Making an Adoption Plan
An adoption plan is a permanent plan for your child to be raised and loved by another family that you choose. Each adoption plan looks a little different depending on the person’s situation and preferences. Our hope is that you will grow to feel comfortable asking questions, voicing your concerns, and choosing a plan that is right for you. We will never pressure you.
How to Make an Adoption Plan
When you first contact us, your Maternity Advocate will support you by listening to your concerns and answering all your questions about adoption.
One of the most important things we will talk about is how much contact you want to have with the child and adoptive family after the adoption placement. All Agape families are open to contact whether that is through emailing regularly, or even getting together in person throughout the year.
Some other factors you may consider could be: ethnicity, location, a family with children, a family who has adopted previously, a family without children, etc.
We will connect you with your own attorney who will only represent you. She will answer your questions and walk you through the legal process that you can expect after you deliver.
Each approved family has a family book they create to show you what they look like and a little about their life. If you find a couple of families that you’d like to know more about, we will help you schedule a time to speak with them on the phone, video call, or in person depending on what you’re comfortable with.
Once you feel comfortable with a family, we will let them know you have chosen them to adopt your child. The family will not be shown to any other clients that are considering adoption.
Your maternity advocate will help you create a plan for your hospital stay. This will include: birthing options, identifying your support system, visitation preferences with the child, adoptive family, etc., when to sign legal paperwork, and discharge/transportation from the hospital.
Your Maternity Advocate will continue to provide the same level of support post-adoption that you received during your pregnancy in addition to post-placement needs such as: post-adoption contact agreements, connecting you to a therapist and other resources, facilitating contact between you and the adoptive family (should you choose to do this), and grief and loss support.