Adoption History: Bridging the Gap
If you are a Hope Cottage adoptee, birthparent or adoptive parent, you are eligible for the following services.
- Intermediary Services — Birth and adoptive families can exchange letters and pictures, or schedule a meeting on neutral ground via Hope Cottage. If both parties desire contact at a later date, we can arrange for this as well.
- Mutual Consent Registry — Hope Cottage offers a passive, mutual consent registry for biological relatives separated by adoption to connect with one another. The registry is available to consenting adults and requires both parties to mutually and independently register before a "match" can be made. A one-hour post-adoption conference (PAC) is required at the time of registration to prepare triad members for a possible reunion. Once two parties are "matched," Hope Cottage facilitates communication between them. Persons who register are encouraged to update their records periodically so that all information is current.
- De-identified Adoption Records — Texas state law allows adoptive parents and adult adoptees (18 and over) to obtain an edited copy of their file that conceals the identity of the birthfamilies. The amount of information in records varies, but usually includes the adopted person's birth, medical and social information (with regard to the birthfamilies), and circumstances surrounding the adoption. Also, any post-adoption contact and updated information are included as well.
- Medical History Searches and Death Notifications — Medical search is available for adoptees and/or birthfamilies who are experiencing a life-threatening and/or critical genetically transmitted condition, yet need additional history/information to aid in diagnosis or treatment. Also, the agency notifies birthparents, older adoptive children and adoptive parents about developing genetic conditions, terminal illness or the death of biological family members separated by adoption when we become aware of this information.
- Active Searches — Many adult adoptees and birthparents now choose to search for one another. Since this process can be emotionally complicated, we encourage individuals to search with the help of an experienced post-adoption counselor. Hope Cottage provides this service for adults who were adopted from Hope Cottage and for birthparents who placed their children through Hope Cottage. When a search is requested, our Post-Adoption Counselor works to locate the other party and make contact. The counselor assists in all phases of the search and is available for additional counseling when necessary.
Have questions about the services we offer our Hope Cottage clients? Please take a moment to see if they're answered in our FAQs. If not, please call our Post-Adoption Services Coordinator, Kathy Cobb at 214-526-8721 or email her at kcobb@hopecottage.org.
If your adoption was handled through another agency, please contact our Hope for Families Counseling and Education Center for a list of post-adoption services.