Lifetime Adoption > Adoption in Virginia

Adoption in Virginia

Virginia Adoption, Home Studies and More

If you live in the Old Dominion state and are considering adoption, Lifetime Adoption is here to guide you on a successful adoption journey. If you feel placing your child for adoption is an option for you or are considering adopting a child we can help. Our adoption coordinators are available to provide all the information and resources you need and to answer all of your adoption questions.

Pregnant and Considering Adoption in Virginia

What do you do when that pregnancy test shows positive and you were not expecting that? You may feel overwhelmed and not know where to turn. You might share your news with the baby’s father, family, and even friends. Unfortunately, you may feel more confused and alone.

Don’t panic, you are not alone. Contact a Lifetime Adoption coordinator who will be a caring and non-judgmental support for you who will listen. She can explain your options and what resources are available to you. You can call, text, or fill out our online form, and a Lifetime coordinator will provide the support and services you need such as a professional or peer counselor.

What is the Adoption Process in Virginia?

For over thirty years, Lifetime Adoption has been helping pregnant mothers in Virginia with the adoption process. Just call, text, or fill out our online form. A Lifetime Adoption coordinator will listen to your questions and concerns and will give you all the information you need to make the right decisions for you and your baby.

You can check out adoptive family profiles and choose the adoptive family you think is the best family for you and your baby. You may want a family from Virginia or from another state. You can even choose an adoptive family who is open to the contact you would like in the future. Did you know adoption isn’t just for newborns? If you are struggling to parent a toddler or older child Lifetime can help create an adoption plan. You will have access to a professional counselor who will create a transition plan for you, your child, and the adoptive family. Your counselor will work with you and the adoptive parents to create a post-adoption contact agreement that is healthy for the child, you, and the adoptive family.

If you are pregnant and placing your baby for adoption, you will need an adoption plan. Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will help document who will be in the delivery room, who will hold and feed the baby first, and other details. At no cost to you, you will have your own attorney. She will make sure that you understand all of your rights and will take care of all the legal aspects of the adoption.

Open Adoption in Virgina

Many people do not know that when you choose modern, open adoption today, the birth parents make all the decisions. For instance, you decide who will adopt your baby and how much contact you will have in the future. Your adoption coordinator will help you create a personalized adoption plan for you and your baby. She will find out:

If you want to choose the family or you would like your coordinator to choose?
How much contact you want in the future?
How you want things to go at the hospital during labor, delivery, and after?
What resources you need such as help with pregnancy-related expenses?

With modern, open adoption, you are making a loving and brave choice for your baby and you are not saying goodbye to your child forever. You can receive updates, and pictures, and even have some visits. Many of our birth mothers have wonderful relationships with their child’s adoptive families. Recently, we heard that one of our amazing birth mothers was getting married, and she asked if her daughter 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

Eva called a Lifetime coordinator when she was considering placing her baby for adoption. She was in a domestic violence situation and wanted her baby to be safe. She was trying to change her circumstances but now had extra pregnancy-related expenses. Her coordinator let her know that in the state of Virginia, pregnancy-related expenses can be covered by the adopting parents. The expenses include:

Adoption-related legal fees
Rent and living expenses of the expectant mother
Pregnancy-related medical and hospital costs
Peer and professional counseling fees.

Virginia Adoptive Families

Adoption profiles allow you to find adoptive parents of all types and backgrounds in Virginia. You can learn more about a family’s:

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

No matter what you’re looking for in an adoptive family in VA, you deserve to find the perfect match. With waiting families from across the country, Lifetime Adoption provides more adoptive family profiles for you, giving you a greater chance of finding the right fit for your child.

Search For Families

Families Wanting to Adopt in Virginia

Have you been considering adopting a newborn, toddler, or child up to the age of six in Virginia? Lifetime Adoption is one of the leaders in modern, open adoption and is here to guide you to a successful adoption journey. Our Lifetime Adoption coordinators have been connecting expectant mothers with adoptive families for over thirty years. They are kind and dedicated to getting our birth mothers all the resources and support they need and making the right match between a birth mother and an adoptive family.

Starting the Adoption Process

Is it hard to start the adoption process? No, it’s simple. Just fill out our short online application which is free and does not obligate you in any way. Once your application has been reviewed and you are pre-approved, an adoption coordinator will contact you and explain the entire adoption process. You will get information on how to create a profile for birth mothers to view, instructions on preparing for your home study, and access to the webinars, podcasts, education, blogs, and resources you need on our membership site.

Mardie Caldwell, the founder of Lifetime Adoption, created the Lifetime Adoption program because of the journey she experienced when adopting her son. For over three decades, the Lifetime Adoption formula has been a success. Our adoption coordinators will be there to guide you through the process so that you can see your adoption dreams come true.

Adoption Laws in Virginia

Virginia adoption laws can seem difficult to navigate but don’t worry, your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will refer a Virginia adoption attorney to you who will help you with the adoption legal process in Virginia.

In Virginia, the timeline for legal documentation for adoption is as follows.

In general, a birth mother can sign the termination of parental rights three days after the birth. 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 adoption is irrevocable seven days after the signing.

As in every state, a home study is required in Virginia before the finalization of the adoption. There may be different legal requirements in Virginia depending on the unique facts of each adoption. Depend on your Virginia adoption attorney to make sure all legal documents and hearings are in place.

Virginia Home Studies

A home study is a legal document that the courts require and that shows your ability to parent and care for a child. Your Lifetime Adoption coordinator will refer a qualified home study provider to you in Virginia.

With a home study be prepared to provide the following:

Background checks
Medical reports from your doctor
Employment verification
Three personal references, one from a non-relative
Financial records
Visit to the home

Your home study social worker will interview every member of your household and you will provide criminal background information and information about why you want to adopt. She will want to know what your lifestyle is like, that you are stable, what kind of support system you have, what your parenting style is, and more.

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 successful adoption.