Resources

If you’re just starting your adoption journey, get ready to do some serious research.  You will be faced with choices at every turn, and the task of sorting through all the information available on the internet can be absolutely daunting.  Adoption Law Group only works with families who have already matched with a child, but we’re affiliated with several excellent organizations that can help you navigate your adoption decisions.

If you’re interested in Domestic Infant Adoption, we suggest using an adoption professional approved by AdoptMatch.  AdoptMatch is a matching service that screens adoption agencies and attorneys to insure that they are practicing the highest standards of ethics in adoption. Even if you don’t choose to use their online matching services, they are a great resource for finding an excellent agency or attorney in your area.

The Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys is another good starting place to find an experienced adoption attorney in your area.

International adoption can be a wonderful way to not only build your family, but to become involved in really making a difference in a child’s life and even in their community of birth.  At the same time, international adoption poses significant challenges and working with an agency who can help prepare you for those challenges and navigate them as they arise is absolutely essential.

If you are interested in a specific country, the U.S. State Department website is a good starting place to acquaint yourself with a specific country’s adoption policies:  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/Intercountry-Adoption/Intercountry-Adoption-Country-Information.html

For help finding an international agency, Family Connections Christian Adoption, which does international home studies for California families, as well as offering full adoption services, offers excellent information on international adoption and some agencies that they work with and recommend:  https://www.fcadoptions.org/adoption-options/international-adoption.php

Additionally, the Christian Alliance for Orphans has a very good list of questions that prospective adoptive parents should ask a prospective international adoption agency:. https://cafo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/12-Questions-for-Adoption-Agencies.pdf

We recommend working with a private foster family agency, contracted with the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services, to begin your foster or foster adoption journey. Private agencies are often able to provide families with additional support groups and trainings that will be invaluable as they parent new children in their home.  There are several agencies that we highly recommend:

Olive Crest

Koinonia Family Services

Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services

It’s not uncommon for parents of adopted families to feel overwhelmed by some of the challenges associated with bringing a child into your home (or any parents for that matter!). Getting the support you need can make all the difference in the world.

Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services maintains a directory of adoption-informed therapists in Los Angeles: Referrals to Adoption Informed Therapists

The Stramski International Adoption Clinic at Miller Children’s and Women’s Hosptial in Long Beach provides pre-adoption and in-country consultations on children’s medical records, as well as comprehensive medical examinations following adoption:. https://www.millerchildrenshospitallb.org/centers-programs/international-adoption

AdoptConnect is a private online platform for sharing pictures and updates between adoptive and birth families. It also has great articles on open adoption.