There are multiple identified adoption agencies in VA that cover a wide variety: religious, non-religious, brand new, established, localized, and national. These agencies range in services of domestic infant adoption, adoption from foster care, and international adoption. Many also handle home studies and others handle other adoption necessities, but their primary directives are the same: finding loving forever homes for children in need.
Chesapeake, VA, (757) 361-0008
Founded in 1985 by adult adoptee Maxine Chalker, Adoptions From The Heart claims to have helped change the face of adoption agencies in VA by taking the negative mystique out of their adoption process. Ms. Chalker desired to open the door for OPEN adoptions to have a positive impact on the lives of each member of the adoption triad (adoptees, adoptive parents, and biological families). She opened the first “open” adoption agency in the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware areas, but eventually opened a branch in Virginia. Adoption From The Heart fully believes that “communication is the basis of all love” and offers personalized guidance to any client with whom they work, including those in the Chesapeake area. Their “counseling services for pregnant women are always offered without charge, before, during, and after placement.” According to their website, Adoptions From The Heart has placed over 6,200 children and babies since they opened in 1985. Though they work with people from all across the United States, they are only licensed in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Virginia, and Connecticut.
McLean, VA, (800) 429-3369
“Building families according to God’s design of adoption, while caring for vulnerable children around the world.” America World Adoption, or AWA, is a Christian international adoption agency whose corporate office is in McLean, Virginia, with affiliate offices across the United States. It is a licensed and Hague-accredited agency that “provides international adoption services to families in all 50 states. America World is also licensed to provide home study services & post-adoption services in 20+ states, including our corporate office in Virginia. … Each of our affiliate offices is fully licensed in its respective state to provide adoption home study services and other adoption services to adoptive families. Most of our affiliate offices are also able to provide adoption services for families adopting through other agencies.” America World Adoption has over 60 social workers serving families across the United States and “desires for every adoptable orphan to be placed in a Christian home.”
3.) The Barker Adoption Foundation– Washington D.C. Satellite Office
Washington, DC, (301) 664-9664
In 1945, Ruth and Richard Barker started the Barker Adoption Foundation to answer a request from the U.S. Navy to address the needs of the pregnant Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, or WAVES. “Since then, Barker has evolved from a traditional domestic infant-placing adoption agency into a highly regarded, comprehensive adoption center offering … [a variety of] adoption-related programs and services.” They place waiting children in foster care in the United States and waiting children from China. It is one of the nonprofit adoption agencies in VA, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. According to their website, they have placed more than 7,500 children and have provided adoption-related support services to more than 30,000 women and their families since they were formed. The Barker Adoption Foundation was named “One of the Best” nonprofits by the Catalogue for Philanthropy.
4.) Children’s Home Society of Virginia, or CHSVA
Richmond, VA, (804) 353-0191
The Children’s Home Society of Virginia is a private, nonprofit child-placing agency that is one of the oldest adoption agencies in VA. It is not affiliated with any religious or political organizations; and, in fact, it got its start in 1900 when the Virginia General Assembly chartered for its creation. Since then, Children’s Home Society has helped place over 13,500 children into safe and permanent homes. Their mission is to find “permanent adoptive homes for children of all ages throughout the commonwealth, and to provide critical support services to birth families, adoptive families, and past and present adoptees.” They work with each county’s Department of Social Services to find homes for children in foster care who are available for adoption in Virginia.
5.) Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia, or CCEVA
Adoption and Pregnancy Center, (757)274-4952
Chesapeake, VA, (757) 484-0703
Virginia Beach, VA (757) 467-7707
Alexandria, VA, (703) 548-4227
Newport News, VA, (757) 875-0060
“Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia (CCEVA) was founded in 1932 as the Norfolk Bureau of Catholic Charities to care for widows, orphaned and abandoned children.” Their website says that over the past 80 years, CCEVA has grown to include all walks of life and people from every race, creed, ethnicity, and religion, with more than 80 percent of their clients not identifying as Catholic.
While they have offices all across Eastern Virginia, CCEVA maintains a dedicated website and number for those who have with adoption-related questions or who need adoption-related services. Many times the adoption social workers will move around the satellite offices and meet with prospective adoptive families and expectant parents.
6.) Catholic Charities, Diocese of Arlington, (703) 841-3830
Center for Adoption and Pregnancy Services, Fairfax, VA, (703) 425-0100
Since 1947, the Catholic Charities’ Center for Adoption and Pregnancy Services has provided service to the various communities within the Diocese. Catholic Charities is a non-profit agency serving the Diocese of Arlington, which includes 21 counties in Northern Virginia. The main mission of their pregnancy services division is to offer support to pregnant women and prospective adoptive parents, as well as post-adoption services for all members of the adoption triad. They will help any pregnant women seeking options, but all prospective adoptive parents must reside in the Diocese of Arlington.
