Texas Adoption

Adoption Process in Texas, Home Studies and More

texas adoption process
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Adoption Services for
Birth Parents and Adoptive Families

If you live in the Lone Star State and are interested in adoption, Lifetime Adoption coordinators are here to guide you through your adoption journey. You may be considering placing your child for adoption or considering adopting a child, and Lifetime Adoption can help. Adoption coordinators are available to answer your questions and provide you with information about the Texas adoption process and the resources you need to work through your decision-making process.

Pregnant and Considering Adoption in Texas

Young pregnant woman looking at a tablet while sitting cross-legged on her sofa

What do you do when that pregnancy test comes back positive, and it is not the result you were expecting? The emotions can be overwhelming, and figuring out your next step can be hard. Then, when you share your news with the baby’s father, family, and friends, you may receive a wide range of advice and opinions about what you should do. This can make you feel even more confused.

Step back for a minute and contact Lifetime Adoption. You will find a non-judgmental and calm voice on the other end who can help you consider your options. You can call, text, or fill out our online form, and a Lifetime Adoption coordinator will be there for you. She will even put you in touch with a peer or professional counselor who can help you work through the pros and cons of your options.

What is the Adoption Process in Texas?

For over 30 years, Lifetime Adoption coordinators have been guiding expectant mothers in Texas through the adoption process. 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.

Next, you can look through adoptive family profiles and choose a family that has the values and lifestyle you would like for your baby. You may want a family from Texas or maybe from another state. You decide how much contact you would like with that family during your pregnancy and after.

Adoption isn’t only for newborns. If you are struggling to parent a toddler or older child, adoption can be an option for you as well. In this case, a professional counselor will help create a plan to make a healthy transition that will work for you, your child, and for the adoptive family. She will work with the adoptive parents and your coordinator to create a post-adoption contact agreement that works for everyone and, most importantly, is good for the child.

If you are pregnant, your adoption coordinator will work with you to create a hospital plan. Included in this plan are, who you would like in the delivery room, who you would like to cut the cord, who will hold the baby, whether you will leave the hospital before or after your baby, and other details. You will have an attorney or adoption social worker, at no cost to you, who will make sure that you understand all your rights and will take care of all the paperwork and court filings.

No matter what your situation, our coordinators will help you through the entire adoption process in Texas.

Open Adoption in Texas
Modern, open adoption is not known to most people. Today, when you choose adoption, you get to make all the decisions, such as 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. She will ask questions such as:

  • Would you like to choose the adoptive parents or have a coordinator choose for you?
  • What contact would you like with the family after the adoption is final?
  • How would you like your hospital stay to go when you deliver the baby at the hospital?
  • Would you like the adoptive parents to go to doctor’s 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
Carrie called Lifetime after finding out she was pregnant. She was a single mom and did not feel she could properly care for another child at this time. She was barely getting by and now had additional expenses due to her pregnancy. Her adoption coordinator let her know that in the state of Texas, pregnancy-related expenses can be covered by the adopting parents. The expenses include:

  • Fees paid to an attorney, social worker, mental health professional, or physician for services rendered in the usual course of legal or medical practice or in providing adoption counseling
  • Reimbursement of legal or medical expenses incurred by a person for the benefit of the child
  • Necessary pregnancy-related expenses paid by a child-placing agency for the benefit of the child’s parent during the pregnancy or after the birth of the child as permitted by the minimum standards for child-placing agencies and Department of Protective and Regulatory Services rules

Referrals to professional and peer counseling is available through Lifetime Adoption at no cost to you. A professional counselor is available to help you with the emotions and decision-making processes you will go through during your adoption journey. Peer counselors, who are birth mothers and who have been through the adoption process, are also available. These women are happy to share their stories and help you through the adoption process.

* Name has been changed for privacy.

