Are you pregnant and considering adoption?

You’re in the right place. Adoption Center of Kansas has been facilitating successful adoptions for decades.

Our Process

Upon initial contact with a birth parent, an agency worker will discuss all the options available to them in regard to the unborn child. Birth parents primarily have four options available to them. These options include keeping the child, placing the child with relatives, placing the child with an adoptive couple, and abortion.

Let’s review these:

Decision to keep the child

The agency will help the parent(s) assess the ramifications of keeping and raising the child. If the parent(s) plans to live with his/her parents, the Agency will explore with the grandparents the parents’ attitude toward the child, their role in caring for the child and their willingness to help with the responsibility of raising a child. The Agency will also discuss the parents’ plans for financially supporting the child, plans for their education or employment and day-to-day care of the child. Community referrals will be made available to birth parents if necessary.

Placing with relatives

Relative placements, including adoption by relatives, should be considered to avoid possible conflict or hard feelings. If a relative wishes to adopt and it is not the wish of the birth parent, the birth parent is under no obligation to follow her parents wishes for the child. The decision to place the child or keep the child is her decision to make.

Placing the child for adoption

The agency will discuss with the parents the legal consequences of the consent to adopt or relinquishment and the adoption process, including legal requirements, care of the child pending adoptive placement, degrees of openness, and living expenses. The Agency will help the parents cope with their feelings about placing the child for adoption.

Abortion

The Agency does not support abortion and does not provide assistance to birth mothers who are wanting to have an abortion. The issue is discussed in order to determine the birth mother’s mindset with regard to the issue.

After the decision to adopt is made, there are several things to determine. All of our services are completely confidential; your situation will never be discussed with any individual not directly involved in your adoption plan.

1. Determining payment for living and medical expenses related to the pregnancy.

Under pertinent Kansas law, (59.2121) (a) no person shall request, receive, give or offer to give any consideration in connection with an adoption or a placement for adoption, other than: actual and necessary expenses, based on expenses in the State of Kansas, incident to placement or to the adoption proceeding, actual medical expenses of the mother attributable to pregnancy and birth, actual medical expenses of the child and reasonable living expenses of the mother which occurred during or as a result of the pregnancy.

2. Available Counseling Services

Services for counseling are provided by therapists outside or within the agency. A birth parent is not required to attend counseling, but is strongly encouraged to attend at least one session. The Agency shall make a referral to the therapist requesting a counseling session on behalf of the birth parent.

3. Review of Open Adoption Policy

The Agency offers birth parents an opportunity to meet the adoptive couple prior to the arrival of the baby. If desired, the birth parents may request post-placement photos and updates.

Once the intake process is complete and the birth parent feels comfortable moving forward with thhe adoption plan, selection of an adoptive family may take place. A case worker will review the qualities you desire in a family and pull adoptive profiles according to the birth parents preferences as indicated. The case worker will ask the birth parent to select a first, second, and third choice. The case worker will review the profiles with the birth parent and answer any questions that might be of concern to them.
If the birth parent wishes to meet the adoptive couple prior to the birth of the baby a meeting can be arranged between the two parties. A case worker will supervise the initial meeting to ensure that conversation stays appropriate. The meeting can take place over lunch or dinner if agreeable or may take place in the office. If the adoptive couple and birth parent wish to spend additional time together, it is at their discretion.