Adoption is Challenging, Emotional, and Worthwhile.
- Feeling overwhelmed by the adoption process and unsure where to start?
- Concerned about navigating legal requirements and paperwork?
- Worried about finding the right match for your family?
- Uncertain about how to support a child's emotional needs post-adoption?
- Seeking guidance on whether you should maintain connections with birth families?
Let Us Help You Navigate the Adoption Journey.
Experience compassionate and trustworthy assistance throughout your journey to adopting a child. Receive:
- expert guidance through domestic infant adoption, ensuring you’re informed and prepared at every step.
- professional home study services for independent and embryo adoptions, simplifying complex processes.
- facilitating positive outcomes for all involved, including the birth parents.
- crucial post-adoption services and counseling, helping your family thrive long-term.
Are you ready to welcome a child into your family? Text a social worker to help you navigate adoption: (314) 326-1268.
Why Choose CFS for Your Adoption Journey?
- Experience
With over 50 years of service, we bring a wealth of knowledge to guide you through the adoption process.
- Faith-Based Approach
Our services are grounded in Christian values, emphasizing love, compassion, and respect for all.
- Comprehensive Support
We offer counseling, education, and ongoing support throughout your adoption journey and beyond.
- Ethical Practices
We are committed to transparent, ethical adoption practices that prioritize the well-being of children, birth parents, and adoptive families.
- Variety of Programs
Whether you’re interested in infant adoption, embryo adoption, or adopting independently, we have programs to suit your family’s needs.
- Birth Parent-Driven Process
Our adoption program allows birth parents, if they desire, to choose the adoptive family for their child.
- Openness Option
We support various levels of openness in adoption, always striving to match birth and adoptive parents’ preferences.
- Interstate Services
We can assist with adoptions across state lines, navigating the Interstate Compact process.
- Post-Placement Support
Our commitment doesn’t end at placement. We provide ongoing support and required post-placement visits.
- Community of Support
Join a network of families who have walked this path and can offer peer support and understanding.
Adoption Services Built Around You
Types of Adoption Services
- Domestic Infant Adoption: Our primary focus is placing children born in the United States.
- Home Studies: An analysis is done whether you are adopting independently, domestically, or through embryo adoption.
- Embryo Adoption: We provide home study services for families pursuing embryo adoption.
- Interstate Adoption: We can assist with adoptions across state lines.
- Guardian Suitability Studies: For those seeking legal guardianship of a minor or adult.
The Adoption Process
- Submit an application and attend our one-day orientation seminar
- Complete the home study process
- Create an Adoptive Parent Profile
- Wait for a match with birth parents
- Placement of child
- Post-placement visits and support
- Finalization of adoption
Openness in Adoption
Choose from these levels of openness:
- Open Adoption: Birth and adoptive families share identifying information and have direct contact.
- Semi-Open Adoption: Our agency facilitates communication, maintaining privacy while allowing for information sharing if requested.
- Closed Adoption: There is no contact between birth and adoptive parents, and any correspondence is handled through our agency.
Rely on our expert to help you determine the level of openness that feels right for your situation.
Build a Stable Family Foundation: Adoptive Requirements that Benefit You
We do our best to match prospective birth and adoptive parents according to both the amount and kind of contact they desire both before and after the placement of a child. Occasionally, these desires change over time. We seek adoptive families who are at least willing to correspond and send photos to birth parents annually until the child reaches 18 years old.
Ready to take the next step?
Requirements for Adoptive Families
- Adults adopting must be a minimum age of 24 years old.
- Couples must have been married for at least 3 years.
- Steady employment with adequate income.
- Completed home study.
- Must attend a one-day orientation seminar at CFS.
- Active in their Christian faith.
- Required to obtain references from those in leadership positions at your church.
Your Investment In Growing Your Family
You may be wondering what kind of fees are involved in adoption. We want to be transparent with you and help you understand the resources available to adoptive parents.
Please note that any fees assessed, even if the adoption does not take place, are nonrefundable.
Adoption Application Fee (Due with submission of application)
$150
The fee covers opening an adoption file, processing application materials, and securing references.
Adoptive Home Study Fee (Due at initial home visit)
$1,500 for MO* $2,000 for IL*
During the home study process the social worker meets with the family to educate, prepare, and evaluate their readiness for adoption. The written report becomes the document that represents the adoptive family to the courts and government entities involved in the adoption process.
Home Study Update Fee
- Home Study Update Fee (Due at time of annual update visit-if home study was originally completed by CFS) $300*
- Home Study Update Fee-expired (Due at time of update visit for expired CFS home study) $600*
- Non-CFS Home Study Update Fee (Due at time of visit for home study not originally completed by CFS) $800*
- Listing Fee (Due upon acceptance) $500: Non CFS families with a current home study who wish to list with CFS
Adoption Placement Fee
15% Gross Annual Income ($14,000 min.; $20,000 max.)
The adoption fee is 15% of the adoptive parents’ combined adjusted gross income. This fee includes but is not limited to administrative costs incurred during the adoption process, birth parent counseling and other work with the birth parents (see Birth Parent/Child Expenses Below), birth parent legal services, birth parent post-placement services, reports to court and up to two court appearances, placement fees, and post-placement supervision services required to finalize the adoption. Due when child is placed with the family.
Birth Parent/Child Expense Reimbursement
Up to $4,000
Christian Family Services, Inc. will assume birth parent expenses with a maximum limit of $4,000. Any agreed-upon charges in excess of this amount will be forwarded to the adoptive family.
Interstate Compact (ICPC) Fee
$350
When the adoptive family lives in a state other than the one in which the child was born, the adoptive agency is required to complete a separate legal procedure through the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC). This enables the child to leave one state and become a resident of another.
Travel time and mileage will be charged for families who live outside of a 50 mile radius of the Missouri or Illinois offices. Travel time will be billed at $30.00/hour while mileage is billed at the current government rate.
Interstate Birth Parent Counseling (applicable for Non-CFS adoptive families only) (ICPC) Fee
$1,500
Plus $500 rush charge if applicable. Contact Pregnancy Support Worker for additional expenses and details.
Other Possible Fees
$75/hour +
There may be other fees assessed including: additional time spent on your adoption process, $75.00 per hr. Additional time spent sending documents to attorneys, country of adoption, or transfer of the adoptive file. And fees paid to companies other than CFS. These include, but are not limited to, fees for background checks, medical exams, and legal/attorney fees.
*Travel time and mileage will be charged for families who live outside of a 50 mile radius of the MO or IL offices. (Travel time will be billed at $30.00/hour while mileage is billed at current government rate).
Please note: Fees are subject to change. Please speak with an Adoption Specialist for the latest fee changes.
Resources for You
A federal tax credit is available to help defray adoption costs.
Various grants are available for adoptive parents. Here are just a few:
Have questions or need to talk with someone about how you can adopt while keeping your budget in mind? Reach out today.
Testimonials
True Stories: How Adoption Changes Lives
Christian Family Services had a waiting adoptive family who was picked after six years on our list. This family was chosen from our birth mother because of specific characteristics they discussed in their profile book. Our adoptive family and birth mother have since interacted through monthly updates always focusing on the child’s milestones. Our birth mother has felt supported through this process from both the social worker and adoptive family. The adoptive family has enjoyed including the birth mother in all of the child’s major development steps. This child will grow up learning what a great support system they have because of their parents paving the way of open communication.
