Your Guide to Adoption Agencies in Texas
Texans are proud of their home state, and with good reason. Texas is bursting with opportunity. This vast land is a diverse collection of major cities, homely suburbs and rural paradise. There are booming businesses and family-run shops; great schools and the best sunsets in the world. It’s no wonder so many families are happy to call Texas home.
If your dream is to raise a family in Texas, you might be considering adoption. Each year, more than 5,000 children are adopted in Texas. This means there are both hopeful adoptive parents and brave prospective birth mothers who decide to step into the adoption process. This is where adoption agencies in Texas come in.
Texas adoption agencies help make adoption possible for adoptive parents and prospective birth mothers. If you are considering adoption, either as an adoptive parent or an expectant mother, this guide is meant to help you find the best adoption agencies in Texas.
We’ll talk about what adoption agencies do, the different types of agencies, and the many adoption agencies in Texas you can choose from.
What are Adoption Agencies in Texas?
An adoption agency is a licensed, regulated organization that provides some or all of the services necessary in order to complete an adoption. These agencies come in many different shapes and sizes, but all have the same goal of helping children, birth mothers and adoptive families.
But, you may be wondering, do I have to work with an adoption agency in Texas? In almost every case, the answer is yes. While some families do attempt independent adoptions, these come with a much higher risk of error that can result in a failed adoption. Because the adoption process is so complicated, it is extremely beneficial to work with an experienced adoption agency in Texas that can provide logistical, legal and emotional support along the way.
Adoption agencies in Texas do things like:
- Find adoption opportunities for adoptive parents
- Counsel prospective birth mothers through the process
- Coordinate pre-placement and post-placement contact
- Facilitate legal services
- Provide guidance through adoption requirements like the home study
- And more
Without the support of trained, certified and experienced professionals, accomplishing each of these things is difficult. Adoption agencies in Texas make your adoption process a much better experience.
Types of Texas Adoption Agencies
Did you know that there is more than one way to adopt? As someone considering adoption, this is one of the first choices you will have to make. The type of adoption you pursue will determine which type of adoption agency in Texas you will need to work with.
There are, generally speaking, three routes someone in Texas could choose to adopt a child:
- Private Domestic Adoption Agencies in Texas
- When you imagine your adoption, are you picturing adopting an infant from somewhere in the U.S.? If so, private domestic adoption is most likely the type of adoption you will need to go with. In a domestic infant adoption, a prospective birth mother chooses the adoptive family she thinks will be best for her baby. The process often includes pre-placement contact between the birth mother and hopeful parents, and domestic adoption agencies in Texas can help complete this type of adoption.
- Texas Adoption and Foster Care Agencies
- As of 2014 (the last year that data has been published) there were more than 29,000 children in the Texas foster care system. Of those, more than 12,000 are in need of adoption. For many families, fostering-to-adopt is the right way to begin or grow your family while providing much-needed love and permanency for a child. Texas adoption and foster care agencies are able to facilitate this type of adoption.
- International Adoption Agencies in Texas
- More than 400 Texas families chose to adopt a child from a different country in 2017. International adoption, also called intercountry adoption, has declined sharply from its peak in 2004, when more than 1,000 Texas families adopted overseas. Still, this is a path to adoption that many families feel is the best option. The international adoption process can be long and complicated. It requires the assistance of one of the international adoption agencies in Texas.
Even within these categories there are more specific types of adoption agencies. If you work with a private adoption agency, you could find a local or national agency. There are Christian adoption agencies in Texas and Catholic adoption agencies in Texas. Finding the right one for you will take time and research.
Adoption Agencies in Texas
There are a lot of adoption agencies in Texas. Once you have made the first big decision — which type of adoption is right for your family — you have another big choice to make. Working with the right adoption agency in Texas can make or break your experience with the adoption process.
Take your time with this choice. Call several adoption agencies, and ask a lot of questions.
- How many adoptions do you complete each year?
- What type of support do you provide to prospective birth mothers?
- How do you handle adoption disruptions?
- What type of financial protection do you provide for families?
These and many more questions will give you a clearer picture of which Texas adoption agency is right for you.
Here, listed by type of adoption, are some of the adoption agencies in Texas you could consider:
Domestic Adoption Agencies in Texas
Foster Care Adoption Agencies in Texas
- Hope Cottage*
- Beacon of Hope Foster Care Agency
- Homes with Hope
- Circles of Care
- Texas Family Initiative
International Adoption Agencies in Texas
- Hope International
- Little Miracles International Adoptions
- Texas Children’s Health Center for International Adoptions
- Nightlight Christian Adoptions
*Also provides services in domestic infant adoption
Adoption Agencies in Texas for Prospective Birth Mothers
When an expectant mother decides to create an adoption plan for her baby, she is doing something brave. She is giving her baby an opportunity to have a wonderful life. In response, adoption agencies should be eager and prepared to provide the best support possible.
The best adoption agencies in Texas will have significant staff and resources dedicated to prospective birth mothers. As a prospective birth mother, you want to have the best people on your side. This is also important for adoptive families to consider. The better an agency supports prospective birth mothers, the smoother the adoption process will be.
These are a few Texas adoption agencies that provide strong support for prospective birth mothers during the adoption process:
Next Steps toward Your Adoption
Adoption doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a long process, so don’t worry about rushing into it. Take the time to research as many Texas adoption agencies as you can. Once you know the type of adoption you want and have contacted several agencies, you will be ready to choose one and take the next steps toward completing your adoption.