Domestic Adoption
To Read Blogs about Domestic Infant Adoption click here.
Our Services Include:
Birth Parent Services
- Birth parent counseling provided by a supportive and skilled therapist
- Assistance in obtaining pre-natal care and securing payment of allowable living expenses
- Assistance with transportation and referrals for supportive community resources
- Assisting the parent(s) in completing medical and social history information, which is given to the adoptive family
- After the birth, assistance a the hospital with signing of the temporary placement documents and arranging the release/consent by the birth parents(s) with an attorney 72 hours after the birth if possible.
- Ongoing assistance in the communication between the birth parents and adoptive parents after the finalization of the adoption.
Adoptive Parent Services
- Evaluating prospective adoptive families for the completion of pre-placement assessment (also referred to as home study).
- Counseling on adoption issues and full disclosure of the risks associated with pre-adoptive placements.
- Comprehensive training on issues related to adoption.
- Supervision services of the placement of infants in approved adoptive parents’ home. Completion of supervisory reports as required after placement.
- Completion of the legal placement steps in Court.
- Attendance at placement and finalization hearings as required.
- For a minimal fee we provide financial resources and coaching for our families to assist in budgeting, loans, grants, and the adoption tax credit. Click here to learn more.
Interstate Services
The domestic adoption program will facilitate interstate adoptions where a child is born in Michigan and placed with an approved adoptive family from another state, or the child is born in another state and placed with an approved Michigan adoptive family. The agency will coordinate with the appropriate Interstate Compact of the Placement of Children (ICPC) office to facilitate placement approval between states.
Adoption is often an option because mother’s want their child to be with a family that is loving, stable, and yearning with all their hearts to be parents. Mother’s may feel that at this time in their lives they may not be able to provide the resources or stability that a child requires and deserves. Knowledge and involvement in choosing an adoptive family can be reassuring for a woman struggling with choosing adoption for her child.
Frequently Asked Questions
You call to set up a personal consultation/orientation with the domestic adoption program supervisor. This is a one on one meeting where information on the program and the adoption process will be discussed. You will be able to bring all your questions to this meeting. You will then be given an application to start the home study process at the end of the meeting if you wish to proceed.
There are many reasons why a birth mother may choose adoption. Often a birth mother may be struggling financially, not have an emotional support system, not have the support of the birth father, or be parenting other children. At times a birth parent may not feel the timing is right to parent. Whatever the reason, deciding to make an adoption plan for your baby is a very difficult and emotional decision. Forever Families is committed to providing counseling services to the birth mother both before and after the birth to help walk her through the emotional process of adoption. We have found that during the pregnancy the more time the birth mother gets to spend with the adoptive family and get to know them, the more balanced her decision is after the birth.
The birth mother is just as nervous to meet you. The initial meeting is not “an interview”, the birth mother has already chosen you from reviewing your profile book. The meeting is an opportunity to get to know one another and build a level of comfort for both parties. A staff will also be present at the meeting and will help facilitate conversation. The goal is for everyone to feel good about this initial meeting and alleviate anxiety about the next steps in the adoption process.
Forever Families is a small agency, we can provide a personalized experience. Our experienced staff will walk you through the adoption process and is readily available via phone or email. We have been giving children families forever since 1997. Staff has decades of adoption experience and will be able to tailor an individual adoption plan to your needs.
Yes, the vast majority of adoptions are open, meaning the birth parents and adoptive parents exchange contact information. A plan for continued contact will be agreed upon before and after the birth. Often contact after adoption will include you receiving photographs and a written update at an agreed upon schedule.
You will have access to agency staff in case of an emergency. Staff will also work with you to provide resources for living expenses such as rent, groceries, and medical bills.
You are in control of your decision. You will first be provided with several profile books (photos and information on each adoptive parent (s) to get to know the adoptive parent (s) and help you choose the family you want to be the parents of your baby. You will be able to personally meet them and get to know them before the birth. Often, birth parents and adoptive parents exchange emails, texts, phone calls, and even visit each other during the pregnancy.
Forever Families provides pregnancy counseling at no charge to you. We will go over all your options together to assist you in making an informed decision you are comfortable with.
Testimonials
“Forever Families is a great place to work with when It comes to adopting. They were helpful and patient with us being a first time adoptive family. We adopted our daughter using their services. They were quick in responding to our questions no matter how minuscule they seemed. We appreciated that it was a non-profit not looking to just take our money and leave us. They genuinely cared. With their help we were home study approved in September and matched in January. They helped make our dreams of becoming parents a reality that we never thought would happen.”
