Misconceptions About Adoption Agencies in Colorado
Trying to determine the beginning of your adoption in Colorado can be difficult. There are several factors to consider, multiple adoption agencies in Colorado, and each decision feels intimidating. At Adoption Choices of Colorado, we strive to make the adoption process as straightforward as possible, achieving this through our personal commitment of helping you along every step of the adoption process. To prepare, let’s take a look at potential misconceptions birth mothers may possess regarding adoption in the state of Colorado.
4 Common Misconceptions Regarding Adoption for Birth Mothers
1. It does not cost money to place your child for adoption
Licensed adoption agencies in Colorado never charge or require pay for use of their services. Similarly, the state of Colorado is one of five states in which all adoptive placements are made by the state’s departments of human or social services or child-placing agencies that are licensed by the State of Colorado. Adoption Choices of Colorado is proud to be a part of this contingency!
2. You are not obligated to place your child for adoption
The choice of adoption is yours. If you choose adoption, agencies such as Adoption Choices of Colorado are here to offer assistance. You will never be forced to place your child for adoption, and should you change your mind at any point throughout the adoption plan (prior to signing the final relinquishment paperwork), you are more than allowed to cancel your plans for adoption.
3. You do not get paid for placing your child for adoption
Although you do receive any compensation for choosing adoption, Adoption Choices of Colorado offers financial assistance for all birth mothers who choose us for their adoption plan. This assistance may include safe housing, food and groceries, rent, and utility bills if eligible. Adoption Choices of Colorado also can help you find medical care associated with the adoption process.
4. After adoption, you can still maintain a relationship with your child
Although this depends on the specificity of your adoption plan, the state of Colorado allows open or semi-open adoption plans, which grant the birth mother a certain degree of communication with her birth child, even after the child finds an adoptive family.
5 Common Misconceptions Regarding Those Seeking to Adopt
1. You do not have to be married
The state of Colorado does not require couples seeking to adopt to be married. To adopt in Colorado, you can be single or married.
2. Same-sex couples are allowed to adopt
Adoption Choices of Colorado does not discriminate between adoptive families. The process is entirely the same, regardless of sexual orientation.
3. Specific Prerequisites Must be Completed
These include properly filling out an adoption application, conducting a Home Study, and partaking in adoptive parent training. Specific to Colorado, there are also certain health, financial, and emotional requirements that must be met in order for the adoption to proceed.
4. Three Background Checks Must be Completed
These include the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) background check, an FBI fingerprint check, and a Child Abuse and Neglect Records Check (CDHS TRAILS). Your assigned adoption specialist will be able to provide further details as to what these requirements are, as well as point out what other documents will be expected from you.
5. Persons Convicted of Certain Felonies May Not Adopt
This consists of felonies in the following areas:
- Child abuse or neglect
- Spousal abuse
- Any crime against a child, including, but not limited to, child pornography
- Any crime of domestic violence
- Violation of a protection order
- Any crime involving violence, rape, sexual assault, or homicide
Adoption Choices of Colorado is Here to Dispel the Misconception about Adoption
Although the above lists are general misconceptions, there are surely questions and concerns that are specific to your predicament. By choosing Adoption Choices of Colorado, we endeavor to provide answers to all of your worries. We assign an adoption specialist that will devise an adoption plan which suits your needs. We treat each case as unique and work to develop a solution specifically tailored to your adoption concerns.
Our goal is to make your adoption in Colorado as smooth and candid as possible. To accomplish this, we utilize a multi-step adoption plan that accompanies you through every step of the adoption process. A general outline of this process can appear as follows:
- Create a budget for financial assistance
- Review family profiles and choose an adoptive family
- Choose the level of openness
- Establish a hospital/birth plan
- Receive ongoing counseling and emotional support
No matter the shape your adoption plan takes, Adoption Choices of Colorado will be there with you along every step!
Resources:
“Frequently Asked Questions about Adoptions.” Colorado Courts, 19 May 2023.https://www.courts.state.co.us/userfiles/file/Self_Help/FAQ%27s/Adoption%20FAQs.pdf.
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!