Adoption

Adoption is Forever

Building your family through adoption is a life-altering experience that requires vulnerability, risk, trust, and compassion. It’s a journey that will forever shape your life – and a journey that’s best taken with support. At Lutheran Family Services, we believe in fostering lifelong connections between birth families and adoptive families through open adoption and are dedicated to supporting you every step of the way as you pursue your dream to expand your family.

We can serve families in a variety of aspects as they pursue adoption. Whether you wish to join our infant adoption program or complete a home study, we can help!  Along with infant adoption, we can do home studies for any type of adoption, including international, and assist families in identified placements or those working with out-of-state adoption agencies.

• What We Believe

  • Children are our primary clients – our adoption program exists to find the best possible family for the child, NOT locating children for families.
  • The decision whether to parent or make an adoption plan should be made without any feelings of obligation, coercion, or be influenced by anyone; expectant parents are not billed for services and do not receive any money from the adoptive family.
  • Adoption is not second best but rather an intentional, meaningful “second choice.”
  • Parenting through adoption and parenting through birth are not the same.
  • All are welcome.

• Why Open Adoption?

  Open adoption is not co-parenting. Instead, it is a heartfelt commitment to place the child’s needs first by recognizing the significant roles both sets of parents have and honoring the child’s connection to their birth family. Everyone in adoption benefits when there is openness in adoption. Through our infant adoption training you’ll discover the importance of openness and how to navigate these meaningful relationships successfully.

• Requirements

  LFS believes in the well-being of all people, and our adoption program embraces that mission by making adoption available to families from all walks of life. Our only ask is that families in our program embrace open adoption and are willing to maintain a relationship with birth family.

• Why Work with Us?

  We have over 130 years of pregnancy counseling and adoption experience – we have weathered all the changes, learned from the voices in adoption and the community so that we may administer a program that is ethical, legal, and most importantly, puts children first. As an accredited, licensed child-placing agency we value transparency and keeping our families informed, educated, and aware of all the things related to adoption. Serving the best interest of the child means we support the expectant parents before, during, and after the birth of the baby. Expectant parents are under no obligation to choose adoption when they seek support from us. Should they decide to make an adoption plan, we seek to honor their role in this child’s life by having them select who they want to parent their child. Though we will never guarantee placement we can ensure that birth parents are given every opportunity to consider their choices and feel confident in their decision. This is how we give the child a promising start to a lifelong journey.

• What is the Cost?

  For our infant adoption program: From the initial application to finalizing the adoption of your child the cost is approximately $24,000. Exceptions apply.

  For domestic home studies, the cost is $4,000. We do not have a waitlist and can start your home study once all initial paperwork is received – weather pending.

  For all other services, please get in touch with our adoption program supervisor, Stacy Varouh, for details.

• What do Services Look Like for Prospective Birth Parents?

  • We feel strongly that our expectant parents feel most confident in their choice to make an adoption plan when all options have been explored and there are no feelings of obligation or coercion. Pregnancy counseling and exploring their options are free and available to them before, during, and after the birth of the baby, and adoptive parents do not contribute to their living or medical expenses.
  • Our aim is to give them the skills and knowledge needed to feel at peace with their decision and link them with needed services and supports so they may thrive long after the pregnancy. Adoption is lifelong and our support will not disappear after they make their decision.

• How Long is the Wait?

  Prospective birth parents choose the family they want to parent their child(ren) thus the length of time a family waits for placement is hard to predict. Because of this, we never guarantee placement.

• Can We Work with Other Adoption Agencies?

  • This depends – contact us to discuss more
  • If you are working with an out-of-state agency, but need a home study, yes!

• Do I Have to be Married or be Part of a Christian Church?

  Nope! Adoption should be available to everyone. If you are married, we ask that you have been married for at least two years prior to starting your adoption journey.

• What do LFS Staff Want You to Know?

  • “We learn from each and every one of our families as much as we try to impart our years of personal and professional experience on you – we are honored to part of this journey with you and hope you feel the same way with us!” – Stacy, Adoption Program Supervisor
  • “Having personal experience in adoption has given me the opportunity to understand this process from many different perspectives. I believe that LFS values each person involved and that’s what makes us stand out from the rest. Adoption is a very vulnerable and difficult process, and we ensure that each person is as prepared as they can be.” – Autumn, PPA Specialist

• What are our Next Steps?

  • Join us for an information session about our infant adoption program on the fourth Friday of every odd numbered month at 12:00pm or on the second Wednesday of every even numbered month at 6:00pm. Contact Stacy Varouh (stacy.varouh@onelfs.org) to register.

  Or,

  • You can apply to the infant adoption program by completing the initial application here.

• I Just Need a Home Study, Can You do Those?

  Yes! We do kinship home studies, contract home studies, and international home studies for when families are either working with an out-of-state agency or have a child already in the home with whom they wish to adopt. We also do post placement supervision when required. Prices vary – contact Stacy Varouh (stacy.varouh@onelfs.org) to discuss more.

• What is a Home Study?

  Home studies are considered an assessment of a family’s readiness and ability to parent through adoption. They include face-to-face visits, training, background checks, health exams, and paperwork. Though every home study must meet state standards, LFS utilizes the home study process to identify your areas of strength and areas where we can best support you through this journey. Adoption is lifelong – LFS staff are committed to supporting you before, during and after adoption.

• I am Trying to Adopt a Child Known to Me and Who has been in my Home for Some Time – do I Still Need to do the Home Study?

  • Yes – referred to as “kinship adoption”
  • Kinship adoption involves adopting a child that is known to you or with whom you have a significant relationship with. The state of Nebraska views kinship adoptions the same as private adoptions which require families to complete a home study and hire an attorney to complete the process with the courts. At LFS we value the necessity of kinship care and believe in removing the barriers that keep families from achieving permanency. Together with LFS’s Kinship Navigation Program we are able to support non-court involved kinship families seek permanency and access the resources available to them.
    • For help securing Temporary Delegation of Parental Powers, Guardianship, Adoption, financial assistance, behavioral health services, legal representation, etc. contact our Kinship Navigation Program at kinshipintake@oneLFS.org