We will always be grateful to Forever Families for helping us adopt our son and start a family. From the consultation, to the classes, to all of the calling and emailing, everyone at Forever Families was very accessible, always professional and kind, and always put us on the right path. The adoption process has many emotional highs and lows, and we are truly thankful to have worked with such an experienced agency. Forever Families helped us establish a relationship with the birth mom and handled everything so well at the hospital that we were able to be in each of the moments. We highly recommend Forever Families.
Our family chose Forever Families as our agency because of the attention to detail regarding domestic infant adoption. We were very impressed with the clear communication regarding the total costs of adoption, and the orientation we experienced upon selecting them. Furthermore, the monthly and weekly support we received even before being matched, through their adoption support group. Many questions were answered for us to properly prepare us for our adoption journey- some that we had not even considered but in hindsight were so glad that we got to discuss.
We met Tasha as she was taking over her role with Forever Families, and at the time there was not a very large amount of available children in the domestic adoption category. Tasha walked us through what she was doing to help ensure that every family currently in the program became matched. We were matched very quickly after that! We were only approved for 5 months total. Our birthmother had some unique circumstances and Tasha was with us every step of the way up until our son was delivered. There was not a day that went by that we did not speak or touch base. Looking back now, we are forever grateful that our family had her as a resource of comfort through all of our questions and concerns. The level of respect and communication with our birth mother as well as the resources provided for her was also a huge comfort to our family.
Our son was born in April of 2022 and he was placed with us immediately. The last 5 months of having him in our lives has been a whirlwind, and the best experience. Even now after all this time has passed, Tasha and the agency are still checking in on us to ensure that we are thriving. We are still able to ask questions whenever we need to. Tasha has even implemented amazing resources for families after the adoption process is complete, and we are so excited to embark on connecting with other families that have ended their adoption journey as well.
We cannot say enough amazing things about Forever Families and their level of commitment to ensuring that every family has the best adoption journey experience. From the moment you choose to be am adoptive family through their agency, to the adoption match and after they anticipate your every need and provide the best information and care for your entire family. Thank you so much for this beautiful experience!
To Read Blogs about Domestic Infant Adoption click here.
Our agency provides domestic infant adoption services, including adoptive placements, with the best interests of the child as the guiding factor in placement decisions. Each adoptive placement is planned so as to ensure an emotionally stable and financially secure home for the child. The domestic adoption program provides a variety of services including direct consent adoptions when the birth parents and adoptive parents find and select one another, agency adoptions when the birth parent surrenders directly to the agency and the plan is facilitated by the agency, and accepts infants released under the safe delivery act, section 20 of 1939 PA 288, MCL 712.20. Professional and skilled therapists offer counseling services to all birth parents. The therapist will explore all options with the birth parents and their decision making process before and after adoptive placement. Reasonable efforts are made to obtain a thorough social history background from the birth parents. The domestic adoption program’s goal is to offer prospective adoptive parents services that are not based on arbitrary eligibility requirements that would exclude suitable parents. The pre-placement assessment will be conducted according to the licensing rules for a child placing agency as outlined in the State of Michigan and PA 222 and will be considered a minimal requirement for approval. To become an approved adoptive family, the agency screening process includes orientation and training, submission of an application, participation in interviews with the staff, both in the office and in the applicant’s home, and completion and submission of written documentation such as criminal clearances, medical reports, and references.
Support through Domestic Adoption
- Adoptive parents seeking domestic infant adoption opportunities have access to immediate intervention regarding any identified or specific adoption situation anywhere in the United States.
- Forever Families offers birth parents seeking an adoption plan 24-hour access to counseling and supportive services. We have staff with experience in therapy who are available for both pre and post adoption counseling. We will assist birth parents with support services, medical coverage, transportation, counseling and community resources in efforts to maintain lower adoptive parent expenses.
- Forever Families recognizes the anxiety and emotional nature of families seeking an infant adoption and strive to provide regular support and guidance throughout the adoption process.
- Interstate adoption services are also available. As with all adoption programs, Forever Families offers preparation, education, and continuous support from inquiry to post placement.
Families Looking to Adopt
Contact Our Domestic Infant Adoption Supervisor in Livonia, MI
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to our Domestic Adoption Supervisor or Submit an Inquiry Form. Tasha Davis- Domestic Adoption Supervisor
- Office: (734) 762-0909
- Cell: (248) 938-2069
- Email: tdavis@forever-families.org
