Catholic Charities offers a number of programs and services for those who are considering adoption.
Domestic Adoptions – An Agency Placement Adoption can be confidential or semi-open, depending on the desire of the adoptive parents and the birth parents. In a confidential adoption, the birth parent may request that the agency choose the baby’s adoptive family. In a semi-open adoption, the birth parent may choose the adoptive family after reading a non-identifying profile and may meet with the family on a first name basis. In either type of adoption, the adoptive family receives the non-identifying medical history of the birth parents and there is the option of ongoing contact by the sharing of pictures and letters after the adoption is finalized. This exchange is facilitated through Catholic Charities in order to maintain the confidentiality of the birth family and the adoptive family.
Services available include: adoptive couple counseling, home study, coordination of adoptive family and birth family meetings, child placement, post-placement supervision, pregnancy counseling for birth parents, adoption finalization, and adoption follow-up support.
A Parental Placement Adoption is an open adoption and is arranged between the birth parents and the adoptive parents. It is necessary to have an attorney’s help and a licensed child placing agency involved. Birth parents place their child directly with an adoptive family of their choice. Birth and adoptive parents may already know each other or can be introduced through Catholic Charities.
Services available include: home study, pregnancy counseling for birth parents, coordination between adoptive family and birth parent meetings, court reports, Interstate processing, finalization of process, post placement services, and adoption follow-up support.
International Adoptions – Catholic Charities has networking agreements with multiple licensed international adoption agencies that can assist you in the adoption of internally- born children. In compliance with requirements of the Hague Convention, Catholic Charities offers post-placement supervision and provides to the courts all reports needed to finalize the adoption (or re-adoption) in the United States.
Services available include: Home study, country selection, adoptive family counseling, post placement supervision and guidance with Virginia adoption.
Special Adoption Services – Catholic Charities provides adoption services to families with unique circumstances and needs, including supervisory visits and adoption home study updates for families who have relocated to this area and are working with another agency. We are also able to provide adoption services for relative adoptions.
Services available include: Home study, adoptive family counseling, home study updates, post placement supervision, Interstate processing, coordination of adoptive family and birth family meetings, adoption finalization and adoption follow-up support.
Adoption Search and Disclosure Services – When an adult adoptee, whose adoption was planned through our agency, wishes to contact his or her birth mother, Catholic Charities will assist with search and disclosure services. We can prepare non-indentifying information for adult adoptees. We also offer counseling to adoptees, birth parents and adoptive parents.