FAQ

No. Caring for Kids has worked with moms who have contacted us when they’ve first found out they’re pregnant, during the pregnancy, from the hospital after they’ve delivered, and even a few months or years after delivery. If you’re considering adoption for your child, every situation is different and there is never a wrong time to reach out and get more information.

There is no cost to biological families exploring the option of adoption. All costs associated with adoption are covered by the adoptive family, including prenatal and delivery medical expenses. Counseling, agency, and attorney fees are all covered by the adoptive family as part of their total adoption cost. Adoptive families are informed of this when they begin pursuing adoption.

There is financial assistance available. Ohio law allows assistance for pregnancy related living expenses. Such expenses may include help with groceries, gas, clothing, rent, and utilities. Living expenses must be distributed by the adoption agency or the attorney arranging the adoption.

Yes, ultimately you make the final decision on who is involved and aware of your pregnancy and adoption plan.  We will follow your lead and only discuss the adoption plan with those you approve of. Your wishes to keep information confidential are honored by the professionals working to support you.

Although Caring for Kids encourages minors to inform and involve their parents, if you and/or the birth father are under the age of 18 you do not need permission from your parents to create an adoption plan. Birth grandparents do not have parenting rights in Ohio. Regardless of age, in the state of Ohio, birth parents are considered legally capable of making independent decisions concerning their child.

No. Our goal is not to convince you to make an adoption plan, but to educate you about your options so you can feel confident making an informed decision for your baby. 

You can change your mind at any point while creating an adoption plan, before or after birth, as long as nothing permanent has been signed. After the baby is born, legally you must wait at least 72 hours to sign these permanent legal documents.  Additional time is always available if you need more time to make your decision.

It is not too late to make your adoption plan, even if you’ve already delivered. You can call or text us 24/7 at 330-294-9811. We have Birth Parent Counselors around the state who are willing and able to talk with you and meet with you, usually the same day! It also is not uncommon for us to work with parents considering adoption for a child they’ve been parenting. We are readily available to talk about options for your individual situation!

At least 72 hours after the birth of the baby, you can choose to sign your permanent paperwork with Caring for Kids. Once signed, this paperwork is irrevocable and your adoption plan is permanent. You do not have to go to court to complete this paperwork, we will meet with you wherever you are comfortable – the hospital, your home, our office, or another neutral location.

Unless you are married to the birth father or he is involved in the military, you do not have to include him in your adoption planning. Fathers that wish to be involved are welcomed, and fathers that prefer not to be involved are respected. If your child’s biological father is not supporting you emotionally or financially, you can proceed with an adoption without him being involved.  Our agency professionals work with you based on your unique situation to help discern what level of involvement is potentially needed. All education and conversations around this issue are due to a desire to ensure the adoption plan you create is as secure as possible.

A birth father can prevent a birthmother from creating an adoption plan. In order for this to occur, he must be able to prove paternity, and take the appropriate legal action to oppose the adoption. A birth father does not have to give consent for a birthmother to choose adoption, unless they are married or he has taken appropriate legal action to establish paternity. An adoption can take place with only the relinquishment of a birthmother’s parental rights. A birth father can choose to not be involved with the plan, but also not oppose it.

Birth fathers can have rights in Ohio. The extent of these rights depends on each unique situation. When we have the opportunity to talk, we review the specifics of the circumstances and share appropriate information.

Ohio has a Putative Father Registry. The OPFR allows a male to register if he believes he may have fathered a child and wants to be notified if the child is placed for adoption. For more details on the Putative Father Registry for Ohio, visit https://jfs.ohio.gov/pfr/.

No, birth grandparents do not have parental rights in the state of Ohio. The only individuals that must give consent to the adoption are the birthmother and, if involved, the birth father. This stands true even if one, or both, of the expectant parents is a minor. Regardless of age, in the state of Ohio, expectant parents are considered adults and are thus legally capable of making decisions concerning their child.

1. If both potential fathers are actively involved with the birthmother during her pregnancy, then both alleged fathers could sign a surrender of parental rights. A DNA test can be done if requested.
2. If neither potential father is involved or supportive, then the adoption can take place without a father’s involvement.
3. If only one potential father is willing to be involved and supportive of the adoption plan, then he can consent to the adoption and surrender his rights as the birth father. This can be done with or without doing a DNA test.
4. If one of two fathers is involved but not supportive of the adoption plan, then a DNA test will be done prior to the placement to determine who is the biological father. If the alleged father that is opposed to the plan is determined to be the biological father, the adoption agency will not proceed with the adoption plan.

