Official Website of the
Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
Adoptive Parents Frequently Asked Questions
These are a few of the questions we receive from our clients. This is not comprehensive. Feel free to contact us directly with any other questions you may have or to get clarification about our services.
Q. What are your fees for adoption?
A. Reasonable fees are charged to adoptive parents for actual services delivered prior to a placement. This generally includes the application, home study, background checks and profile fees. Placement fees are due at the time of the legal adoption and are based on a sliding scale depending on the adoptive parents’ income. Generally, the medical costs and legal fees are included in this placement fee. Many families may be eligible for state and federal tax credits, which can cover a lot of the expense. For more information, please Contact Us.
Q. Will you work with clients who aren’t Catholic?
A. Many choose us because they are Catholic and looking for Catholic families. It may be harder to place with adoptive families that aren’t Catholic, but we welcome clients of all faiths.
Q. Do you place children for adoption out of state?
A. We try to work with families in Arkansas, but we will on occasion place out of state if there are special needs or at a birthmother’s request.
Q. Do you have an age limit for potential adoptive parents?
A. We don’t have a specific cut off age, but we carefully consider a couple's health and resources on a case-by-case basis.
Q. Do you have any marriage requirements for potential adoptive families?
A. We require that a couple be married for at least two years before we work with them. We can consider a rare exception to the length of marriage requirement. Contact Us for more information.
Q. How does a family get selected?
A. Prospective adoptive parents complete their home studies and are then ready and waiting. Birthparents let us know what they are looking for in a family for their child. Birth families then choose the new parents by looking at confidential profile books that the adoptive parents create to show what they are like, individually and as a family. Most of the birthparents choose to meet the pre-adoptive parents prior to or soon after the birth of their child. A staff member from Adoption Services Inc., is present to assist with these confidential meetings. Both parties need to have peace about working together toward an adoption plan for us to proceed.
Q. Where do your birthmothers come from?
A. Birth parents find out about our services in a variety of ways. Many of our clients are referred by pregnancy resource centers or local hospitals. Often they hear about us through a friend or family member who has worked with our agency. Referrals from priests, religious and deacons are welcomed. Some birthmothers will find us through our website or other sources online. We are always trying to get the word out about our licensed adoption agency. We do not pressure birthparents to choose adoption as we respect that this is their difficult decision to make and they need to choose what is best for them and for their child. We will provide information, counseling and support.
Q. What happens if a birthmother has twins?
A. We never separate twins. Both babies would be placed with the adoptive family that the birthmother helps to choose.
Q. Will you place older children for adoption?
A. We will work carefully with parents or guardians of older children on a plan for adoption on a case-by-case basis. We rarely have these types of adoption occur, so those families wishing to adopt an older child are encouraged to consider adopting through the Arkansas Department of Human Services' Division of Children and Family Services.
Q. What is “cradle care” or short-term foster care for an infant awaiting adoption?
A. Birthparents generally do not sign a consent to an adoption until after the birth of their child. Then the birthmother chooses either a 5- or 10-day waiting period to be sure about the decision to place her child. She may change her mind for any reason during the waiting period. If the adoptive parents care for the baby during this time, they are doing so under legal risk. Some adoptive parents choose to have our licensed foster parents take care of the child for this period of time. Our foster parents are trained volunteers who love children and respect and appreciate the gift of adoption. Foster parents are not eligible to adopt from our agency.
Q. Does the father of the baby have to sign the adoption papers for a birthmother to place her child for adoption?
A. We prefer that the father sign when at all possible, but there are circumstances where it isn’t required. Each situation is different and is handled on a case-by-case basis with the assistance of our attorneys.
Q. Are the adoptions open or closed?
A. At this time we conduct semiopen adoptions, which means we do not exchange last names, addresses and phone numbers. Most of the birth and adoptive parents choose to meet each other and often participate in a very meaningful blessing service all together. Adoptive parents are required to send pictures and updates of the baby through the agency for the birth families once a month for the first year. Pictures, updates and further contact are handled on a case-by-case basis in the following years. Adoptees age 18 and older and their birth parents can choose to participate in an adoption reunion by mutual voluntary consent. For more information on this service for our previous placements, feel free to Contact Us.
Q. Are legal services provided?
A. We provide legal representation for our clients, but if a client wishes to have additional representation they may hire their own attorney at their expense. Legal services are free to birthparents.
Q. What is the actual name of the agency?
A. Our legal name is Adoption Services Inc., but we are generally known as Catholic Adoption Services.
