Top 10 Ways to Locate a Child Available for Adoption

1. Friends, Relatives, and Co-Workers. Spread the news that you are planning on adopting a child to everyone you talk to and encourage them to do the same. Many adoption connections have been made through word-of-mouth.
   
   
2. Churches and Other Places of Worship. Religious organizations often have ties to other organizations, both domestic and international, that seek adoptive families for children in need.
   
   
3. Advertise. Due to the shortage of infants available for adoption in the United States, some couples have taken more creative approaches to locating a child, including advertising in newspapers, in magazines, and even on billboards.
   
   
4. Internet. The Internet has opened a whole new avenue to obtaining adoption information. The Internet is a great starting point for learning about adoption and adoption resources, and it can also be used as a vehicle to connect birth parents and prospective adoptive parents. Care must be taken, however, to determine the reliability of the information and its source.
   
   
5. Surrogacy. Another option for locating a child to adopt is through a surrogacy arrangement. Surrogacy involves contracting with another woman to carry a child to term, who then relinquishes custody of the child immediately after it is born. In some instances the surrogate carries a child that was conceived with sperm from the prospective father, in which case he is the legal father and only the prospective mother must adopt the child after it is born. In other instances, the child carried and delivered by the surrogate is biologically related to neither the prospective father nor mother, in which case both parents need to adopt the child in order for their relationships to be legally recognized.
   
   
6. Be a Foster Parent. Being a foster parent can lead to a successful adoption, though not necessarily of the child that you are foster parenting. Sadly, many foster parents form deep bonds with their foster children and attempt to adopt them, only to have them returned to their birth families or even adopted by other couples. In other instances, however, foster parenting can lead to adoption of the foster child. At a very minimum, being a foster parent allows you to play a significant role in a child's life, work on your parenting skills in preparation for adoption, and acquaint you with individuals who may be able to assist you in your quest to locate a child for adoption.
   
   
7. County/Government Organizations. Some local governmental units exist for facilitating adoptions within their geographic areas. Many children in the foster care system are waiting for adoptive families, and your local governmental unit can help facilitate a match between such a child and your family. Some foster care programs even host social events at which children eligible for adoption and prospective adoptive parents can meet and attempt to get to know each other.
   
   
8. Physicians. Your physician is a potentially good source of adoption referrals. Obstetricians and family practitioners have frequent contact with unwed mothers, and they may know one that has decided to place her child for adoption.
   
   
9. Adoption Agencies. Many birth parents and prospective adoptive parents work with licensed adoption agencies. The agencies sometimes match birth and adoptive parents. On other occasions, prospective adoptive parents put their family information in a book that is reviewed by birth parents, who then select the family in which they wish their child placed. Some adoption agencies can also facilitate international adoptions.
   
   
10. Attorneys. Lawyers who work in the area of adoption and family law in general are great sources of leads. Adoption attorneys have established solid and far-reaching connections that can help you identify a child available for adoption or connect you with birth parents even before a child is born. Once a child or birth mother is located, your attorney can lead you through the maze of adoption paperwork, file all necessary documents with the court, represent you in court, and do all in his or her power to ensure that your adoption is successful.
    
    

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