How to Adopt

Information packets contain additional information about the adoption process, Adoption Advocates policies and more. Request yours online or call us at (512) 477-1122 / (800) 966-HOPE.

Join Adoption Advocates staff online to learn more about the adoption process and what to expect if you choose to work with our agency. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask your own questions about open adoption. Info sessions are held every other month, from 6:00-8:00 p.m., via Zoom. Advance registration is required. Check the Events calendar for upcoming dates

After attending the information session, you will be invited to submit a full application. Approval of your application (known as conditional acceptance) will be based on the information you provide, as well as an interview. Applications are reviewed bi-monthly (every other month), with e-mail notifications approving or denying the Application at the end of each bi-monthly cycle.

AAI feels it is important to meet with all prospective families face-to-face. The relationship between clients and the agency needs to be based on trust and a commitment to a collaborative working relationship. The interview allows the agency to get to know the potential families, how they are approaching adoption and their adoption preparedness. The interview enables you to meet the staff, find out more about our process, and have your questions answered. For out-of-state families, this interview can be completed by phone after you have attended the training.

Training is required by the State of Texas for any family adopting through a licensed agency. AAI offers an adoptive parent training seminar several times per year. This training educates potential families on the adoption process, open adoption and raising an adopted child. We include a panel of birth parents and adoptive parents so you can hear the experiences of past clients. This workshop will answer your questions about adoption, prepare you for the challenges of the adoption process, and allow you to network with other potential adoptive families. All of our families, including those who are out-of-state, must attend this training. SEE UPCOMING TRAINING DATES.

Conditional acceptance is based on your approved application and completed interview. E-mails will be sent out notifying families of their status at the end of the bi-monthly period. The agency deposit is due within 10 days of receipt of your approval e-mail.

Full acceptance will be granted upon approval of Application, attendance of AAI training, an approved PRE-ADOPTIVE HOME SCREENING/HOME STUDY, and receipt of all supporting documentation including the Adoptive Parent Profile Book. Once you receive full acceptance, your profile will be ready to be shown to expectant parents!

Expectant parents review profiles and determine which families they would like to consider as prospective adoptive parents. When your family is selected, the agency will contact you to review the expectant parent’s case history and set up a phone call with expectant parent(s). Once you commit to a case after having been presented with an expectant parent profile, available medical records, and a written case assessment from the Adoption Services Coordinator, you will then proceed to have phone calls and visits throughout the pregnancy. During the pregnancy, you will receive a cooperative agreement outlining the type of contact the expectant parent(s) would like during labor and delivery, and after delivery during the hospital stay. It also describes the relationship the expectant parents and you would like to have after the baby is placed.

After the birth parent(s) have signed relinquishment documents (no sooner than 48 hours after the birth of the baby), the adoptive placement paperwork will be completed. Adoptive families are generally permitted to take the baby home from the hospital. Finalization occurs 6-12 months after placement.