Chesapeake Adoption & Foster Care Resources

Couples and individuals considering adoption often wonder what local resources, services and professionals are available to them. Whether you are facing an unplanned pregnancy or are interested in growing your family through adoption, this guide provides the information you need about Chesapeake adoption agencies, home study providers and more.

Adoption Agencies and Adoption Professionals in Chesapeake

Adoption agencies can be great resources for local adoption information. For birth parents and adoptive families who would prefer to work with a local or regional agency, these professionals can provide detailed information about adoption in Chesapeake:

• Adoptions from the Heart
• Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia
• Jewish Family Service of Tidewater

Become a Foster Parent in Chesapeake

If you are considering becoming a foster parent or adding to your family through foster care adoption, these local agencies and resources can provide information about foster care in the Chesapeake area:

• Chesapeake Social Services
• Up Center
• United Methodist Family Services

Additional foster care information and resources are available on our state adoption information page or through your local department of social services.   

Chesapeake Home Study Services

Regardless of the adoption or foster care professional you choose to work with, you will need to complete a Virginia home study before a child can be placed in your care. This process ensures that you are ready to provide a safe and stable home for a child and provides prospective parents with additional information about the foster care or adoption process.
Information about the home study process is available on our Adoption in Virginia page. The following home study providers can provide additional information about completing the home study in your area:
Near Chesapeake:

• Adoptions from the Heart
  1-888-630-8842
  Adoptions from the Heart provides home study services to families seeking private domestic adoption and international adoption.
• Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia
  757-456-2366
  Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia provides adoption services to birth parents and adoptive families, including home study services.

In Virginia:

• Loving Families
  703-370-7140
  Adoption Home Studies by Loving Families, Inc., is a small child-placing agency that will work with your placing agency to complete your home study within five to six weeks.
• Cradle of Hope Adoption Center
  703-352-4806
  Cradle of Hope Adoption Center is a licensed, nonprofit, Hague-accredited adoption agency providing home study, placement and post-placement adoption services to families adopting domestically and internationally.

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

Hospitals in Chesapeake

When the time comes to finally meet the new baby, a hospital plan will be in place to determine who is in the delivery room when the baby is born, how much time the birth and adoptive parents will spend with the new baby, and more.
If you are a prospective birth mother, you will create a hospital plan that details your desires for your hospital stay. Your adoption professional can coordinate with the delivery hospital to make them aware of your hospital plan.
Find more information about some Chesapeake-area maternity hospitals below:

• Chesapeake Regional Medical Center
  736 N. Battlefield Blvd.
  Chesapeake, VA 23320
  757-312-8121
• Maryview Family Birth Center
  2626 High Street
  Portsmouth, VA 23707
  757-889-BABY

For more hospitals in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, visit our Virginia Beach and Norfolk adoption pages.

Adoption Laws and Qualifications

For prospective birth parents and adoptive families in Chesapeake, it may be helpful to understand some Virginia adoption laws, qualifications and processes.
Our Virginia adoption page includes information about the most important state adoption laws and regulations. Below, find an overview of some of the state laws impacting adoptive and birth parents.
Laws for Birth Parents:
If you are considering an adoption plan for your baby, the primary legal process in adoption is consent. Learn more about consent and relinquishment, establishment of paternity and more on our Adoption in Virginia page.
Laws for Adoptive Parents:
There are many laws in place for adoptive parents in Virginia, from eligibility requirements to allowable expenses to use of advertising and more. Find the information you need about Virginia adoption laws and regulations here.
Finalization 
An essential step in the legal adoption process is finalization, which must be completed in court. If you are adopting in Chesapeake, Virginia, find additional information about your local court system.

Things to do in Chesapeake

If you find yourself in the Chesapeake area during the adoption process, either to meet with prospective birth parents or to wait for ICPC paperwork to be processed, be sure to take advantage of all the city has to offer:

• Oak Grove Lake Park
• Dismal Swamp Canal Trail
• Hickory Ridge Farm
• Greenbrier Mall