Pregnancy Options in Texas
The landscape is uncertain when it comes to abortion in Texas, and expectant women need to choose from different pregnancy options. The three options for pregnant women: if available – abortion, adoption, or parenting. As technology advances, women can see the development of their baby at 12 weeks and even before. When they see that at 12 weeks, the baby has a beating heart, fingernails, and even brain waves, they often choose to consider other options than abortion, even if it is a chemical abortion. 

Many states are now restricting abortion, which means some women need to consider abortion alternatives, such as modern adoption. Modern adoption allows the woman to choose the family who will adopt her child, decide what type of contact to have in the future, and how things will go at the hospital. A pregnant woman may be able to receive some help for pregnancy-related expenses such as food, rent, travel expenses, and more if she is choosing adoption. She can also still get updates, photos, and even visits if she wants. Adoption can be a positive choice for a woman with an unexpected, unwanted, or unplanned pregnancy. Not many people know a lot about modern adoption, so you will find many who may only see it as an alternative to abortion, but the truth is that women from all different walks of life are choosing adoption right now in Texas for their baby.

Texas 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 Texas

family holding their baby after finishing Texas adoption process

If you are considering adopting a newborn, toddler, or child up to the age of 6 in Texas, contact Lifetime Adoption. As a nationwide leader in modern, open adoption, we have the experience to make your adoption dreams come true. Our very caring adoption coordinators have been matching birth mothers with hopeful adoptive parents for over three decades. Lifetime Adoption is dedicated to caring for our birth mothers. We make sure they have all the resources they need and work hard to create strong and happy matches between adoptive families and birth families.

Starting the Adoption Process in Texas

To start the adoption process, just fill out our short online application. To apply is free and will not obligate you in any way. When your application has been reviewed, and you are pre-approved, a Lifetime Adoption coordinator will contact you and explain the entire Texas adoption process. This instruction will include how to create a profile for birth mothers to view, how to set up your home study, and you will be given access to the education, blogs, and resources on our membership site.

The founder of Lifetime Adoption, Mardie Caldwell, developed the Lifetime Adoption process after navigating the adoption of her son. For over 30 years, the Lifetime program has been successfully matching birth families and adoptive families. Our kind and experienced coordinators will guide you through the program so that you have a successful adoption journey.

Adoption Laws in Texas
Texas adoption laws can seem complicated but don’t worry. You will have a Lifetime Adoption coordinator and an adoption attorney to guide you through the legal aspects of the Texas adoption process.

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

In general, the birth mother signs papers surrendering 48 hours after delivery of the baby. A birth father may surrender his parental rights by signing an Affidavit of Relinquishment of Parental Rights at any time, before or after the child’s birth. The adoptive parents can finalize their adoption after completing their after placement social worker visits and attending the finalization hearing at the courthouse.

Every adoption is unique, and so rules can vary. There are exceptions and different legal requirements depending on the individual facts of each adoption. Your adoption attorney is there to make sure your adoption goes smoothly, and all legal aspects are done correctly.

Texas Home Studies
The legal document that confirms your ability to parent and adopt a child is called a home study. A home study is required to proceed with an adoption throughout the US. Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will refer a home study provider in Texas for you.

A home study includes the following:

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

Part of your home study will be a home visit. This will involve interviewing every member of the household. You will provide background information and information regarding your family and marital relationships, what your parenting style is, why you want to adopt, your education, and more for your home study social worker.

Your Texas 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. 

You may be hoping to adopt or you may be a parent considering placing your child for adoption, and Lifetime is here for you. Our Lifetime Adoption coordinators look forward to working with you and providing the information and support you need for a successful adoption.

 

 
 

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Accreditation

Florida Seal of Approval   Florida Adoption Council Logo

Lifetime Adoption, Inc. is a Licensed Florida Child Placing Agency. (License #100084254)

National Council for Adoption seal

35 anniversary logo

Small Women Owned Business

Lifetime Adoption Better Business Bureau Accredited Business

Lifetime Adoption Center is a BBB Accredited Business with an A+ rating

 

Copyright © | Lifetime Adoption

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