7.) C2Adopt, formerly Coordinators2Inc.
Richmond, VA, (804) 354-1881
According to their web page, “C2Adopt … was founded in 1988 by two women who were frustrated with a cumbersome system that failed to prepare children adequately for adoption and in which children lingered for years waiting to be adopted. Since that time, hundreds of older waiting children with special needs have found permanent families through the efforts of C2Adopt.” C2Adopt is a non-profit adoption agency in VA whose mission is to find homes for children available from foster care and to support all members of the adoption triad.
8.) Datz Foundation
Vienna, VA, (703) 242-8800
The Datz Foundation is an agency that is not affiliated with any religious or political organization and believes that all people are created with equal rights. They maintain that their “clients have ranged from persons of religious orthodoxy to persons with non-theistic belief systems. We do not discriminate on the basis of marital status, age, gender, or sexual preference.” Headquartered in Vienna, VA, with satellite offices in Washington, DC, and Maryland, their license allows them to provide birth parent and adoptive family services, but they can place an adoptive child anywhere in the United States and around the world.
It does not maintain a waiting list of prospective adoptive parents because “in today’s world of adoption, women with untimely pregnancies contemplating adoption tend to use resources they find on the Internet, as opposed to contacting brick-and-mortar adoption agencies. … As a result of this major change in the provision of adoption services, the Datz Foundation suggests that couples and individuals who want to adopt a US-born newborn baby do the following:
• “Commission a home study from Datz, assuming they live in VA, DC, or MD.
• “Apply to one of the entities most often contacted by birth mothers via the Internet. These entities comprise licensed adoption agencies, facilitators, and attorneys. What they have in common is that they match prospective adoptive parents with women contemplating making an adoption plan, or who have just given birth. If a family is matched with a birth mother giving birth in VA, MD, or DC, the matching entity will probably retain us to carry out the necessary procedures and legal work to accomplish the adoption.”
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Christiansburg, VA, (540) 381-1848
Another adoption agency in VA is DePaul’s Community Services. It was established in 2000 to improve the permanency for Virginia’s children who are waiting for adoption. Over 1,000 foster children in Virginia are waiting to be adopted. Because they have received generous grants to improve child placement and family support, DePaul is able to offer their services free of charge.
10.) LDS Family Services
Richmond, VA, (804) 743-0727
https://providentliving.lds.org/lds-family-services/adoption
LDS Family Services is a ministry of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. “LDS Family Services has a website used primarily by LDS Family Services staff working with single expectant parents who are searching for the right family to adopt their child. Additionally, prospective adoptive parents can also refer whoever they would like to their listing on this site. The LDS Family Services website is managed by adoption.com/lds. … In order to include your profile on adoption.com/lds as a prospective adoptive couple, you must meet the following criteria:
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“Currently live in the United States of America.
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“Have an endorsement from your bishop.
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“Be sealed to your current spouse in the temple.
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“Maintain current temple recommends.
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“Have a current adoption home study.
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“Once you meet the screening criteria, you will be able to publish your profile on adoption.com/lds at no cost.”
11.) Virginia One Church, One Child
Richmond, VA, (804) 329-3420
Virginia One Church, One Child was formed in 1985 with a “primary focus [of] finding families to adopt the hundreds of African American children who are waiting for a family. The organization is a part of the state’s collaborative efforts to reduce the numbers of children who languish in the public foster care system. Since the late nineties, VA One Church, One Child has broadened its recruitment efforts to include targeted and child specific recruitment on behalf of any waiting child.” Its main focus now is to reduce the number of waiting children that are in Virginia’s foster system by finding them loving forever homes. They adhere to the philosophy that children need to belong to someone forever so that they can have an anchor in life. Unfortunately, about 32 percent of waiting children will “age out” of the foster system without a family to call their own. Virginia One Church, One Child partners with churches and community organizations across the commonwealth to recruit adoptive families so that no child, no matter their age or length of time in the foster care system, will have to go through life without a forever family. VA One Church, One Child is funded by the Virginia Department of Social Services, special offerings and grants, and private donations.
The need for prospective adoptive families is great across the United States and around the world. Thousands of children wait for their families to finally “see” them and bring them home. Over 1,300 children in Virginia alone are available for adoption. Across the United States, there are over 143,000. According to UNICEF, there are approximately 153 million orphans in the world. There is much work to be done. These 11 adoption agencies in VA are a great place to start your personal journey into growing your family via adoption and providing a forever home for a child, foreign or domestic, in need.
Visit Adoption.com’s photolisting page for children who are ready and waiting to find their forever families. For adoptive parents, please visit our Parent Profiles page where you can create an incredible adoption profile and connect directly with potential birth parents.
