Expanding Your Family: Domestic Adoption
Certainly, adoption can be an emotional and legally complex experience for birthparents and adoptive families alike. So we designed the Hope Cottage Domestic Adoption Program to reassure and support everyone involved in as many ways as possible, from beginning to end.
It is important to know that the pregnant women who turn to Hope Cottage are experiencing a crisis or unplanned pregnancy and are seeking our support in planning for their baby’s future. The circumstances these women are facing often result in complex histories for their unborn children. Though each of their situations is unique, the common thread among them is that they genuinely want what is best for their child.
Hope Cottage is committed to finding loving, permanent homes for all of the children in our care. Therefore, in our domestic adoption program we currently seek to work with families who are open to adopting a child with a complex history OR a child of full African American heritage. We are currently in need of several families who would be willing to adopt a healthy child of full African American heritage.
Complex histories include prenatal drug or alcohol exposure and/or diagnosed mental health histories in one or both birthparents. Through the adoption process, Hope Cottage provides education and training to help understand what the short and/or long term impact these risk factors could have on a child.
You Have Our Support
Our domestic adoption program provides the tools everyone needs to ensure a positive outcome, including:
- Counseling for adoptive parents and birthparents
- Support groups
- Handling of birthmother expenses
- Education and training seminars
- Legal work
- Record preparation, documentation and interaction with hospital
- Post-placement supervision
Getting To Know You
We are currently conducting individual interviews with perspective adoptive parents so you can learn more about who we are and how we work to facilitate adoptions. At your meeting you will receive a pre-screening survey to complete and submit as the next phase of the process. This survey allows Hope Cottage to pose questions and get your feedback concerning important issues involved in adoption today. After reviewing your submitted survey, Hope Cottage will contact you concerning next steps.
Educating Yourself About Domestic Adoption
To learn more about specifics of this particular adoption process, take a look at our Adoption Resource Library and some basic information about Costs and Funding.
You can also request a Domestic Adoption information packet by calling Hope Cottage at 214-526-8721. Or email us with your mailing address at kcobb@hopecottage.org.