Open Adoption - Birth parents may select adoptive parents from written information. They may choose to meet them and exchange non-identifying information or they may choose full disclosure. Birth parents and adoptive parents will be counseled to choose the degree of openness with which they feel comfortable.
Traditional Adoption - Some birth parents and adoptive parents prefer to allow the adoption professionals to select the right home for the child. In these situations, there is usually very little openness.
Infant Adoptions - Since 1902, Children's Home Society of Florida has placed infants in adoptive homes throughout Florida. Today, fewer babies are available for adoption because many women choose to become single parents. This means the wait to adopt a healthy baby is long, perhaps more than two years. CHS has contact with birth parents statewide, counseling pregnant women as they decide whether to parent their children or release the children for adoption. These contacts may help to reduce the wait for prospective adoptive parents. In some infant adoption cases, birth parents may select their child's adoptive parents from information made available to them. In other cases, the birth parent may allow CHS to find the right home for their child.
Special Needs Adoption - This refers to the adoption of children who are of minority or bi-racial heritage, over the age of seven years, or members of a sibling group, or children with serious medical, developmental or emotional problems. CHS provides adoptive parents with specialized training to better equip them to parent these children. Social workers are available following the placement of these children for as long as needed.
Attorney-Assisted Adoption - In some instances, birth parents or adoptive parents who wish to plan an independent adoption will approach an attorney for assistance. The attorney then refers the parents to a licensed child-placing agency to conduct the required home study and to provide counseling. CHS has a strong working relationship with many attorneys around the state making the process smooth for everyone involved.
Identified Adoptions - Some prospective adoptive parents know a birth mother who has specifically requested to have that family adopt her baby. CHS will complete the home study, provide counseling to the birth parents, take legal custody of the newborn child and provide support and supervision of your family until the adoption is finalized. In these cases, the services of a private attorney are not necessary.
International Adoption - Children from many countries around the world are available for adoption by American parents. Many divisions of CHS provide services to families interested in adopting children of other nationalities, working closely with international organizations and foreign government agencies. In addition, CHS conducts home studies and post-placement services.
