Adoption Tampa

Tampa 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

Not only is Tampa a vibrant city to live in, full of beaches, restaurants, and amazing weather, but it is also a great place to be if you are interested in adoption. Of the adoption agencies in Tampa, Florida, Lifetime Adoption is one of the nationwide leaders. A caring adoption coordinator is always available to answer your questions and explain the adoption process. We work with birth parents and adoptive parents in the Tampa area and help all navigate the adoption process.

Helping birth mothers and loving adoptive families connect is what Lifetime has been doing for over three decades. Lifetime focuses on open, domestic adoption. As a Tampa adoption center, we are ready to help you with your adoption journey.

Help for Pregnant Women in Tampa

While sitting on a beach staring out at the beautiful water in Tampa Bay is relaxing, facing an unplanned pregnancy is usually stressful. If you are looking for an adoption agency in Tampa, give Lifetime Adoption a call or text 1-800-923-6784. Dealing with an unexpected pregnancy is not uncommon, and it is at this time some women want to find out more about Tampa adoptions. Adoption coordinators at Lifetime are here to explain the process and answer all of your questions.

We all want the best for our children, and sometimes finding a home full of love and one that has parents who are financially and emotionally ready for a new baby is the best thing you can do for your baby. As one of the top private adoption agencies in Tampa, FL., you will find an adoption coordinator willing to help you create your very own adoption plan. You will make all the decisions. You can pick the adoptive family you believe is the right fit for you or ask the coordinator to choose for you. You can even decide if you want contact after the adoption is final and, if so what kind of contact you want. What happens at the hospital when you give birth is also up to you.

While the cost of living in Tampa is somewhat lower than the national average, pregnancy expenses can still be hard to manage. If adoption is your choice, your adoption coordinator can arrange help with rent, food, transportation to medical appointments, phone, clothes, and more. Just let your coordinator know what your situation is, and she will help!

Some parents find they are struggling with parenting a toddler, siblings, or a special needs child. Adoption may be an option to consider. Lifetime Adoption has a lot of experience in placing older children or special needs children in loving homes. We also have many parents open to adopting siblings. As open adoption is a choice you can make, you can continue to have some contact with your child or children. A counselor will help create an adoption plan with everyone’s, especially the child’s, best interest in mind.

If you are interested in adoption in Tampa, FL, don’t be afraid to make that call. It can feel very difficult and be very emotional, but our adoption coordinators are caring and non-judgmental and will be there for you every step of the way. Call or text about our Florida adoption services in Tampa at 1-800-923-6784.

Adoption Agencies in Tampa

Placing your child for adoption is not easy, but Lifetime Adoption Agency is here to help you. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, we are here to take your call or text. There is always an adoption coordinator available to explain how to start the adoption process and answer your questions.

At Lifetime Adoption, you will receive:

Adoptive parents to choose from that all have completed background checks and a home study.
24-hour help and support
Continued support after delivery
Peer and Professional Counseling available
Pregnancy-related expenses assistance
Toiletries, maternity clothes, and other essential items you may be in need of
And much more!

Adoption Counseling in Tampa

Peer or professional counselors are available to you, and your adoption coordinator is happy to set some sessions up for you. Adoption is a difficult decision and one that needs to be thought through completely. Talking with a professional counselor can help you work through the emotions and help you look at your situation clearly.

Peer counseling is also very popular among Lifetime birth mothers. Connecting with another woman who has placed a child for adoption can be very useful. You may have questions she can answer, and you may want to hear what the experience was like for her. While her story may be different, she will understand how you feel and what concerns you may have. For instance, you may want to know how she told her mom or told the birth father. You may wonder how she picked a family for her baby. Our peer counselors are happy to share their adoption journeys.

Maternity Hospitals in Tampa

Some of our birth mothers share feelings of nervousness and anxiety when it comes time to deliver their baby. Creating a hospital plan is one way to calm those nerves. Don’t worry – you don’t need to do this on your own. Your adoption coordinator will help you come up with the plan. They will ask you questions you may not have thought to ask, such as:

When you give birth, who would you like to be present in the room?
Would you like the adoptive parents to be at the hospital?
Would you like to hold your baby or feed your baby or not?
If you want to hold your baby, who would you like in the room with you, or would you like to be alone?
Would you like to leave the hospital before or after the adoptive family leaves with the baby?

Your adoption coordinator will create a plan for you and share this with the adoptive parents and the hospital. She will make sure that all goes as you would like it to at the delivery time.

If you are in Tampa, the hospitals with labor and delivery services are:

AdventHealth Tampa

High Risk Hope, Inc.

