By choosing domestic adoption, prospective parents have already made one large step toward welcoming home a new child: they have decided to adopt domestically, that is, adopt a child who is an United States citizen, as opposed to internationally. Should you be successful this year, your child will be one of about 130,000 children adopted in the United States annually.

Adoption Agency, Adoption Facilitator, or Independent Adoption

Your next big choice is to determine the route you will take toward adoption. You may choose from:

• Adoption Agency – Public or private, an adoption agency is legally licensed in the state where it resides. These include foster care facilities, child welfare and social services, and any private adoption agency that is currently and legally licensed to place children.
• Adoption Facilitator – An adoption facilitator is a private counselor or agency with or without an educational degree in social work or family law but without a license to place children. This may include an attorney, social worker or other facilitator familiar with the adoption process.
• Independent Adoption – An adoption handled entirely by the birth parents and the adoptive parents making use of attorney services as necessary and designated by law.

State Law and Domestic Adoption

State law dictates the minutiae of adoption: what makes it legal and what doesn’t. It is imperative that you understand what is allowed by law in your state (and what isn’t) before you proceed. An adoption facilitator, for example, may not be legal if your state requires all adoptions to take place under the authority of a licensed adoption organization.

Additionally, certain types of adoption may require that adoptive parents have certain characteristics or maintain certain circumstances. These factors may include:

• Age
• Income
• Marital status

Types of Domestic Adoption

The types of domestic adoptions are many, each with its own list of pros and cons. The circumstances of your family, your desires and those of your partner if applicable, as well as other children in the family. Your options include:

• Infant adoption – Adoption of a child immediately after its birth.
• Stepchild adoption – Adoption of the child of a spouse.
• Relative adoption – Adoption of a child by a blood relative.
• Foster child adoption – Adoption of a child of any age from within the foster system or from social services.
• Special needs adoption – Adoption of a child who suffers from emotional, mental or physical trauma.
• Adult adoption – Adoption of a legal adult with developmental issues.