All About Birth Fathers and their Roles in a Colorado Adoption
When it comes to adoption, Adoption Choices of Colorado does what it can as an adoption agency to assist the birth parents, child, and adoptive family during the adoption process. Adoption agencies in Colorado know how important it is to focus our attention on the birth mother since they are the ones who have a right to choose adoption and can have control over their adoption plan. However, adoption is not often discussed from the birth father’s perspective, which is what today’s article will be about.
Adoption Choices of Colorado will focus on what adoption is, what a birth father is and what role they play in adoption, as well as proving facts and myths about birth fathers.
If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE). Visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.
What is Adoption?
Adoption is a process in which a child is placed into the care of a new family as a result of their birth parents decided to give them up. Adoption in Colorado can be difficult for many birth parents, but our adoption agencies within the state of Colorado will help you throughout the adoption. If you want to get started, you’ll have to contact Adoption Choices of Colorado to schedule a meeting with an adoption specialist to go over your situation. We will also provide you with prenatal care, financial assistance, and other services to support you through the process.
Around this time, you will also choose a type of adoption (open, closed, or semi-open), look over adoptive family profiles, and choose an adoptive family. Depending on your adoption type, you can get to know the adoptive family. At some point, you’ll curate your hospital plan as a way to prepare for your delivery. As one of many Christian adoption agencies in Colorado, we will make sure that you have post-placement support, such as support counseling for yourself, the birth father, and the rest of your family.
What is A Birth Father?
A birth father is someone who is the father of the child. Similar to the birth mother, the birth father has rights as a parental figure, such as knowing that the birth mother is having their adoption in Colorado, being a part of the process, and going against the adoption.
What Role Do Birth Fathers Play in Adoption?
In the Colorado adoption process, the birth father plays an essential role. They are commonly known as a support system for the birth mother. Adoption Choices of Colorado strongly believe in the birth father supporting birth mothers because it can be a stressful period for the birth mother.
Knowing that your child will end up being raised by another family can be scary for the birth mother, so it’s best that, as the birth father, you’re there by her side. As stated earlier, the birth father has the right to be a part of the adoption process. Just like the birth mother, they also have a say in decisions regarding the adoption, such as selecting an adoptive family and what type of adoption to choose.
Facts and Myths About Birth Fathers
There are plenty of facts and myths regarding birth fathers, but here are four of the most common ones:
1. Birth Fathers Have Parental Rights
This is a fact. As stated earlier, the birth father has parental rights, such as knowing about the adoption, having a say in the adoption, and going against the adoption. If the birth father is against the adoption, then he can take this matter to court. Our Colorado adoption agencies can provide you with legal services for you to fight this case.
2. All Birth Fathers Are Not Present in the Adoption Process
This is a myth. In some adoption cases, we have birth fathers that are supportive of the birth during the adoption process. As previously stated, birth fathers have the right to partake in the adoption and help with certain decisions.
3. It is common That Birth Fathers are Either Supportive, Unsupportive, or Unknown
This is a fact. In most of the cases that adoption agencies in Colorado come across, the birth father supports or doesn’t support the adoption, or they are unknown. Luckily, Colorado adoption agencies have solutions for each of these scenarios.
4. Adoption Agencies Do Not Help Birth Fathers
This is a myth. The services we provide for the birth mother are also for the birth father. A prime example of this is financial services and support counseling during and after the adoption process.
Our Colorado Adoption Agencies are Here to Help
Placing your baby for adoption will be a lot easier with Adoption Choices of Colorado. We have plenty of locations within the state, such as the adoption agency in Denver, Boulder, adoption in Colorado Springs, Aurora, Brighton, Longmont, and much more. To get started, text us at 720-371-1099, or call us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
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!