Adoption Services

Catholic Charities offers programs and services for those who are considering adoption.

Agency Placement

Catholic Charities offers a domestic adoption program for the placement of infants. Birth parents and their families are offered counseling as they make a decision for their child. If they choose to, birth families are able to select and meet the adoptive family who they wish to place their child with. At that point the two parties can discuss the type of adoption that both parties wish to have. Confidentiality is maintained as identifying information is not shared between the two parties unless they decide to do so.

In an agency placement, birth parents rights are legally terminated by voluntary entrustment or court order (if necessary) with custody given to the agency. The agency then places the child in the home of the prospective adoptive parents and maintains custody until the Final Order of Adoption is entered.

Services available include:

  • Adoptive couple education
  • Home studies
  • Coordination of adoptive family and birth family meetings
  • Child placement
  • Post placement supervision
  • Pregnancy counseling for birth parents
  • Adoption finalization
  • Adoption follow-up support

Independent/parental placement Adoption

Independent Adoption Services are where you are utilizing a domestic infant placing agency in another state and need Catholic Charities to provide home study and post placement Services. Catholic Charities is able to provide a list of reputable out-of-state agencies as a starting point for families considering this option. A Kinship adoption is where a family member is adopting another family member and a home study and/or post placement services are needed.

Services available include:

  • Adoptive couple education
  • Home Studies
  • Post placement supervision
  • Home Study Update (if move to Virginia from another state)
  • Interstate Placement Services

Adoption through Foster Care

Catholic Charities can assist families who are interested in pursuing adoption through the foster care system. Catholic Charities can provide home study and post placement services. Catholic Charities also helps facilitate the placement of a child legally free for adoption through the foster care system by sending out a family’s home study at their request and acting as the intermediary between the family and the child’s worker.

Services available include:

  • Adoptive couple education
  • Home Studies
  • Post placement supervision
  • Interstate Placement Services
  • Facilitation Services

Parental Placement

A parental placement adoption is where the adoptive parents and birth parents have identified each other outside of Catholic Charities. The birth parents place their child directly with the prospective adoptive parents. In a parental placement adoption, attorneys are used to terminate parental rights and birth parents give consent in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and custody is transferred directly to the adoptive parents. Parental placement adoptions are fully open adoptions and information is exchanged directly between the two parties.

Services available include:

  • Adoptive couple education
  • Home Studies
  • Post placement supervision
  • Pregnancy counseling for birth parents
  • Court report for finalization

International Adoption Services

Catholic Charities provides home studies and post-placement services for families wishing to adopt abroad. Catholic Charities does not have a direct source of children in other countries. We can refer you to various agencies and sources that can assist you in arranging an international adoptive placement. When a home study is completed and approved by Catholic Charities it is forwarded to the “source” agency and immigration. Catholic Charities will only work with the source/placing agency in the capacity of Supervised Provider in accordance with the Hague Convention.

Services available include:

  • Adoptive Family Education
  • Home Studies
  • Home Study Update (when family moves to Virginia from another state)
  • Post placement supervision
  • Guidance with Virginia adoption requirements
  • Court report for finalization/re-adoption