Private Infant Adoption
in California

This type of adoption is legally initiated by an (expectant or already given birth) parent who believes their child is best served by being placed for adoption and has legal and physical custody of their child. California parents considering the private placement of their child for adoption are required to work with a licensed agency to help them find and choose a family to parent their child to ensure that they are given full options counseling and understand that once the child is born and placement paperwork is completed their legal rights to parent their own child are permanently revoked. California families need a home study completed by a licensed California agency to complete this kind of adoption. Agencies work with the birth parents, who sign relinquishments which are legally binding in California, usually within a few weeks.  After a baby is placed with your family, your agency social worker will visit with you at least four times to ensure the well being of the child before finalizing the adoption in court.  Most domestic private (infant) adoptions are open - meaning the expectant mother, or birth parent(s) chooses the family they want to place their child with and maintain some level of contact with the family and the child over the course of time.  Wait times vary and costs can range from $15,000-$50,000 on average. You can find agencies that specialize in private infant adoptions here.