Birmingham Adoption & Foster Care Resources

Whether you are an expecting mother in The Magic City or looking to adopt there, you can find a wide variety of adoption resources in the city of Birmingham. If you are considering adopting or placing a child for adoption in Birmingham, Alabama, then the following guide will provide you with local adoption agencies, home study providers, hospitals, and more.
For even more information on adoption in your area, you can visit our Alabama adoption page.

Birmingham Adoption Agencies and Professionals

As a prospective birth parent or adoptive family, the professional you work with will play an important role throughout the adoption process, providing adoption services and support to ensure a successful adoption. These nearby adoption agencies, attorneys and other professionals serve residents of Birmingham:

• American Adoptions
• Lifeline Children’s Services
• Family Adoption Services
• Agape
• The Rose Law Firm, LLC

Foster Care Professionals in Birmingham

The state of Alabama has specific requirements for families who wish to become foster parents. If you are interested in pursuing foster parenting in Birmingham, you must:

• Be at least 19 years old
• Meet all standards for an Alabama foster home
• Pass a background check
• Show evidence of good health

For more information about foster care and available children, contact one of the following Birmingham foster care professionals or another agency near you:

• Alabama Department of Human Resources
• Heart Gallery Alabama

State-Licensed Home Study Providers

Whether you choose to pursue domestic infant adoption or foster care in Birmingham, you will be required to complete the Alabama home study. Information about the home study process and home study requirements in Alabama is available in our state adoption information.
It is important to work with a legally qualified home study provider. To get started on your adoption or foster care home study, contact one of these area home study professionals:
Near Birmingham:

• Children’s Aid Society
  205-251-7148
  The social workers at CAS will help you with your domestic or international adoption home study regardless of what agency you work with in your adoption.

In Alabama:

• T.H.E Social Work Services
  256-532-5145
  Kathie Butler of T.H.E Social Work Services is licensed in Alabama to perform home studies. She primarily works in the northern area of the state but occasionally works in other locations.
• Tyler Simmons, LCSW, PIP, LLC
  205-535-2161
  The founder of Alabama Social Work Services, Tyler Simmons specializes in adoption and custody situations, including the Alabama home study.
• Conner Adoption Support Services
  1-205-310-0581
  You can contact Conner Adoption Support Services, operated by Rebecca Conner, to complete your home study regardless of where you live in Alabama.

Visit 1800HomeStudy.com to learn more about Alabama home study providers.

Hospitals in Birmingham

One of the final steps in the adoption process is the hospital stay and arrival of the baby. If you are an expectant mother making an adoption plan, you will have control over your hospital plan, including who is in the delivery room with you, how much interaction you will have with your baby, and more.
Your adoption professional can coordinate with your delivery hospital to ensure a smooth labor and delivery process. As you create your hospital plan, you may be able to work with one of the following Birmingham hospitals:

• Brookwood Women’s Center
  2010 Brookwood Medical Center Drive
  Birmingham, AL 35209
  205-877-1000
• St. Vincent’s Birmingham
  810 St. Vincent’s Drive
  Birmingham, AL 35205
  205-212-MOMS
• UAB Women & Infants Center
  1700 6th Avenue South
  Birmingham, AL 35233
  205-934-3411

Laws and Requirements to Adopt in Alabama

When pursuing an adoption, potential birth parents and adoptive families must all abide by the laws of their state to ensure that the adoption is legally recognized. If you are adopting or placing a child in Birmingham, visit our page on How to Adopt in Alabama for detailed information about the process.
Below, you can find a brief overview of consent laws for birth parents and adoption eligibility for adoptive parents.
Birth Parents:
After the birth of a child, the birth parents must both terminate their parental rights before the child can be adopted. Alabama’s consent laws state that a mother can legally consent to an adoption at any point, but that consent may be revoked within 5 days of the consent or the birth, whichever comes last. This protects her from making a final, legally binding decision under duress or in a compromised state.
In some instances, the explicit consent of the father is not needed to move forward in an adoption, but it should always be obtained if possible. If the father of the child cannot be contacted or his consent cannot be obtained for any reason, speak to your adoption attorney about your options.
Adoptive Families:
In Alabama, the basic requirements for adoption eligibility state that any adult individual or husband-and-wife couple can adopt. Additionally, your adoption professional may have its own set of requirements that you must meet in order to work with them. Other criteria for eligibility can include age, marital status, or religious affiliation. If you have any concerns about your adoption eligibility, speak to your professional.

County Court Information

About six months after you take your baby home, you will be called to appear in court and legally finalize your adoption. When this time comes, your adoption professional will contact you with information on how to proceed. In the meantime, you can learn about your area’s courts at the Jefferson County Court and Shelby County Circuit Clerk pages.

Things to Do in Birmingham

When families adopt in a state other than their home state, they must remain in the birth mother’s state for 7-10 days to wait for legal clearance. If you are adopting in Birmingham from out of state, here are some things you can do during your time in the city:

• Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
• Railroad Park
• Birmingham Zoo 
• McWane Science Center