The following is provided for informational purposes only.  ABC does not provide Agency Placement Services.  However, we can provide homestudy and post-placement supervision services for a family working with another placing agency (either in state or out of state).

ABC Adoption Services is currently not accepting applications from couples interested in domestic adoption.  If you are open to international adoption, please contact Carolina Adoption Services, 800-632-9312, and our intake coordinators will discuss your options.

Agency Placements

Agency placements occur when the child is in the custody of a public or private social service agency.  In an agency placement, all parental rights are terminated or the birth parent sign an "entrustment" to the agency, custody with authority to place for adoption is granted to the agency, and the agency consents to the child's adoption before the child is placed for adoption.  Birch parents in an agency placements can also actively participate in choosing the family.

The majority of the children waiting in foster care through a licensed or public agency are over the age of eight and have experienced trauma as a result of abuse, neglect or multiple moves.  There are other avenues to infant placements however, and ABC Adoption Services can provide a list of resources for families to explore.

Placements may be facilitated within the Commonwealth of Virginia, from other states and from foreign countries.  For more information on international adoption click here.

• Interstate Adoptions -- An adoption where the child from one state is adopted by parents in another state.  Procedures for interstate placements of children are intended to safeguard the children while assuring appropriate retention of responsibility and communication among all parties involved.  ABC provides home study and post placement services to families adoption children from other states.  Adoptions must comply with all regulations and procedures of the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC) office.
• Inter country Adoptions -- An Inter country adoption is when parents adopt a child from a foreign country.  ABC and its parent company, Carolina Adoption Services, facilitates international adoptions from countries all over the world through our Inter country program. For more information on inter country adoption click here.  

If you choose to pursue domestic adoption and use ABC for home study and supervision,

you will go through the following steps to complete the adoption.

1. Intake Interview
An opportunity for us to begin to build a relationship with you and further explore 
your options and answer more in-depth questions.

2. Application
An application will be completed by you following the intake interview and a file will 
be set up to begin your process if adoption.

3. Homestudy
Parent Preparation/Homestudy sessions are held in and individual setting. These 
sessions are scheduled in 2 to 2.5 hour increments of time over a period of 4-6 weeks. 
At the homestudy sessions, prospective adoptive couples will learn about adoption 
and adoption issues, including motivation to adopt, establishing preferences for the 
kind of child the adoptive couple want to adopt, bonding and attachment issues. 
One home visit is included during the homestudy process which is an overview of the 
physical environment of the prospective parents. The outcome is a completed homestudy 
generally within a period of 6-8 weeks.

4. Placement

5. Supervision
Three visits required by the Commonwealth of Virginia are conducted by professional 
contractors/staff over a six month period. The purpose is to assure that the child is
progressing well, behaviorally and physically with specific observation of bonding and 
attachment. Supervision also gives new adoptive parents the opportunity to ask 
questions and resolve any minor problems by consulting with an experienced professional 
who can make referrals if necessary.

6. Finalization
Reports are sent to the Circuit Court, the DSS Commissioner’s Office and the lawyer 
retained to complete the adoption. The placing agency is responsible for these reports, 
or in the case of parental placement, the attorney who facilitated the adoption. The court 
will issue a Final Order of Adoption and the adoptive couple will receive, in due time, an 
amended birth certificate with the child’s new legal name