Domestic Private & Public Agency Adoption

Domestic Agency Adoption involves adoption of children who are in the custody of the state or the adoption of children through private agencies that have a state license. These processes are also known as Public Agency Adoption and Private Agency Adoption. Adoption through an agency includes children who have been placed in foster care as well as children who have been placed for adoption by the birth parents through the private licensed agency.

Domestic Private Agency Adoption:

Domestic Private Agency Adoption involves a private licensed agency that acts as an intermediary between the Intended Parents and the birth parents. The agency engages in screening all Intended Parents and birth parents and matching the Intended Parents with the birth parents.

The Intended Parents and the birth parents may choose to engage in an open adoption or a closed adoption. In an open adoption, the Intended Parents and the birth parents will know some identifying information about each other. Both parties may choose how much, if any, future contact will be maintained between the birth parents and the adopted child. In a closed adoption, the Intended Parents’ and the birth parents’ information will remain confidential, and there will be no future contact between the birth parents and the adopted child.

Domestic Public Agency:

A Domestic Public Agency involves an agency of the State, such as the Department of Social Services. In public agency matters, the birth parents’ parental rights are either surrendered by the birth parents, or are terminated by the court for reasons such as neglect or abuse of the child.

In Domestic Public Agency matters, the Intended Parents are matched with waiting children, and typically adopt a child through the foster care system. The Intended Parents may receive a subsidy from the State for caring for the child, as well as an additional subsidy to cover their legal fees and expenses.