Adoption in Georgia
Georgia Adoption, Home Studies and More
Pregnant and Considering Adoption in Georgia
If you’ve just found out you’re pregnant and it’s not the news you were hoping for, we understand how stressful that can feel. There’s a lot to think about.
Take a deep breath and consider your options. A Lifetime Adoption coordinator can help you understand all of your options. You can call, text, or fill out our online form, and a non-judgmental adoption coordinator will be there to provide the support you need. She can also offer the resources and the services of a professional or peer counselor if you like.
What is the Adoption Process in Georgia?
For almost 40 years, Lifetime Adoption has been helping birth mothers in Georgia understand the adoption process. The first step is to call, text, or fill out our short info form. From there, a coordinator will listen and give you all the information and resources you need.
You can look at adoptive family profiles and choose a family that you think is right for your baby. You can search for a family from Georgia or from another state. You can talk to families, get to know them, and find out if they are open to the kind of contact you feel will be right for you.
A hospital plan will be important if you are pregnant and have decided on adoption. Your coordinator will help you make this plan and will include who you want in the delivery room, who will hold and feed the baby first, and other decisions. You also will have your own legal representation, at no cost to you.
Even if you’re already parenting a toddler or older child and are struggling, Lifetime can help. You can work with a professional counselor who will make a transition plan for you, and your child. Your counselor will also help you create a post-adoption contact agreement that works for you, the adoptive family, and most importantly, the child.
Open Adoption in Georgia
She will ask things like:
- Do you want to choose the adoptive parent’s profiles or have an adoption coordinator choose for you?
- What contact would you like to have with the family in the future?
- Are there pregnancy-related expenses you need help with?
It’s a very loving and brave choice to place your child for adoption. Adoption doesn’t have to mean you are saying goodbye to your child forever. Instead, you can receive updates, pictures, and even have visits. Many of our adoptive families have close relationships with their birth mothers, fathers and even grandparents of their children. Not too long ago, one of our amazing birth mothers was getting married, and she asked if her daughter wished to be there. She was not only there, but the adoptive parents were there as well, and the adoptive father even walked the bride down the aisle.
Help With Pregnancy Expenses and More
- Adoption-related legal fees including an attorney
- Pregnancy-related living expenses of the expectant mother
- Pregnancy-related medical and hospital costs including travel to appointments
- Peer and professional counseling fees.
Georgia Adoptive Families
You deserve to find the perfect family for your child, no matter what you are looking for. Lifetime’s search adoptive families tool, provides more adoptive family profiles for you, giving you a better chance of finding the right fit for your child. Once you enter your search criteria, you can click on each profile you’re interested in to find out more about:
- the family’s lifestyle
- other family members
- their home and neighborhood
- the family’s values and religious beliefs
- their reasons for adopting
- and much more!
Families Wanting to Adopt in Georgia
If you live in Georgia and are thinking about growing your family through adoption, we can help you every step of the way! As one of the leaders in modern adoption, Lifetime Adoption is here to help you have a successful adoption journey. Our Lifetime Adoption coordinators have been matching birth mothers with adoptive families successfully for almost 40 years. They are dedicated to making sure our birth mothers have all the support and resources they need and to make the best connection between birth mothers and adoptive families.
Starting the Adoption Process
To get started, simply fill out our online application. Applying is free and will not obligate you in any way. Once you have submitted your application and it is reviewed by our panel, you’ll be contacted by a Lifetime Adoption coordinator. She will go over our adoption process and provide guidance on creating a family profile that will help birth mothers learn more about you. She will also help you get ready for your home study, and give you access to our educational webinars, blogs, podcasts, and other resources you need via our membership site.
Mardie Caldwell, C.O.A.P., founder of Lifetime Adoption, created the Lifetime program after her own journey of infertility and adopting her son. The Lifetime program has now been successful for adoptive families and birth parents for almost 40 years. There is a baby for you.
Adoption Laws in Georgia
For the adopting family, a home study is required before the finalization of the adoption. There can be various legal requirements depending on the individual facts of each adoption. Depend on your Georgia adoption attorney to make sure all legal aspects are in place.
Georgia Home Studies
With a home study be prepared to provide the following :
- Background checks
- Three personal visits, at least two of which in the home
- Medical reports
- Employment verification
- Three personal references who will be interviewed
- Education requirements
Everyone in your household will be interviewed during your home study visit and anyone in the home over the age of 18 must provide criminal background information. You’ll be asked why you want to adopt, what your lifestyle is like, what your parenting style is, your education level, what support system you have, and more. Then there will be a post-placement visit within the first 7 days of placement and two more within 30 days.
Post-Adoption Contact Agreements in Georgia
Georgia law does allow for enforceable PACAs in certain situations. However, this law does not apply to private domestic adoptions like the ones at Lifetime Adoption. In those cases, while PACAs are not legally enforceable, many families still honor them wholeheartedly out of respect for the birth family and their child’s story.
At Lifetime Adoption, we strongly believe in the value of open adoption and the role PACAs can play in creating lasting, supportive relationships. We take time to ensure that every expectant mother or birth parent has the opportunity to share what they hope for in terms of future contact, and we include those wishes in our Post-Adoption Contact Agreement. Our adoptive families are fully prepared for this type of commitment and take it seriously. Birth parents can feel comforted knowing that their role in their child’s life will always be honored and respected.
Adoption By State:
Mardie Caldwell
Funding Your Adoption
Called To Adoption
Open Adoption Webinars
Lifetime Adoption, Inc. is a Licensed Child Placing Agency in Arkansas. (License AR #00050809)
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