Adoption in California

California Adoption, Home Studies and More

Adoption Services for
Birth Parents and Adoptive Families

Please choose where you’d like to begin:

Information about placing
a child for adoption
or
Information about adopting a child

If you live in the Golden State and are interested in adoption, Lifetime Adoption coordinators are here to guide you through your adoption journey. Whether you are considering placing your child for adoption or you are considering adopting a child, our Lifetime Adoption coordinators are here to answer your questions and provide you with the information and resources you need to work through your decision-making process.

Pregnant and Considering Adoption in California

pregnant woman in LA

The emotions can be overwhelming when that pregnancy test comes back positive, and it is not the result you were expecting. Figuring out your next step can be hard when you are probably experiencing a wide range of emotions. When you share your news with family, friends, and the baby’s father, you may receive a wide range of opinions and advice which can make you feel even more confused.

Take a minute to step back and contact Lifetime Adoption. You will find a kind and non-judgmental voice on the other end that can help you calmly consider your options. You can call, text, or fill out our online form, and an adoption coordinator will be there for you. She will even put you in touch with a professional or peer counselor if you would like. A counselor can help you work through the pros and cons of your options.

What is the Adoption Process in California?

Lifetime Adoption coordinators have been guiding expectant mothers in California through the adoption process for over 30 years. First, just call, text, or fill out our online form. An adoption coordinator will speak with you to find out what your wishes are and what resources and support you may need.

Then, you can look through adoptive family profiles and choose a family for your baby. You may want a family from California or maybe from another state. You will get to choose how much contact you would like with that family during your pregnancy and after. Adoption isn’t only for newborns. You may be interested in placing a toddler or older child. A professional counselor will help with the plan to make the transition healthy for you, for your child, and for the adoptive family. She will help you work with the adoptive parents and your coordinator to create a post-adoption contact agreement that everyone is happy with.

If you are pregnant, you and your adoption coordinator will also create a hospital plan. This will cover who will be in the delivery room, who will cut the cord, who will hold the baby, who will leave the hospital first, and other details. At no cost to you, you will have an attorney, who will make sure that you understand all your rights and will take care of all the paperwork and court filings.

Get In Touch

Open Adoption in California

Most people don’t know a lot about modern, open adoption. Now, when you choose adoption, you make all the decisions. For example, who will adopt your baby and how much contact you would like to have in the future. Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will ask a lot of questions so that she can create a personalized adoption plan for you and your baby. Some questions will be:

Would you like to choose the parents or have a coordinator choose for you?
Would you like to have contact with the family after the adoption is final?
What kind of contact and how much contact would you like to have?
When you go to the hospital to deliver, how would you like your hospital stay to go?
Would you like the adoptive parents to go to prenatal appointments with you?
Do you need help with pregnancy-related expenses?

If you don’t feel parenting your child is the right thing for you and your baby, placing your child for adoption is a loving and brave choice. There is a loving family that is ready and excited to grow their family through adoption. Now, with open adoption, that does not have to mean saying goodbye to your child forever. You can receive updates, pictures, and even visits. Many of our birth mothers have great relationships with the adoptive families. Recently, one of our birth mothers was getting married, and she asked for her daughter to be there. Not only was her daughter there, but the adoptive parents were there, and the adoptive father actually walked her down the aisle.

Help With Pregnancy Expenses and More

Lara called Lifetime and had decided to place her baby for adoption. She had been in an abusive relationship and decided she needed to change how her life was going. Now, she had nowhere to live and new expenses due to her pregnancy. Her adoption coordinator let her know that in the state of California, pregnancy-related expenses can be covered by the adopting parents. The expenses include:

Maternity-related medical and hospital costs
Temporary living expenses of the mother during pregnancy
Counseling fees
Attorney and legal fees and guardian ad litem fees
Travel costs, meals, and lodging when necessary for court appearances or accessing services

One important resource provided by Lifetime Adoption is professional and peer counseling available at no cost. A professional counselor is available to help you with the emotions and decision-making processes and to help you make a plan for the future. Peer counselors are also available. These are women who are birth mothers and who have been through the adoption process. They are happy to share their stories and help you with your journey.

California Adoptive Families

No matter what you’re looking for in an adoptive family, you deserve to find the perfect one. Lifetime Adoption lets you search adoptive families from across the country. We provide more adoptive family choices for you, giving you a greater chance of finding the right fit for your child. When you browse our family profiles, you can learn more about their:

Lifestyle
Reasons for adopting
Home and neighborhood
Values and religious beliefs
And much more!

Families Wanting to Adopt in California

African American adoptive family holding their adopted baby

Are you considering adopting a newborn, toddler, or child up to the age of 6 in California? Lifetime Adoption is a nationwide leader in modern, open adoption and can make your adoption dreams come true. Our adoption coordinators have been connecting birth mothers with hopeful adoptive families for over three decades. We are dedicated to caring for our birth mothers, making sure they have all the resources they need, and to creating strong and happy matches between birth families and adoptive families.

Starting the Adoption Process

So, what’s your first step? It’s easy. Just fill out our short online application. Applying is free and does not obligate you in any way. Once your application is reviewed and you are pre-approved, your adoption coordinator will contact you to explain the entire adoption process. Included in this is instruction on how to create a profile for birth mothers to view, how to set up your home study, and access to the education, blogs, and resources on our membership site. Have additional questions? Give us a call at 530-763-6780 and a coordinator will be happy to help you.

Due to the experience she had when navigating the adoption of her son, Mardie Caldwell, the founder of Lifetime Adoption, created the Lifetime Adoption program. For over 30 years, the Lifetime program has been successful. Our caring and experienced coordinators will guide you through the program so that you have a successful adoption journey.

Adoption Laws in California

California adoption laws can seem complicated but don’t worry. You will have an adoption attorney and Lifetime Adoption coordinator to help you navigate the legal aspects of the California adoption process.

Typically, in California, the timeline for legal documentation and the timeline for adoption are as follows.

In general, the birth mother signs papers surrendering on the date of her discharge from the hospital, as can the birth father. A birth father may surrender his parental rights by signing a Waiver of Notice or Denial of Paternity at any time, before or after the child’s birth. The adoptive parents cannot finalize their adoption until six months after placement of the child in their home.

In addition, a home study is required as well as a hearing after six months where a judge will review the home study and other documentation then finalize the adoption by issuing a final decree of adoption.

Every adoption situation varies. There are exceptions and different legal requirements depending on the individual facts of each adoption. Your adoption attorney is there to ensure your adoption goes smoothly and all legal aspects are done correctly.

California Home Studies

A home study is a legal document that confirms your ability to parent and adopt a child. Throughout the U.S., a home study is required to proceed with an adoption. Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will be happy to refer you to a home study provider in California.

A home study includes the following:

Background checks
Medical reports
Employment verification
References
Financial verification
Visit of the home

Your home visit will involve every member of the household being interviewed, and you will provide background information and information regarding your family and marital relationships, why you want to adopt, what your parenting style is, your education, and more for your social worker.

Your California home study social worker will come back within one week for the first post-placement visit once your child is placed with you. These visits will continue monthly until your adoption finalization. 

Whether you are hoping to adopt or are a parent considering placing your child for adoption, Lifetime Adoption looks forward to working with you and providing the information and support you need for a successful adoption.