We talk in depth with you to see what you desire in an adoptive family. These values and wishes are then matched to adoptive families that our agency has already approved. Each adoptive family has created a profile book about their family to share with you and a letter to give more information and details about themselves. After reviewing the books & letters, you can choose to meet with the prospective adoptive families, set up a phone or video interview, or simply choose from looking through the books. If you would prefer to not be involved with the selection process, we can take the responsibility of choosing.

All adoptive families are put through a very rigorous homestudy screening process before being able to adopt through the agency. Prospective adoptive parents have had criminal background checks, medical exams, and screenings for a history of child abuse and neglect. They also have their financial situation evaluated and letters of reference written from family, friends and employers. Families are visited in their home and extensively interviewed about their personal and family history, desires to adopt, their support system, and much more. The homestudy is then approved and submitted to the state for approval before any children are placed in the home.

You decide what level of contact to have as you select an adoptive family. You are encouraged to meet or speak with the potential adoptive family, but are in no way obligated or forced to meet them. Your wishes will be respected! Many that have chosen not to meet the adoptive parents right away have changed their mind. This is your plan and you have the right to adjust decisions as things

progress.

View profiles of our Waiting Adoptive Families!

Children are placed in the permanent custody of the county when reunification with their family is no longer an option. Some reasons include:

• Death or absence of one or both parents
• No other relatives or kin willing or approved to raise the child
• Parents not meeting their case-plan goals in order to provide a safe and stable home

It will depend on the age range and characteristics of the child you are requesting to be matched with. The more open you are on your Child Characteristics Checklist, the more opportunities you will have to be matched, resulting in a shorter wait time.

Shortly after being matched, the county will schedule a presentation meeting with you. At this meeting, the child’s complete record will be reviewed, and you will receive copies of all documents pertaining to the child’s case history. After this meeting, you have a 24 hour window of time in which to respond to the county regarding your decision to move forward (or not move forward) with the adoption. If you choose to move forward, a pre-placement visitation schedule and placement plan will be made. At this time, your family picture profile book will be shared with the child prior to your first visit together. The number and type of pre-placement visits prior to placement (day visits, overnights, weekends, etc.) will depend on the age and needs of your child. Once placement occurs, both the Caring For Kids’ post-placement worker and the child’s county worker will make monthly supervisory visits for up to six months. When the post-placement requirements are met, the adoption can be finalized in court.

Yes, if you are interested in seeing your child or knowing about them as they grow up, you are hoping for what we call an open adoption. Openness in adoption is considered to be a continuum.  You can choose to see the child for visits or simply exchange information with the adoptive family before the birth. Anything in between these two ends of the spectrum can also be considered. Ultimately, you request the level of ongoing contract you desire, and we seek waiting families that are seeking the same level of openness.

There is also the option of a closed adoption. This means that no identifying information is exchanged between the birth and adoptive families before or after the birth of the child. Generally in a closed adoption, there are no visits or exchanging of information throughout the child’s life.

Adoptive parents that have attended training through CFK are educated on the importance of sharing the child’s adoption story from the beginning. Our agency strives to portray the emotional benefits of openly discussing adoption with the adoptee. Having said this, the adoptive parents can only tell the adoptee what they know. If a birth parent chooses to meet with the adoptive family, they then get to know each other. This allows for a greater exchange of information with the child later in life. If an open adoption is maintained, the child could grow up knowing both their adoptive and birth parents.  In the case of a closed adoption, the adoptive family is given as much information as possible from the agency. Typically, adoptive families do a wonderful job focusing on the positive and portraying birth parents in a positive light. Their gratitude and love for you as their child’s birth parent is a motivating factor for this.

In the state of Ohio, an openness agreement between birth and adoptive families is not legally binding. It is possible that the level of openness that is agreed upon by you and the adoptive family will not be maintained by one or both parties. Adoptive families are given an abundance of information on the benefits of an open adoption and, in our experience, do maintain the agreed upon level of openness.  In the event that an adoptive family does not continue with the agreed upon level of openness, our agency offers to become involved and attempt to work out the situation.