Your Guide to Adoption Agencies in California

Your Guide to Adoption in Bakersfield, CA

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Are you interested in expanding your family? Have you thought about adopting a child? If so, you’re not alone, as about 5,500 families choose to adopt each year in California. Adoption in Bakersfield can be a complicated process, especially if you’ve never been through it.

Fortunately, you don’t have to do it by yourself. There are many adoption agencies in Bakersfield that stand ready to assist you as you begin your personal adoption journey. Keep reading to learn more about Bakersfield adoption and what adoption agencies can do to help you on your way.

What are adoption agencies, and what do they do?

Adoption agencies are organizations that coordinate and facilitate successful adoptions. These licensed, regulated agencies may perform a wide array of services, as the needs of each adoption scenario differ. Services offered by Bakersfield adoption agencies could include:

Counseling for expectant mothers who are considering placement of a child for adoption
Linking expectant mothers and prospective adoptive families
Arranging contact between prospective birth parents and adoptive families before and after adoption
Facilitating the required home studies
And more

Not everyone elects to work with an adoption agency, but doing so can significantly increase the chance for a successful adoption.

Types of Adoption Agencies in Bakersfield

There are multiple types of adoption in California, and three of them involve the adoption of children. As a result, there must be a diverse roster of organizations dedicated to facilitating the varying adoption methods, since each has its own nuances and specific requirements.

Common types of adoption agencies include:

Private domestic adoption agencies
Foster care adoption agencies
International adoption agencies
State agencies such as the California Department of Social Services
Adoption home study agencies
Agencies that work primarily with expectant mothers

Private Domestic Adoption Agencies in Bakersfield

The most direct path to adoption for families who wish to adopt an infant from within the United States is private domestic adoption. Private domestic adoption happens when an expectant mother decides to place a child for adoption. She then works with a private agency and chooses a family that wishes to adopt.

In those situations, private domestic adoption agencies in Bakersfield handle many of the details and facilitate the adoption process. They support expectant mothers interested in placing a child for adoption and connect them with potential adoptive families. They also coordinate pre-birth and post-birth contact between prospective birth parents and adoptive parents. Some even provide counseling and resources on a continuing basis to all parties involved.

There are Bakersfield adoption agencies that focus on the local community as well as those that work across the state of California. There are also national private domestic adoption agencies that work across state lines to connect expectant mothers and potential adoptive families.

National Private Domestic Adoption Agencies

Local Private Domestic Adoption Agencies

Bakersfield Adoption and Foster Care Agencies

There 55,000 children in foster care in California, and many of them are eligible for permanent adoption. For families that are open to adopting older children, foster care adoption can provide a fulfilling path to family expansion.

To adopt a child through the foster care system, parents must meet the requirements to become foster families. Meeting those qualifications and beginning the foster care adoption process is easier with the help of foster care adoption agencies in Bakersfield. These Bakersfield foster care adoption agencies can help you learn more about the process:

International Adoption Agencies in Bakersfield

Another less common method of adoption in Bakersfield is international adoption. As the name indicates, international adoption occurs when a family in the U.S. adopts a child from another country. In 2019, 208 California families adopted internationally.

International adoption includes an additional layer of detail since the adoption customs and regulations of both countries must be observed. That’s why it’s important to work with a Hague-accredited international adoption agency with experience working across national borders.

Below are a few organizations that focus on international adoptions:

Home Study Adoption Agencies in Bakersfield

Have you ever heard of an adoption home study? If you’ve never adopted, this term may not be familiar to you. An adoption home study is a tool used to assess the quality of a potential adoptive home to ensure placement is in the best interest of an adoptee.

The home study is a critical part of any adoption process, and therefore it can take a long time to complete. The process typically involves several components such as background checks for those who live in the home, reviews of key financial records, and in-home interviews. .

Home studies are performed by adoption home study agencies in Bakersfield. Below are a few Bakersfield home study agencies for your consideration:

Adoption Agencies in Bakersfield for Prospective Birth Mothers

When a woman chooses to place a child for adoption, she makes a brave decision that’s made in the best interest of the child. Unplanned pregnancies happen. Placing a child in an adoptive home can give the adoptee an excellent quality of life, stability, and improved opportunity.

That doesn’t mean that the decision to place a child with an adoptive family is an easy one, however. In many cases, expectant mothers need assistance in gathering information and deciding what’s best for everyone involved. Fortunately, there are adoption agencies that focus specifically on the needs of expectant birth mothers.

The following agencies offer counseling, resources, and other services for expectant mothers without any obligation to choose adoption.

Next Steps

If adoption sounds like the right choice for your family, you can take the first step on your personal adoption journey by contacting an adoption agency in Bakersfield. Experienced, compassionate professionals are ready to help you get started, so call one of the agencies listed above today to learn about your next step in the adoption process.