Seattle Adoption & Foster Care Resources

If you are looking to adopt or place a child for adoption in Seattle, you may not know what local resources are available to you. Whether you are looking for an adoption professional or wondering how to finalize your adoption, you can find the resources you need here and more.
Read on to learn about Seattle adoption professionals, home study providers, hospitals, and everything else you need to complete your adoption.

Adoption Agencies and Adoption Professionals in Seattle

Birth parents and adoptive families will require the help of an adoption agency or another professional to complete certain steps of an adoption. At an adoption agency, you can receive help with every step of the process, including matching, counseling, pre- and post-placement contact, and legal procedures.
Below, you can find some of the adoption professionals in the Seattle area:

• Open Adoption & Family Services
• Bethany Christian Services
• Journeys of the Heart
• Joyce S. Schwensen

Seattle Foster Care Professionals

Parents looking to pursue foster care in Seattle should become familiar with the processes in Washington, which can be found in detail on Adopt US Kids.
Below, you can find an overview of foster care requirements for Seattle parents:

• Complete orientation and training
• Be at least 21 years of age
• Have proof of sufficient income
• Complete a background check

To learn more about foster parenting in Seattle or to inquire about available children, contact one of your nearby foster care professionals:

• Amara
• Northwest Adoption Exchange
• World Association for Children and Parents

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

Home Study Professionals

All prospective adoptive families must complete a home study. It is recommended that you begin the process as soon as possible, as it can take up to a few months and you must complete it before you can move forward in your adoption.
For your home study, you will need to contact a licensed social worker to conduct a background check, a home inspection, and interviews with you and your family. To begin the process or inquire further, contact one of the following Washington-licensed home study providers:
Near Seattle:

• Children’s House International Adoptions
  360-383-0623
  Regardless of if you are adopting with another agency or pursuing domestic or international adoption, Children’s House is licensed to help you with your Washington home study.
• Your Adoptive Family
  206-408-7219
  Social worker and adoptive mother Jill Dziko is the executive director of this agency, which provides adoption support and home study services.
• Evergreen Adoption Services
  425-652-1542
  Evergreen Adoption Services provides help with domestic, international, and embryo adoptions in the form of pre- and post-placement home study reports.

In Washington:

• Emily Farrell, MA, LMHC
  360-815-6445
  A social worker and therapist, Emily Farrell is also licensed to complete adoption home studies.
• Homestudies Northwest
  360-734-0362
  Homestudies Northwest is licensed to conduct home studies in several locations of northwestern Washington.
• All God’s Children International
  503-282-7652
  Located in Vancouver, All God’s Children can complete home studies for domestic adoption as well as international adoption from several countries.

Hospitals near Seattle

As expecting mothers approach their due date, they must also begin considering their hospital plan, which includes where they would like to give birth, who they want to be with them, and how much time they would like with their baby. If this describes your situation, you can begin working with your adoption specialist and healthcare provider to ensure that you have a positive labor and delivery experience.
Follow the links below for more information on hospitals and maternity wards near Seattle:

• Lytle Center for Pregnancy and Newborns
  747 Broadway
  Seattle, WA 98122
  206-215-9853
• Northwest Hospital & Medical Center
  1550 N. 115th Street
  Seattle, WA 98133-9733
  206-364-0500
• Seattle Home Maternity Service & Childbirth Center
  3830 South Ferdinand Street
  Seattle, WA 98118
  206-722-3426
• Evergreen Health
  12040 NE 128th Street
  Kirkland, WA 98034
  425-899-3501

Washington Adoption Law

Expectant and adopting parents in Seattle must abide by Washington law when they are pursuing their adoption plans. To learn more about the process and legal procedures, visit our page on How to Adopt in Washington. For a brief overview of laws pertaining to birth parents and adoptive families, read the sections below.
Birth Parents:
In order for a child to be adopted, the birth mother and father must both give consent or have their parental rights otherwise terminated. In Washington, parents may consent to an adoption before the child is born, but the files will not be presented to the court until 48 hours after they have been signed or 48 hours after the baby has been born.
In certain special cases, the explicit consent of the birth father is not needed. If the father of the child is not present, cannot be contacted, or does not consent to the adoption for another reason, speak to your adoption professional about what measures you need to take.
For more information on consent laws and your parental rights, visit the Child Welfare Information Gateway.
Adoptive Families:
Each state has a unique set of basic requirements that families must meet before they can pursue adoption. Adoptive parents in Washington must be at least eighteen years old and successfully complete a home study.
Additionally, you must meet the requirements put in place by your adoption professional. Adoption agencies and other professionals may have more stringent eligibility criteria, so make sure to take this into account when choosing who to work with in your adoption.

County Court Information

All adoptions must be finalized in court, a proceeding which occurs around six months after placement. Following a number of post-placement visits, you will be asked to appear in court for the final hearing. At that time, your adoption specialist will provide you with more information.
Visit the King County Superior Court to learn more about court proceedings in your area.

Things to Do in Seattle

If you are adopting in Washington from out-of-state, you will need to remain in the state for 7-10 business days while legal clearances go through. During this time, you can visit many different Seattle attractions, including:

• Space Needle
• The Museum of Flight
• Seattle Art Museum
• Woodland Park Zoo
• Museum of Pop Culture