Licensed Adoption Practitioners
Licensed adoption practitioners include agencies, attorneys and doctors.

Adoption Agencies

Adoption agencies are licensed by the state to place children, perform home studies and accept relinquishments of children for adoption. Although a few still practice in the old-fashioned way -- putting children in foster care and placing them without birth parent participation -- the majority now pursue collaborative placements, avoid foster care, and welcome birth mothers into the process.

Attorneys

Attorneys have traditionally presided over independent adoption and handled the court aspects of agency adoptions as well. Adoption law can be complicated and the suffering resulting from failure to know and follow the law can be profound.

Unlike adoption agencies, lawyers may have a duty of full disclosure of relevant facts to all the parties. It is critical to a safe adoption for counsel to frankly discuss all the facts with birth parents and adopting parents alike.

Doctors

For many generations, doctors have been the link between a young patient with an accidental pregnancy and a couple who desperately wants a baby.

Even though obstetricians rarely put cases together by themselves anymore, and call in lawyers and adoption agencies to help them, they are still instrumental in bringing couples and birth parents together.

Adoption Facilitators are generally not licensed by the state to perform adoptions.