Domestic Infant Adoption
Catholic Charities' domestic infant program matches adoptive families with birth parents who are creating a plan of adoption for their child. We value the importance of finding permanent families for children. Therefore, the domestic infant program works with a diverse group of clients and provides support for transracial/transethnic placements.
Experienced Support
Because Catholic Charities has been building families through adoption for more than 80 years, adoptive families benefit from our experienced and caring case management services. Catholic Charities provides home assessment, education, and support to adoptive families throughout the training, placement, legal process, and post-placement services.
Pregnancy Counseling Program
Catholic Charities' domestic infant program works closely with our pregnancy counseling program.
Our pregnancy counseling program offers free, decision-based counseling to those experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. This counseling provides resources and support for clients choosing between their options of parenting or creating a plan of adoption for their child.
Matching Process
Catholic Charities values the matching process between a birth family, child, and adoptive family. If a birth parent chooses to make a plan of adoption, through a matching process, Catholic Charities presents adoptive family profiles to the birth parents.
Birth parents choose the adoptive family, are able to meet them, and have a range of communication with them following placement. This communication is agreed upon between both the adoptive family and birth parents, and commonly includes letters and pictures being exchanged through Catholic Charities.
How does the adoption process work?
If you are interested in learning more about our adoption programs, you can request an information packet by contacting us at adoptions@ccdenver.org or (303)742-0828.
Once you receive an information packet you are welcome to attend one of our informational meetings, or set up an individual meeting with one of our case managers. A prospective adoptive family will then go through the following steps:
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Apply
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Background checks and references
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Complete paperwork
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Home study (a series of meetings with a case manager, allowing them to get to know you and write an adoptive family assessment to be reviewed by the child welfare team for approval)
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Training and education about adoption
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Compile a profile book for pregnancy counseling clients to review
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Meet with birth parents in pregnancy counseling program who have chosen you
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Placement
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Post-placement visits
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Finalization in court (six months following placement)
Eligibility requirements:
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Married applicants must have been married for one and a half years
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Single applicants may apply
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Applicants may have one healthy infant experience in their current marriage by birth or adoption
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History of infertility is required
Cost and timeframe
While the adoption process varies in length of time, there is no way for Catholic Charities to guarantee a placement or a placement within a specific time period. Generally, the average wait is about one and a half to two years from the time of approval.
Program fees are set and are not on a sliding scale. The cost for the domestic infant program is about $15,000 total. This is broken down into smaller amounts that are due throughout the process. The program fees reflect the actual agency costs for providing services to all members of the adoption triad.