5 Questions Answered About Colorado Adoption Plans
Choosing your child’s adoptive parents is one of the biggest decisions you will make as a birth mother pursuing adoption. Unfortunately, the stress of having to choose the perfect adoptive parents for your child and the general stress of pursuing adoption might mean that you may feel overwhelmed when thinking about the adoption process. The good news is that your anxiety is justified and that many mothers have been in your position before you. That’s why we have compiled five questions that are commonly asked about the adoption process and answered them so that you can have a clearer picture of what this process will look like. Here at Adoption Choices of Colorado, we understand that this may be a very challenging time in your life. As such, when you work with us, you will find that our job can be distilled down to keeping you comfortable and cared for while guiding you through the adoption process. Forming your Colorado adoption plans can seem difficult at first, but with the right help, it can be made quite simple. Read along to see if any of these questions resonate with you. Hopefully, we can answer some of your more pressing adoption questions.
If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.
1: How Do I Begin Forming My Colorado Adoption Plans?
Taking the first step is always difficult, but the good news is that oftentimes that truly is the hardest part about any new endeavor. Forming an adoption plan is only as difficult as taking that first step, especially if you choose to work with an adoption agency in Denver and throughout Colorado. This first step is always to do your research. Look into different agencies, read stories about successful adoptions, and, most importantly, ask yourself what you want out of your adoption journey. If you do eventually decide to work with a Colorado adoption agency, you can bring your notes to them to help integrate your needs into your adoption.
2: Do I Need Parental Permission for Adoption if I’m a Minor?
It is natural for many expectant mothers to worry about the amount of agency they have when placing their child up for adoption, especially if they are a minor. That being said, in Colorado, you do not need parental permission in order to make decisions about your child. Whether it be keeping them and raising them yourself or choosing to place them up for adoption, the choice is yours.
3: Can I Trust My Child With The Adoptive Parents?
Every expectant mother wants to ensure that when they choose adoption, they are also choosing a great future for their child. One of the first and most important factors in choosing adoptive parents is ensuring that they are trustworthy so that you can feel confident in your choice to leave your child with them. So how can you be sure about this? Well, when you work with an adoption agency, you can take solace in the fact that each parent has undergone a thorough background check before being added to the agency’s registry. Not only are prospective parents visited by a caseworker, but they also must submit a State Bureau of Investigation report as well as a series of additional paperwork. While your fears about your child’s safety are valid, you can rest easy and trust that the parents’ profiles you view have been thoroughly inspected and reviewed prior to your seeing them.
4: Am I Able to Contact My Child Post-Placement?
The degree to which a birth mother can contact their child post-placement will be decided upon prior to placement. This is why it is so important for a birth mother to take the time to assess how they feel about the adoptive process and how much they would like to be involved in their child’s life. In an open adoption, a birth mother will have more contact with their child, whether it be letters, phone calls, or visits. In a closed adoption, though, there will be no contact post-placement, and how much you interact with your child will essentially be determined by them once they are of age.
5: Do I Need The Birth Father’s Consent?
When an expectant mother is experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, it is not uncommon for them to be struggling with the pregnancy on their own. Oftentimes the birth father of their child is not supportive or even nowhere to be found. Fortunately, a birth mother does not need the consent of the birth father in order to place their child up for adoption.
Creating Your Colorado Adoption Plans
While creating an adoption plan may seem like a daunting task, there is no reason that it has to be, especially if you work with a reputable agency that you can trust. Here at Adoption Choices of Colorado, we make it our mission to offer compassionate and knowledgeable service to all birth mothers, regardless of their circumstances. We want to take some of your stress away by taking your concerns into consideration for every part of the adoption process.
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
Meet the author: David T. Garcia is currently a student at Syracuse University working towards his degree in English with a concentration in film. He is a resident of Northern New Jersey and spends much of his time in New York City, whether it be for business or pleasure. David is looking forward to graduation so he can begin his life and pursue his ambitions. He has dreams of moving out to New York City and working as a young professional in the content writing space while also working on his own screenplays. In his free time, David enjoys spending time with family as well as watching movies and reading books. He has a passion for travel and looks forward to new experiences.
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!