Adoption Agencies in Michigan
If you are considering adopting a child in Michigan, consider if you prefer an infant or an older child. Make sure that that the agency is registered with the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE), which provides referrals to licensed agencies throughout the state. Many agencies have several locations throughout the state, and will cater to domestic, international, infant, and special-needs adoptions.
Bethany Christian Services
Though it's headquarters is located in Grand Rapids, Bethany Christian Services has eight other locations throughout the state. Bethany offers waiting parents three options for adoption: domestic infant, older child, or international or inter-country adoption. Some parents still prefer the traditional infant adoption, and nowadays, most birth parents wish to be involved with selecting the adoptive parents and keeping communication somewhat open. With older child adoptions, waiting parents must be willing to care for abused or neglect children who have been removed from their homes permanently. Bethany also features adoptions from China, Russia, and Ethiopia.
Catholic Human Services
This adoption agency has 21 locations, all on the northern side of the state. Catholic Human Services focuses more on the traditional domestic infant adoptions, with an open relationship with the birth family. They meet with prospective adoptive parents during the application and intake process before conducting a home study to determine if an infant would be well cared for. Birth parents are encouraged to meet with prospective parents as well to help in the decision process and to stay in touch with their child throughout their growing up years to alleviate any identity crisis.
Family and Children Services
Family and Children Services caters to the families in west Michigan. This agency focuses more on foster care and adoption for children that have been removed from their homes due to child abuse or neglect. Family and Children Services provides safe foster homes for the children and counseling during the transition. Once parental rights have been terminated, the agency proceeds with an adoption plan, often trying to place the children with their foster parents, to whom the children may have become attached. Adoptive parents looking to care for older children must be patient and attend workshops to teach them gain the child's trust.
Lutheran Adoption Service
While its main office is in Southfield, Lutheran Adoption Service has five more offices in various parts of the state. Since 2006, this agency has stopped their infant and international adoptions and now caters to "waiting child" adoptions. They are focusing on the 6,000 children in Michigan's foster care system who have been abused or neglected, exposed to drugs, are over nine years old, or are part of a big sibling group. They encourage families who are committed to helping these children and have a patient, tolerant nature to apply to be adoptive parents. Their process includes intake, education courses, home study, supervised visitations, and then adoption placement and follow-up.
Adoption Associates Inc.
With three offices in Michigan, this agency caters both to domestic and international infant adoptions. If you prefer meeting the birth parents and knowing the family history, you may wish to adopt a baby Michigan, and you will probably have an infant within a year. However if you do not wish to wait and do not mind extra fees, you may consider adopting one of the waiting babies overseas. Adoption Associates Inc. also has bi-racial and African-American babies in need of families. As of September in 2009, the agency had placed 36 domestic infants and 155 international babies in homes.
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