Adoption Agencies in Texas

Texas is ranked as the second largest state in this country! It is a place with great space, a large population, and a huge need for the gift of adoption for many different reasons. There is a large number of children in the foster care system in Texas, and many adoptive families are needed to provide many of these children with forever homes.  Due to the large need for adoptive families in Texas, there are many resources available to prospective adoptive parents and expecting parents looking into placing their baby for adoption. One of these resources is adoption agencies, which we will take a further look at here in this article.

First, let’s take a look at the adoption process in Texas since its laws and processes are different than every other state. In fact, each state has its own adoption laws and regulations, which makes the adoption process different depending on which state the adoption is taking place in.

Texas Adoption Guides

Lita Jordan gives us an amazing outline of the adoption process in her article titled, “Adoption in Texas,” which can be found here: https://adoption.com/adoption-in-texas. She agrees that adoption in Texas has a growing need for various different reasons, and provides us with some of those situations happening in Texas right now. She explains that there are two types of adoption in Texas which are foster care adoption and domestic adoption. You will also see important information detailing the process of adoption in Texas, birth parent expectations, and post-placement information. She also leaves us with this important note regarding adoptions in Texas that is important to remember even before looking into adoption agencies in Texas. I’ve listed this important piece of information below.

“In Texas, post-adoption contract agreements allow for open adoption to become a legal matter, allowing the birth parents a reasonable amount of updates and sometimes contact with their child. This agreement is decided on and negotiated by birth and adoptive parents before placement. Post-adoption contact agreements are legally enforceable through adoption in Texas, as long as they are agreed upon by all parties and filed with the finalization of an adoption. Those attempting to have these terms enforced would need proof of their concerns and attempt mediation before petitioning the court.”

Before looking into adoption agencies in Texas, you should first learn if you are eligible to adopt in Texas. This Texas Adoption Guide provides us with the adoption requirements in the state of Texas, which I have also listed below.

“Age: There are no age requirements
“Marital Status: Can be single or married    
“Finances: Must be financially able to support a child    
“Housing: Must have safe housing and be willing to do a home study    
“Personality: Must be willing to commit to a child        
“DISQUALIFYING CRIMES: In this state, you may not adopt if you have been convicted of any of the following:
“There is not a list of crimes that will disqualify you from adopting, but adoptive parents must pass a home study, and the judge must find that the adoption is in the child’s best interest.”

This guide will also give you so many other specific details regarding Texas adoptions for domestic adoptions, foster care adoptions, international adoptions, and stepparent adoptions. One of the most awesome qualities of the adoption community is that you can find an enormous amount of information prior to searching through adoption agencies in Texas. This will greatly benefit you on your journey of adoption because educating yourself as early as possible and being aware of the processes ahead of time will help you also find the best adoption agency for you to work with.

Services Offered by Adoption Agencies in Texas

Adoption agencies are known for providing many services to all members of the adoption triad. Expecting parents who are looking to place their baby for adoption will most likely reach out to an adoption agency in order to get help doing so. Biological parents need help throughout the entire adoption process in a multitude of ways. First, they need help coping with their decision of placing their baby for adoption. Adoption agencies are there to provide them with support and other tools that will help them navigate through their decision, pregnancy, hospital stay, and post placement. Adoption agencies should provide expectant parents with a generous amount of resources such as support group options, counseling services, and information on the adoption process that will better prepare them.

Prospective adoptive parents need help from an adoption agency for many of these same processes and much more. The adoption agencies help the adoptive parents work through documents and filing all the paperwork involved in an adoption. An adoption agency can help families with the home study processes and preparations prior to placement. Adoption agencies should work in the best interest of the adoptee at all times, throughout the entire process of the adoption. All of the support that the adoption agencies provide for the biological and adoptive parents usually will always benefit the adoptee indirectly in the long run.

Prior to placing my baby for adoption, I really had little or no information on adoption in my own state. Working with an adoption agency provided so much comfort and relief in my situation. They provided me with so much information on the adoption process: what to expect, the timeline of events, and support with coping through my decision. The adoption agency that I worked with helped me find the family for the baby growing inside me, as well as connecting with that family when first meeting them. It was such a good thing to have an adoption agency by my side as well as the adoptive parents.

Ask Questions

If you are looking to place your baby for adoption, there are many questions that you will want to ask adoption agencies in Texas to make sure you choose the right agency for you. Ask about the adoption process and what to expect throughout it all. Don’t be shy about receiving support either. Ask about what resources are available to you for financial and emotional support throughout your journey as a birth parent. Having more resources available to you will greatly benefit you and help guide you throughout this tough decision of love.