Saint Joseph’s Hospital

Tampa General Hospital

Wherever you decide to give birth, we can work with you and the hospital. Even if you are traveling out of state when you go into labor or give birth at home, our coordinators have dealt with all of these situations are prepared to be there for you.

More Helpful Resources for Pregnant Women in Tampa

Have you found yourself unexpectedly pregnant and struggling with other issues in your life? You can find access to the help and resources you need at Lifetime Adoption. We will help you find the stability you need to choose the best pregnancy option for you and your baby. Sometimes, life can feel overwhelming, so it is important to make a choice for adoption from a place of stability and calm, not one of crisis.

If you are homeless or you are in a domestic violence situation, it is important to find safe housing. Here are some local resources for women’s shelters in Tampa and the surrounding area:

The Spring of Tampa Bay

If you are a pregnant woman or mother of young children and are struggling with hunger, you are eligible for the WIC program. WIC stands for Women, Infants, and Children and provides an EBT card to purchase healthy food such as cheese, milk, whole grains, eggs, vegetables, and fruit. They will also provide referrals for local services. Learn more by visiting their website:

WIC – in Tampa, FL

You may be struggling with addiction, and getting into a treatment program would be healthy for you and your baby. This is important because if you are pregnant, suddenly stopping using drugs can be dangerous. There are treatment options, even if you are addicted to prescription drugs or opiates. Lifetime can help you find a treatment center that offers counseling in addition to medications (like methadone and suboxone). These help you slowly wean off the opiates in a safe manner. Here are a few resources in Tampa:

New Season Treatment Center

Cove Behavioral Health

If you need other resources, a Lifetime Adoption coordinator will provide confidential assistance, no matter what you are dealing with in your life. We can help with maternity clothes, prenatal care, pregnancy verification, transportation, rent, and more. Call or text today.

The Tampa Adoption Process

Now is the time to take your first step. All you need to do is call or text Lifetime Adoption or go online to fill out the contact form. Your adoption coordinator will get a hold of you and walk you through the steps of adoption. The adoption services available in Tampa will be explained, and she will answer any questions you have. If you have concerns or are in need of any services, a caring and non-judgmental coordinator will be available on the line 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Profiles are available online from our adoptive families. You can learn as much about them as possible. You can view letters they wrote, and many have provided personal video messages so you can get to know them. Click here to view adoptive family profiles online. You will find the perfect family for your baby.

You can choose a family from Florida or from any other state that you would like. Your coordinator will also give you some recommendations of adoptive parents she thinks would suit you and your baby.

If there are any resources you need for your adoption within Tampa FL, your adoption coordinator will help you connect with them, such as the Healthy Start Program that ensures you access to prenatal care and other services. You may need a Tampa Bay doctor for prenatal care, and maybe a way to get there, your coordinator can make it happen.

Are you ready to get started? Give us a call or text today.

Get In Touch

Other Paths to Adoption in Tampa

One option for some birth parents is foster care. Sometimes life gets difficult, and parenting may not be the right choice at this time. You may also have a baby born with some substance exposure which often results in The Department of Children and Families Sun Coast Region placing them in foster care. When this happens, you will not be able to choose where your baby is placed or who they are placed with. Open adoption will not be a choice, so you could have trouble keeping ongoing contact with your child.

In addition to the foster care option, relative or kinship adoption may also be possible. You may have a family member, who is generally blood-related to the child, that would like to adopt your child. This can work out to be a good solution, but take the time to really talk about what this type of adoption will look like for everyone involved. Kinship adoption can come with its own set of challenges. Sometimes the reality of day-to-day parenting is more than your relative is prepared for. They may believe they are just helping out for a time, or there could be some interaction and boundary issues.

Carefully think about which type of adoption will work best for you and your child. A Lifetime adoption coordinator will help you understand the pros and cons of these different options.

Adopting in Tampa, FL

Do you dream of fun days with your child at Busch Gardens? Can you imagine her oohing and ahhing the animals and enjoying the exciting rides? Is it your dream of adoption within the Tampa, FL area? This will be one of the most important, life-changing decisions you can make. At Lifetime Adoption, the adoption coordinators are here to help you navigate the adoption process. You will have a lot of questions, and your coordinator will answer them all. They will cover the whole adoption process in detail. Open domestic adoption is Lifetime Adoption’s specialty, and we are here to help you start your adoption journey today!

If adopting a newborn or child up to the age of six in Tampa is a hope of yours, contact us at 727-493-0933 to ask any questions. Lifetime Adoption is committed to creating an adoption story that is best for everyone in the adoption triad. You can access a free online adoption application on our website, where you will also find lots of other resources. Education, referrals, resources, and the support you will need for a successful adoption journey are available through Lifetime Adoption.

