Adoption Overview

At the Sacramento Adoption Center, openness and honesty are central to the adoption process. We make sure everyone’s interests are considered and that adoption plans are built on a foundation of mutuality and trust.

	Birth parents and adopting parents are completely involved in the entire adoption process.
	Birth parents choose their child’s adopting family.
	Both families mutually decide how much future contact (involvement) they want to have.
	Adopting parents are present when their child is born.
	Child will be discharged directly to adopting parents from the hospital.

PHASE 1 - Initial Consultation

We will schedule a private conference with you to learn what your adoption expectations are -- and provide you with the information you’ll need to get started.

We will explain the different adoption procedures available to you and help you decide which process suits you best -- with input from our in-house adoption attorney. We will describe how the Adoption Center becomes your advocate and we will answer all the questions you have about us, our services and the costs related to specific adoption plans.

The Sacramento Adoption Center is not an adoption agency or an adoption facilitator. Our services cut out the middle man to lower your over-all costs in the adoption process. Our adoptions are direct.

We look forward to bringing your little one into your heart and home. The fee for Phase 1 services is $300.00. This fee is a non-refundable deposit which may be applied toward adopting here at the Center.

PHASE 2 - Adoption Outreach

Adoption can be a memorable and rewarding path to parenting. You do have choices.

For most adopting parents, choosing adoption as their parenting plan is an easy decision. Even so, many prospective adoptive families are reluctant to get the ball rolling because they have legitimate concerns about finding the right birth mother, her baby’s health, match meetings, birth father rights, post-birth contact and adoption expenses.

With us, adopting families taking the first step are usually ready to address and resolve these kinds of concerns.

Experience has shown that, as you move forward with adoption planning, we will get to know each other pretty well. We’ll ask you to provide us with information about your family that will help us advocate on your behalf. And we’ll help you finalize your family profile - your letter to a birth mom (including pictures of you, your home, your family and friends) which describes who you are and why she’ll want you to adopt her baby.

Matching with a birth mom will occur after you and she have identified an adoption plan that meets everyone’s needs.

PHASE 3 - Case Management

After adopting parents are chosen by birth mom to parent her child and have committed to proceed with her in adoption planning, we will

	Maintain contact with birth and adopting parents to facilitate on-going adoption planning that meets everyone’s needs
	Schedule and attend hospital tour and prenatal care/ultrasound appointments on dates and times convenient for everyone
	Provide adopting parents with copies of birthing records and all medical records generated pre and post-birth
	Interface with adoption counselor who may be asked to provide birth parent with adoption-related counseling
	Supervise birth and placement process
	Facilitate agreed-upon post-adoption contact, if any

After your match with a birth mom, you will want to choose an attorney with adoption expertise to help you finalize the legal aspects of your adoption plan. The attorney you choose will provide you with an Attorney-Client Fee Agreement applicable to the specific circumstances of your particular adoption plan.

The Sacramento Adoption Center's in-house adoption attorney, Tom Volk, will provide you with a complete assessment of the legal aspects of any adoption plan you are considering. The fact that Tom provides you with the up-front legal assessment needed to ensure a good outcome does not in any way obligate you to choose him as the attorney who helps you finalize your adoption plan -- although, under most circumstances, he will be available to do so, if that is your request.

Birth moms choosing adoption