Many birth parents prefer to meet and know the family that is adopting their child, so they place through parental placement. There are relatively few birth families placing their children through Agency Adoption in Virginia. Why? Because Virginia places many legal requirements regarding the termination of parental rights and the kind of expenses that can be paid on behalf of the birth family. States vary tremendously in these rules, and there are other states who facilitate many more agency adoptive placements.

Similar to international adoption, many Virginia families have their home study completed locally and then choose an agency in another state for placement of a child. Adoption Resources of Jewish Family Service has worked with a variety of other agencies in a number of different states, which provide this service. Generally, your Virginia home study will meet the requirements of the other state, and, if needed, minor modifications can be made to your home study, at no additional cost.

If you do choose to adopt from another state, please be aware that you must meet the requirements of the Interstate Compact Office of both the "sending" state and Richmond. This typically requires staying in the state where the child was born, until the parental rights of your birth parents are terminated. Again, this varies widely depending on the state where your child was born (expect at least 2-3 weeks).