Frequently Asked Questions

The Adoption program at Family & Children’s Agency provides pre-adoption counseling, home studies, and placement of children born in the U.S. and abroad. We also provide post-placement assistance and ongoing services to adoptive families. Fees are based on the services utilized on a pay-as-you-go basis. The Adoption program serves families throughout Connecticut and New York and has offices in Norwalk, CT, Branford, CT and Harrison, NY.

Family & Children’s Agency is one of the largest adoption agencies in Connecticut. We have helped children to be placed with their forever families for nearly 50 years. Members of our staff were instrumental in framing the Connecticut Identified Adoption Laws and have served on the Executive Board of the Connecticut Council on Adoption. Family & Children’s Agency has many contacts throughout the United States to assist us in interstate adoptions. We have placed more than 3,000 children from Korea since the program began in 1982.

Family & Children’s Agency believes in a caring approach that is concerned with the needs and rights of all parties involved as we work to create safe and permanent plans for children. We view adoption as a lifelong process where we work to support all members of the adoption triad – birth parents, adoptive parents, and adoptees.

Once you have your home study, you can adopt in the United States or overseas. Family & Children’s Agency places infants born in Connecticut and New York through our Domestic program. Some families interested in adopting domestically enroll in FCA’s Domestic program, while others enroll with an agency outside of Connecticut or New York to complete a domestic adoption. In “Parent Initiated” adoptions, the adoptive parents locate a potential birth mother and infant through advertising and networking. Family & Children’s Agency also works with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in Connecticut to help find adoptive families for children in foster care. We have an international placement program for children from Korea. Family & Children’s Agency can prepare home studies for adoption through other agencies. We are also highly experienced in placing children with special needs such as physical conditions amenable to treatment.

No. Selections are not made from a chronological waiting list. Home studies begin within two weeks of application and become active as soon as they are completed. The birth parents, not Family & Children’s Agency, selects the family to adopt their baby by reviewing profiles of waiting families. There are usually about 8-10 couples in Family & Children’s Agency’s Domestic program at any one time. Most families seeking an adoption in the United States have a placement within two years, and often much sooner. Using our experience and expertise and other online resources available, we assist you in preparing an appropriate profile to be presented to expectant parents that best represents your family.

FCA has worked with the Social Welfare Society (SWS) in Seoul, South Korea to place children for adoption for the last 34 years. Currently, once a family submits a completed home study to SWS, the waiting time to receive a referral is 1-12 months. Once a family accepts a referral, the waiting time to bring the child home is 9-12 months. The waiting time for an adoption from Korea can vary and is subject to change.

In a domestic adoption, we typically see infants placed with adoptive families. Internationally, in our Korea program, children are typically 18-20 months of age at the time of placement. When adopting a child through the Department of Children and Families (DCF), children of all ages are available, although most families our agency works with adopt children who are 5 years old and under.

All costs in an adoption vary according not only to the adoption program you choose, but also the auxiliary costs. When budgeting for adoption, it’s important to be aware of related expenses, such as immigration documents, travel, medical evaluations, translations, long distance calls, possible attorney fees, and perhaps living expenses while at your out-of-state or foreign destination. In a domestic adoption, the placement fee is paid to the U.S. adoption agency that places the child with you. This may be Family & Children’s Agency or an out-of-state agency, but never both. If you reside outside Connecticut or New York your home study fee will be set by your local adoption agency.

Most foreign countries have age restrictions. Family & Children’s Agency accepts application for parents between the ages of 25-65 for adoption in the United States. Applicants adopting domestically should keep in mind that the birth parents’ preferences may vary regarding age. Families adopting from South Korea must be between the ages of 25 and 44 & 11-months (at the time of paperwork submission to SWS). Couples who have adopted previously from South Korea, or include a spouse of Korean heritage, may apply for an age waiver to extend their eligibility up to the age of 50.

A “closed” adoption is one that has no direct contact or exchange of information between the birth parents and the adoptive family. An “open” adoption is one where the names and identifying information of birth parents and adoptive families are disclosed to the other and there is direct contact between the two parties that generally continues after the birth and placement. The terms of the relationship are determined by the participants. Seldom is an adoption either fully “open” or fully “closed”; most fall somewhere between the two. Some involve limited contact, either in person or by phone, exchange of photographs following placement, etc. There is no “right” adoption plan that meets the needs of all birth parents and adoptive families. The goal of Family & Children’s Agency is to create the plan that works best for all parties involved in each adoption. We encourage both birth parents and adoptive parents to be active participants in the process. Family & Children’s works to support birth parents and adoptive parents as they navigate their post-adoption relationship over the years.

No. The adoptive parents and the birth parents decide mutually on the amount of contact they want to have. Some relationships are quite open, and others have little or no contact. Family & Children’s Agency can coordinate the post-adoption planning with a local agency in the birth parents’ state if they do not reside in Connecticut or New York.

If you are not a resident of Connecticut or New York, a local adoption agency of your choosing will prepare your home study according to the laws of your state. Your Family & Children’s Agency worker will be in frequent contact with you regarding other documents that are required for the Family & Children’s Agency program you choose to adopt from. Once you receive a referral, Family & Children’s Agency will forward it to you and your local agency.

If you reside out of Connecticut/New York, the local adoption agency that completed your home study will arrange to visit you and will send the child’s post adoption information to Family & Children’s Agency. We will forward it to the country you adopted from.

Family & Children’s Agency provides search services for adoptees and birth parents who may be looking to learn more information and fill in the missing pieces. Visit our "Searching" section to learn more about the process of completing a search

Family & Children's Agency is committed to supporting families throughout the life cycle of adoption. Annually, we have a Fall Festival for all adoptive families, a Korean Roots Tour, and a picnic for families who have adopted from Korea. We also offer educational events throughout the year, including our annual birth parent panel presentation.