who work with our agency genuinely want an ongoing friendship and relationship with you. They want to include you in their lives.
- You can talk with other birthmothers who have open adoptions and ongoing visits with their children.
- You receive all of our services free-of-charge for as long as you need them: no-pressure options counseling and ongoing support.
- Your OA&FS counselor meets with you and the adoptive parents one year after the placement to ensure your open adoption relationship is thriving.
- You can bring an adoptive family you have selected into Open Adoption & Family Services' process.
- You will receive all the benefits of our program. The costs to adoptive parents are often the same or lower than if they worked with an attorney.
We encourage you to explore all your options. Here are some questions you should ask before you decide which adoption agency or attorney to work with.
- Can I consider all of your available adoptive families, or do you limit my choices?
- Will I have a legally enforceable open adoption agreement?
- Will the agreement limit how many visits I will have or how many years I will have visits?
- Are the adoptive parents seeking an open adoption and a lifelong relationship with the birthparents?
- Can my extended family be included in the open adoption?
- How do you guide and prepare adoptive parents for genuine lifelong relationships with birthparents?
- Who decides how many visits I will get with my child?
- What services do I receive before and after the adoption? Is there ongoing counseling?
- Where is the adoption agency’s main office?
- Is the adoption agency licensed in Oregon or Washington?
The premier northwest adoption agency completing the most domestic, infant adoptions in Oregon and Washington.
5200 SW Macadam Avenue,
Suite 250
Portland, Oregon 97239
315 West 10th Ave.
Eugene, OR 97401
200 West Mercer Street,
Suite E-508
Seattle, WA 98119
| Oregon: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Portland, OR: | Phone: (503) 226-4870 | Fax: (503) 226-4891 |
| Eugene, OR: | Phone: (541) 343-4825 | Fax: (541) 431-1241 |
| Medford, OR: | Phone: (541) 608-6134 | Fax: (541) 282-8564 |
| Bend, OR: | Phone: (541) 388-2535 | |
| Salem, OR: | Phone: (503) 540-5832 | |
| Washington: | ||
| Seattle, WA: | Phone: (206) 782-0442 | Fax: (206) 782-0578 |
| Vancouver, WA: | Phone: (360) 254-7236 | |
| Olympia, WA: | Phone: (360) 352-3063 | |
