Agency

An agency can help the birth parents or adoptive parents find one another, and typically, the agency provides adoption services such as counseling and financial support to the birth parents. The birth parents may even be involved when choosing the adoptive parents by reviewing “resumes” of interested parents.

In a private agency adoption, a birth parent relinquishes his or her parental rights to the adoption agency by signing a consent in favor of the agency. After the adoptive parents have been identified and after the child is born, each birth parent gives consent to guardianship of the child in favor of the agency. This consent, which in Kansas is irrevocable after signing, gives the agency the right to place the child for adoption. The agency then places the child for adoption with adoptive parents selected by either the birth parent or the agency. 

As with most other types of adoption, a home study is required as part of the adoption process. The agency working with the families will provide the home study services. Meanwhile, the adoption agency files a petition in the appropriate circuit court to obtain legal guardianship of the child and the child will be placed with the prospective adopting parents if the parents are willing to assume the risk of placement before the birth parents parental rights are terminated. Otherwise, the baby will be placed in a foster home until the parental rights are terminated. The child will then be placed with the adopting couple.