Adoption Agencies in Massachusetts: A Guide to Getting Started

Finding an adoption agency in Massachusetts is an important step in the adoption process. Whether you are looking to grow your family through adoption or place a child for adoption, an adoption agency can be a valuable resource as you navigate the journey ahead.

Massachusetts adoption agencies understand the local adoption laws and requirements. They can provide legal guidance, emotional support, and even financial assistance, depending on your situation. Most importantly, working with an adoption agency in Massachusetts will ensure your adoption is safe, legal, and legitimate.

Only licensed, non-profit adoption agencies in Massachusetts can process and complete an adoption in the Commonwealth. In other words, all families, expectant mothers, and birth parents completing an adoption are required to work with a licensed Massachusetts adoption agency.

This is for the benefit of everyone involved. Working with an adoption agency will ensure that, no matter what happens, you will have a safe, comfortable, and legal adoption carried out by a professional. You will also have the support and guidance you deserve along the way.

There are many different adoption agencies in Massachusetts, but you have the power to choose the adoption agency with which you feel comfortable. This guide will discuss everything you need to know as you begin your research.

Types of Adoption Agencies in Massachusetts

A licensed, non-profit adoption agency can offer the professional services required to complete the adoption process in Massachusetts. However, the types of services offered will vary significantly. Before exploring adoption further, you will want to consider which type of agency will best work for you.

The following types of adoption agencies in Massachusetts are available:

• Private adoption agencies:

Private adoption agencies help expectant/birth parents create adoption plans and find loving, stable homes for their babies. This type of agency is typically chosen by expectant/birth mothers who proactively choose to place their baby for adoption and to create a plan for their life ahead. They consent to the adoption and may even choose an adoptive family to raise their baby. Adoptive families looking to adopt a newborn or infant will typically choose to work with a private adoption agency in Massachusetts, as well.

• Foster Care to Adoption:

Foster care adoption happens when biological parents’ rights have been terminated by a court of law. The child may be adopted from their state’s child services by either the foster parents they are placed with or another adoptive family. Adoptive families who pursue this type of adoption are typically required to foster the child for a period before the adoption may be completed. Expectant/birth parents do not typically choose to place their children for adoption in the foster care system. Rather, they use private adoption agencies as noted above. To learn more about foster care adoption in Massachusetts, visit the Child Welfare Information Gateway.

• International adoption agencies:

International adoption is the process of adopting a child from another country through permanent legal means before bringing the child home with you to live in your country of residence on a permanent basis. This is an option for adoptive families in Massachusetts. Click here to learn more about international adoption.

• Adoption facilitators vs. agencies:

In your research, you may come across adoption facilitators. However, there are some key differences between an adoption facilitator and an adoption agency. Adoption facilitators are not licensed to handle all the legalities of adoption. Once they make a connection with an expectant/birth parent or prospective adoptive family, they refer those parties to a licensed adoption agency to complete the adoption. An adoption agency, however, can see an adoption all the way through, and will stay with you for the entire process as well as in the years to come.

How to Find the Right Adoption Agency in Massachusetts

Choosing the right adoption agency is important. The adoption agency should be one that is reputable, experienced, and knowledgeable of the Massachusetts adoption process. Even more, this adoption agency should be trustworthy, compassionate, and supportive of your needs. You should never feel pressured or intimidated by an adoption agency. You should always feel welcome, cared for, and heard as you talk about your needs.

You should also ensure that the adoption agency you choose supports the type of adoption you are seeking, whether that be a private, domestic adoption, or adoption from foster care. Here are some important questions to ask yourself before choosing which type of Massachusetts adoption agency will best suit your needs.

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If you are an adoptive parent:

• Do you wish to adopt a newborn baby / parent your child from birth?
• Do you want the chance to meet – and get to know – your child’s birth parent(s)?
• Are you looking for an adoption agency that can oversee every aspect of the adoption?

If you answered yes to these questions, then a private adoption agency in Massachusetts will be the best option for you. This type of adoption offers many benefits to adoptive families and birth parents alike. For example, a private adoption agency can cover everything you need regarding adoption – from legal paperwork to financial assistance, matching services to home study and screening processes. Your adoption agency can also serve as a liaison and help develop a relationship with your child’s birth parents.

If you are an expectant/birth parent:

• Do you wish to choose your child’s adoptive parents?
• Would you like to design an adoption plan – so that you could maintain a relationship with the adoptive family for years to come?
• Do you want a supportive adoption agency that can offer you free services and financial support during pregnancy?

If you answered yes to these questions, then private adoption may be one of the best options for you, as well. A compassionate, private adoption agency like Adoptions With Love can offer you the respect, care, and dignity that you deserve. There is never any fee for our services for expectant/birth mothers. In fact, you can receive financial support and free services such as:

• Counseling – before and long after birth
• Legal assistance
• Living expenses – such as rent, utilities, and even maternity clothes
• Medical care
• Transportation to medical appointments

 

Questions to Ask Prospective Adoption Agencies in MA

• Does the Agency Require a Home Study?

In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, all prospective adoptive parents must complete a home study. This months-long process ensures that a child is placed with a family that is healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. At Adoptions With Love, this process includes home visits, interviews with each person living in the household, and a thorough screening of background information. This gives the adoptive family a chance to get to know the adoption agency, and offers expectant/birth mothers peace of mind knowing their child will be going to a safe, stable, and loving home.

• Are There Any Fees for the Adoption?

For adoptive families, there are fees for private, domestic adoption. The cost and amount of fees varies by organization. At Adoptions With Love, adoptive families pay one fee to cover the placement. This helps support the expectant/birth mother during her pregnancy, and covers the legal and counseling services of the journey. For expectant/birth mothers, there is never any fee for adoption at Adoptions With Love.

• How is the Agency’s Reputation?

It is important to find an adoption agency in Massachusetts that you can trust. Research each adoption agency’s website to learn about their non-profit status, current licensure, years of experience, and to find statements from adoptive families or birth parents. Adoptions With Love, for example, has been working with adoptive families and expectant/birth parents since 1986. Our adoptive parents’ stories and our birth mother testimonials highlight just a few of the wonderful family connections we have helped forge over the years.

Find an Adoption Agency in Massachusetts Today

Whether you are looking to place your child for adoption or hoping to adopt a child of your own, a licensed, non-profit, and reputable adoption agency in Massachusetts will be an important resource for you.

If you would like to learn more about Adoptions With Love services for expectant parents, birth parents, hopeful families, and adoptive families in Massachusetts – we are here for you.  Call us any time of day at 800-722-7731, text us confidentially at 617-777-0072, or contact us online.