Begin the Adoption Process

“How do we get our adoption process started?” is probably your first question now that you have all this information. It’s easy! Just visit Lifetime Adoption and fill out our online application. There is no obligation, and applying is free.

Your information will be reviewed by Lifetime, and once pre-approved, you will be contacted by an adoption coordinator who will answer any questions you have. The entire Tampa adoption process will be explained, and she will create an adoption plan to fit your needs.

Adoption Attorneys in Tampa

An essential part of your adoption will be an adoption attorney. Even when you have an adoption agency in Tampa, you will need an adoption attorney. The adoption laws in Florida can be complex, and you want to be sure all is done properly. The paperwork must all be completed correctly and legally and must be filed with the courthouse. Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator in Tampa will be happy to refer a local adoption attorney to you.

Home Study Services in Tampa

A home study will be required whether you choose domestic or foster adoption. In the Tampa area, home study services are available for adoptive families through Lifetime Adoption. Even if you are not contracted with Lifetime Adoption for your adoption, we can provide home study services. You may have located a birth parent on your own, or you may be working with another agency – we are still here to provide economical home study services. You can get started by filling out our free application for home study services for prospective adoptive families living in Florida.

Your home study will include background checks, employment and financial verification, a home visit, and access to resources for your mandatory education hours. Getting your home study done as quickly as possible will help you move your dreams of adoption along. Your adoption coordinator will walk you through the whole process.

So, what all is involved in completing the home study? First, you will collect all of your documents. This is not what anyone thinks of as the most exciting part of your adoption process, but it is very important. In Tampa, Florida, you will need to gather the following documents:

Financial Statements such as tax returns, bank statements, profit and loss statements, or paystubs.
Background checks – if you live in the home and are over the age of 12, you will need a local, state, and federal background check. This will include history checks for neglect and abuse.
Autobiographical letters that explain why you hope to adopt and what your beliefs are regarding parenting, marriage, and any other facts about your life you would like to share.

A home visit from your home study social worker will also be a part of your home study. Every adult in the home will be interviewed, and the social worker will view your home environment. This home visit is done to establish that you have a safe and adequate place to raise a child. You will also have a discussion about your feelings and views on family, marriage, and parenting.

In the state of Florida, education is required to complete your adoption. Through Lifetime Adoption, you can access classes, articles, podcasts, and webinars. At least 12 hours of education must be completed to satisfy the state requirement in Florida.

Finalization of Adoption at Court in Tampa

So you have now completed your home study, been matched with a birth mother, and your baby has arrived. What is next? The finalization of your adoption in the courts is your final step.

The finalization of adoption will be no less than 90 days from when you take custody of the baby, according to Florida mandates. To finalize, you must have a home visit with your home study social worker within one week of the placement. You will then meet with your social worker once a month until you have had a total of three visits.

Your adoption attorney will file all the necessary paperwork with the courthouse. The judge will schedule a hearing date at the Thirteenth Judicial Court of Hillsborough County at 800 E. Twiggs St. Tampa, FL 33602. At the hearing, the judge will review all of your documents and review the home study. Then the exciting part – the final decree of adoption will be issued. Now is time to celebrate! Your adoption will now be final.

Other Paths to Adoption

Tampa International Adoption Agencies

Another route to adoption is international adoption. Some couples hear of orphans in countries that are struggling or have been hit by a natural disaster. They would like to help the children in need. This is very good-hearted but take some time to talk with an international adoption agency. Every country has its own requirements and laws that must be followed. If a country has had a natural disaster, it may be in a state of turmoil and unable to process adoption requests. If the government is in a state of unrest, adoptions may be put on hold. Make sure you do your research.

Some of the most popular countries for international adoption are nations in Eastern Europe, African nations, and China. Make sure the agency you choose is able to work in the country and has experience in that country. Here are some agencies that specialize in international adoption:

Adopt International

Celebrate Children International

Foster Care Adoption

Becoming a foster family is another path to adoption. The Florida Department of Children and Families can guide you through the process to qualify as a foster parent:

Complete the required foster parent education.
Have fingerprint-based, criminal background check to confirm no history of child abuse or neglect.
Attend a mandatory foster parent orientation.
Complete a home study with a social worker to certify your ability to foster in your home.

To have access to foster kids across the nation who are hoping to be adopted, check out AdoptUSKids. This is a nationwide project and is a great resource for families wanting to adopt from the foster care system. To qualify, families must have a completed home study and any other requirements in their state.

The time and cost to adopt are generally shorter than with newborn, domestic adoption, or international adoption. It is important to note that primarily foster care adoption involves older children and children with special needs.