Adoption Options: FAQs about Making an Adoption Plan in Colorado
If you’re experiencing an unexpected pregnancy and don’t feel ready or able to parent your baby, adoption is a great option. At Adoption Choices of Colorado, we are a licensed infant adoption agency and we understand that weighing your adoption options can be challenging. This isn’t a decision that can be made lightly. However, we have the resources necessary to help you decide what choice is right for you and your baby.
If you’re considering adoption, you may have a lot of questions about the adoption process in Colorado as a whole. This is perfectly natural. We are here to help. Below, we’ll answer a few common questions about making an adoption plan in Colorado.
1. If I’m under 18, do I Need My Parents’ Permission to Place My Child for Adoption in Colorado?
No, you don’t. While the law often says anyone under 18 needs parental permission to make big decisions, that doesn’t apply to birth parents in Colorado. As an expectant mother, regardless of your age, under the law, you have the right to make independent decisions about your child. In fact, the only person who can legally make the decision to parent, or to place a child for adoption, is you. Not extended family or other people who might want a say. You are the child’s birth parent, and that’s the decision that matters most.
2. What is the Difference between Open and Closed Adoption Options?
Closed adoptions are less common than open adoptions, but they do still exist and are an adoption choice in Colorado. In a closed adoption, the birth parents and the adoptive family do not meet, receive only non-identifying information about the other party and do not have any post-adoption contact. For birth mothers who do not want contact with their baby after the baby is born, this is the best option.
Most adoptions in Colorado are open, which means that there’s contact between the birth mother and adoptive family. A big part of making an adoption plan in Colorado is deciding how much, how often, and what kind of contact is right for your adoption triad. If you aren’t sure how involved you want to be, your adoption caseworker can help you with that decision.
3. Do I, as an Expectant Mother, have to do Counseling through the Adoption Agency to Be Able to Place My Baby for Adoption?
We are here to provide support and information. When we refer to our adoption counselors, we’re referring to adoption professionals from our adoption agency who will answer your questions, make sure you understand all of your choices, the consequences of those choices, your rights and your responsibilities throughout the adoption process.
Choosing whether to parent your child or place your child for adoption is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make, and it’s important that you have all of the support you need to make the best choice for you and your baby. Working with an adoption professional through a licensed adoption agency is an integral part of the decision-making process to help you feel confident and at peace with your decision — not just in the immediate future, but forever.
You may also find resources for therapy-type counseling, such as birth mother support groups through Adoption Choices of Colorado. Many birth mothers find comfort among other women who have been through a similar experience, but some don’t find it necessary. While these services are encouraged and available for you, they are not required.
4. Can I Choose the Adoptive Family in My Adoption Plan?
Yes, absolutely! Adoption Choices of Colorado does full screenings on all prospective adoptive families. These screenings include background checks, interviews, and medical tests. We make every effort to ensure prospective adoptive families will provide a safe, loving, healthy environment for the child they adopt.
Your adoption caseworker will show you profiles of potential adoptive families who include quite a bit of information to help you decide which family is the right fit for your baby. Depending on the type of adoption you choose, you may even meet the adoptive family before your baby is born.
5. Will an adoption plan through an adoption agency in Colorado include help with my medical bills or living expenses?
Yes, it can! As an expectant mother, you may be facing a tremendous financial burden. Often adoption plans do include the option of financial assistance for you, and help cover court-approved living expenses, such as medical care, housing groceries and transportation. Some living expenses are also provided by the adoptive family.
Our adoption agency does offer financial assistance on an as-needed basis. Be sure to consult with your adoption caseworker to see if and how you qualify.
6. Will I Be Able to have Contact with My Baby Post-Adoption?
Most adoption plans in Colorado include some amount of contact between the birth mother and the adoptive family post-adoption. At minimum, Adoption Choices of Colorado requires that the adoptive family be open to sending pictures and letters at least once a year until the child reaches the age of 18. You, as the birth mother, are also able to send the adoptive family letters and pictures for the baby through the adoption agency. Your adoption plan can include more contact than that if both you and the adoptive parents agree.
7. Who Else has a Say in Making My Adoption Plan in Colorado?
As the birth mother, you have ultimate say over your adoption journey. Other friends and family may want to have a say, or voice their opinions, but, at the end of the day, it’s up to you what happens. This is the same if the child’s birth father is involved with the adoption process.
That said, there is another party that you will want to discuss boundaries and your adoption plan with, depending on the type of adoption you choose. That is, of course, the adoptive parents. If you and the adoptive parents agree to an open adoption plan in Colorado, all of them can talk about how life will look like for you after the adoption has been finalized. They are, after all, not only an important part of your adoption plan, but also the adoption triad as a whole.
Just remember that — no matter what — you get ultimate say over your adoption plan. We will help you create an adoption plan that works for you, so that you feel comfortable and confident about everything related to your adoption plan and your baby’s future.
How do I get Started Making My Adoption Plan with an Adoption Agency Near Me?
At Adoption Choices of Colorado, we serve pregnant women across the entire state of Colorado (and beyond!!). It’s our goal to offer you adoption options and help you create an adoption plan that gives you confidence and makes you feel empowered. We want you to know that you’ve made the best choice for you and your baby, and that we are here to support you as you get back on your feet, and bring a new family together through the remarkable gift of adoption.
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: After graduating from University of Michigan with a degree in Education, majoring in English and Social Sciences, Brianne Davis has spent her adult life as an educator; first in the public schools, later through martial arts. Her ability to convey difficult concepts, navigate varied learning styles, and always keep it interesting defined her reputation as an impactful instructor. Many of her early published blogs centered on the goal of helping other instructors effectively teach children for whom learning is a struggle. Once an empty nester, she committed to sitting in traffic less and writing more. With those goals in mind, she, along with her husband and dogs, packed up, sold their family home, and moved to the banks of the Columbia River in Central Washington’s wine country, where the pace of life is slower and the sun shines brighter. Realizing in our modern age, more of us turn to the internet for information than ever before, Brianne, now dedicates her time to educating others through blog writing.
As a life-long information junkie, Brianne enjoys taking deep dives into new topics, then condensing them in an interesting way to convey valuable information in a relatively short amount of space. Once her career, Brazilian jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts remain hobbies, along with boating, reading and traveling.
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!