An expectant mother or new parent just thinking about the possibility of adoption for her new baby or young child deserves to get good accurate information to help her (and other involved family members) make the choice that is right for her situation. A Family Focus adoption specialist is able to meet with you in our office, or at another location of your choice, to explain the adoption process, and to answer any other questions that you may have. There are also books about adoption that we can give you, about other birth mothers who have chosen adoption for their children. Family Focus Adoption Services has Spanish-speaking staff and we are reachable twenty-four hours a day, by calling (917) 941-8640, or toll free (866) 855-1919.

The families approved by an agency are cleared for criminal and child abuse history, and have to submit their medicals, references, and tax papers, to show that they are qualified to adopt, and that your baby will be safe. It takes four months for our agency to do a study of a family. Every family who wants to adopt has to take classes on adoption and on how to be good adoptive parents.

Family Focus Adoption Services always has good families that are already approved and on a waiting list. We can find a permanent adoptive family for your baby in just a day. 

No papers are signed until a baby is born. Family Focus tries to make the adoptive placement of a baby as simple as possible. Any birth mother has at least one day to come out of any anesthesia before signing papers... or as many days as you need. If you have a Caesarean birth, we may not come to see you for two or three days. If we meet with you before your due date, we can show you samples of the papers that you will sign. The main paper you will sign is called a surrender. This is the paper which will allow us to take custody of your baby. There are also other papers as well. You will get a copy of each paper that you sign to take with you.

Yes. We can give you information, in writing, about more than one family, to help you choose the family for your baby. Approved families often write a 'Dear Birthmother' letter, telling about themselves, and have pictures that you can see.

Yes. As the birth parent, you have the right to give your baby a name, using the paper that the hospital gives you. You must fill out that paper before you sign a surrender, because the name that you give the baby must match the name on the surrender papers that you sign. If you choose not to name the baby, your surrender papers will call the baby 'Baby Girl' or 'Baby Boy,' with your last name, and the adopting family will then choose a name for the baby.

Perhaps. In some cases, you may make arrangements to see the baby in person later on. Every adoption is different, and you and the adopting family have to agree on future contact. That contact might also be letters and pictures. We will be there to help.

Yes. We have books for the adopting family to help them tell your baby about you later on. We don't use your last name, and we never give your address or phone number, but we do write a report about you, your health, and your background. That report is used by the adopting family later on to answer your child's questions. We are honest in what we tell an adopting family, and we will ask you about your family's health and culture.

Yes. You can certainly send along a special present for the baby. In addition, we urge you to write a letter to your baby, for the adoptive parents to give to him or her later on.

Yes, in some cases. If your hospital or doctor bills are not paid by your insurance, we may be able to have the adopting family help pay them.

Family Focus Adoption Services will be there for you, and for your baby, later on. You can come in to talk at any time in the future, and you can also call to see how the baby is doing during the months until the adopting family goes to court to finalize the adoption. Until the court date happens, our social worker will visit the adopting family and write reports about how the baby is doing. We only give permission for the family to go to court when we are satisfied that the baby and the family are doing well in adoption. 

When you deliver, please have someone call us. When you are ready, if the hospital allows us, we will come to your hospital room to have you sign your surrender papers. We will give you a copy of everything that you sign to take home with you. If necessary, we will bring you to our office to sign papers. Either way, we can go back to the hospital to pick up the baby after you have signed, so that you don't have to take the baby out of the hospital yourself if you don't want to. We even provide clothing for the baby, and a car service to take you home.