Questions and Answers

Adoption Basics

Why do Expectant Parents plan adoption?

Expectant parents plan adoption for a myriad of reasons. We encourage you to seek out birth parent stories to hear for yourself! Here is Xena’s story: 

Hear more birth parent stories.

What is open adoption, and why would I consider this for my family?

Each relationship between adoptive parents and birth parents after placement is unique and nuanced. In most cases today, there is some degree of openness. Current research makes it clear that Adoptees do better when they better understand where they came from and why they were placed for adoption. Birth parents are better able to process their grief when they maintain some degree of connection with their birth child and his or her family.

Most of Gladney’s post-adoption relationships today involve regular exchanges of photos and updates between birth parents and adoptive parents and a yearly visit.

Matching Hopeful Adoptive Parents and Expectant Parents

How are adoptive parents and birth parents matched?

Families create a profile book as well as an online profile that shares information about their family with expectant parents. Most of the time, expectant parents work with their caseworker to determine what they are looking for in the child’s adoptive family. Our team pulls a cultivated selection of profile books of families that could be a great match. We determine which families to send by selecting longest waiting families that have potential to be an excellent match.

Additionally, expectant parents have the freedom to peruse profile of all of the families who opt in online. More and more families are matched this way each year.

Can I select the sex of the child I adopt? Can I adopt a child of my same race? I don’t think that I’m equipped to care for a child with special needs. Can you work with me if I’m not open to drug exposure during pregnancy?

Gladney requires that families be open to a child of either sex. We do, however, work with families to determine which children they are well equipped to parent. We will work with families open to a variety of factors in an expectant parents’ backgrounds.

While the infants in this program are typically healthy with no or limited identified present medical needs, we frequently place children who have some substance exposure in utero. Additionally, we place children whose birth parents have a variety of diagnoses in their mental and physical health backgrounds.

Would I be more likely to take placement if I were open to a toddler rather than or in addition to an infant?

Because this is a voluntary adoption program, most of the time, a birth family makes a plan for a child during pregnancy or shortly after birth. While we do place toddlers occasionally, it is not as common for a family to choose adoption for a child that they are parenting.

Domestic Infant Adoption Process and Fees

How much does a Domestic Infant adoption cost?

All families pay an all-inclusive fee of $57,500. You can learn about what services are included under this fee here.

What are the chances of a child being removed after they come home with me?

It is very rare. The team at Gladney does all that we can to ensure that our adoptions are legally secure as quickly as possible. We work hard to ensure that families understand the degree of legal risk to a potential match and they have the option to decide whether or not they are comfortable with the level of anticipated legal risk.

I see that Gladney is based in Texas, but we live in a different state and have been told by other agencies that they can’t work with families in my state. Can you?

Yes. We are able to work with families anywhere within the US.

What is the home study like?

The home study is a series of conversations and other assessments. We discuss each individual’s background, why the family hopes to adopt, the dynamic of their family and other factors that help determine if a family is ready for the challenge of the adoption process and for parenting a child that is not from their genetics. While a home study will include a walk thru of the physical space of the home for safety, it is more of an assessment of the people and relationships, rather than of the physical space.

What if the expectant mom changes her mind after we’re matched?

This can happen, as an expectant parent will not sign anything legally binding until after the child is born. We will walk with families through this grief. When families are ready to resume the adoption journey, they maintain their place in our queue and the match fee rolls forward to the next match. Families do not lose any funds if a match falls through.

How long will the whole process take?

It could take anywhere from a few months to about three years. On average our families need three months to get through paperwork and the home study process. Then, they wait an average of about 24 months to be matched.

How many adoptions do you do each year?

Gladney Completed 57 Domestic Infant Adoptions in 2022.

Are you able to work with single parents?

Yes.

Other Considerations:

Why was my pre-application denied? We’re a really good family and are really excited to adopt.

We are able to have biological children but feel called to provide a home for a child in need. Is this program for us?

Unfortunately, the Domestic Infant Program at Gladney receives a very high volume of applications from families who are hoping to adopt and we are unable to move forward with every well-qualified family that applies. Thankfully, there is no shortage of loving, caring homes for infants in the U.S. We select families that match what we see in expectant parent preferences. We strive to maintain diversity in the program. We are rarely able to work with families who have more than one child in the home.

For families who are truly motivated to meet a need, we encourage you to explore foster care, or foster to adopt, and/or to explore adopting a waiting child or children in our New Beginnings or International Programs.

If you have additional questions, please email Gladney's Adoption Advisor.