Prospective adoptive parents should write a list of questions to ask adoption agencies prior to their search. If you are unsure of exactly what kind of questions to ask, check out this article here. This article is titled, “What Questions to Ask Adoption Agencies Before Applying?” Here you will find advice about the importance of choosing the right adoption agency for your growing family. It is suggested to not only take the financial aspects into consideration while searching through adoption agencies in Texas. One should also consider the efficiency and morals of each adoption agency which will become very important throughout the adoption process. Take a look at these questions listed below to add to your list of questions to ask an adoption agency. This article will provide you with why these questions may be so important.

1. “What is your average timeline from application to finalization?”
2. “Do you provide representation for birth mothers?”
3. “What is the financial loss if we experience a failed match?”
4. “What kind of support do you provide after finalization?”

Now, let’s take a further look into adoption agencies in Texas. A great place to start your search is at this adoption provider directory for Texas which can be found here.

Gladney Center for Adoption

The Gladney Center for Adoption in Texas has been around since the 1800s and has completed over 30,000 adoptions over the last century! Wow, that is impressive! This adoption agency definitely has had its share of adoption experience, and it seems like a great place to start in your search through adoption agencies in Texas.

Here you will find a video about an amazing woman who was struggling through life as she found herself pregnant. She was in a tough situation but shares how The Gladney Center for Adoption in Texas changed her life through the gift of adoption. She was able to change her entire life around through the course of her pregnancy because of the resources that were provided for her, meanwhile, she was able to share the gift of life with someone else. You are not going to want to miss this incredible video!

This adoption agency is licensed in several states including Texas. They are also accredited by the National Council for Adoption and the Council on Accreditation. Their mission statement below their “I am Gladney” video states: “For more than 130 years Gladney has been creating bright futures through adoption. Gladney exists to give children loving, caring families here at home and around the world. That’s the heart of our mission.”

There are also a couple of reviews listed for this adoption agency which I have included below.

1. “We were very fortunate to have found Gladney Center for Adoption to work with. We had spoken with many agencies, and nothing was as warm, friendly, and helpful as Gladney. God just led us to this agency. Everyone was an absolute pleasure to work with, from the initial orientation to placement. They were there to help us and navigate us through the entire process with ease, even when things did not go directly as we thought they would. Our match to placement took right around 20 months. Our Caseworkers always validated our feelings, were very supportive, and absolutely went above-and-beyond during our time of placement. We could never write enough heart-felt words or thank them enough for all that they did for us. This was a journey and they were with us through it, like close friends. We could never recommend this agency enough and have already done so for others. We would ABSOLUTELY use them again. They led us to and helped us attain our dream–starting a family.”  Written by Brandon and Amber on July 5, 2017.
2. “We loved the social worker who performed our home studies – she was kind, informative, and really made us feel like she cared. Everyone else we interacted with made us feel like we were just a part of a process they’d done many times before.”  Written by Alyce Brewer on June 2, 2015.

Adoption Agency Listings

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services also provides a substantial list of adoption agencies in Texas. Whether you are looking into domestic adoption, international adoption, or adoption through foster care; you will find adoption agencies in Texas to help you on your adoption journey. This listing can be found here on the DFPS website page specializing in foster care and adoption. The DFPS has organized the adoption agencies by 11 different regions. This may help you narrow your search by first looking into an adoption agency that is in your area. Take a look below at these 11 different regions in which the state of Texas has organized their adoption agencies.

1. Region 1 – Lubbock, Texas  (10 adoption agencies listed)
2. Region 2 – Abilene, Texas  (12 adoption agencies listed)
3. Region 3 – Arlington, Texas  (39 adoption agencies listed)
4. Region 4 – Tyler, Texas  (nine adoption agencies listed)
5. Region 5 – Beaumont, Texas  (six adoption agencies listed)
6. Region 6 – Houston, Texas   (24 adoption agencies listed)
7. Region 7 – Austin, Texas  (26 adoption agencies listed)
8. Region 8 – San Antonio, Texas  (24 adoption agencies listed)
9. Region 9 – Big Spring, Midland, Odessa, and San Angelo, Texas  (eight adoption agencies listed)
10. Region 10 – El Paso, Texas  (three adoption agencies listed)
11. Region 11 – Corpus Christi, Texas  (eight adoption agencies listed)

For each listing of adoption agencies by region, the agencies are listed in alphabetical order which makes it great for organizing and keeping track of all the agencies available. The DFPS lists over 150 adoption agencies in Texas that are certified to help families through the adoption process. There is also an additional link on this website where you can review any of these agency’s regulatory history in the state of Texas. This will also be a great tool for you to use while you are choosing the right adoption agency for your family.

I wish you the best of luck on your adoption journey in Texas, and I hope that you find the agency that fits perfectly for your adoption story!