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My husband and I are interested in adopting a child but I don't know what steps I need to take to begin the process. Can anyone refer me to adoption resources that may have been helpful or give me any advice or tips about adoptions in Virginia? Also, if anyone knows of adoption support groups in the Richmond/Chesterfield area that would be helpful also.
Thanks
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Hi & Welcome,
We adopted Ryan at his birth two years ago through domestic parental placement adoption. There are several great agencies, I'll send you a PM giving you their info.
A few 'facts & figures'
1. Virginia law does not allow you to pay anyone - agency, attorney, facilitator, referral service, networking service, etc. for connecting birth and adoptive families. This law applies any time you finalize in VA, regardless of where your child is born.
Some may counsel you to 'get around' the law or tell you it's 'not enforced'. Listen at your own risk as it can void the adoption completely.
2. In Virginia, pbparents can sign their termination of parental rights and name you temporary custodians at any time after birth. They then must wait 10 days, and you all go to court where you're awarded permanent custody. After that, they have 15 days and rights are then permanently severed. They can choose to reclaim the child and parent at any time during this 25 day process.
3. Virginia requires a documented face-to-face meeting and exchange of identifying information in all parental placement adoptions. This is not required in agency adoptions, where the agency selects adoptive parents. Those are more rare.
HTH,
Regina, AMom to Ryan Joshua Thomas
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Do you know if a private adoption in VA would require us to be there for the initial court session for the surrenders or if an atty could handle it on our behalf and the baby placed with foster family temporarily? We've had enough emotional wear and tear from a failed adoption that we can't see ourselves going through that again.
Janet