Adoption Agencies in Arkansas

If you are a pregnant woman or birth mother please click here to see information that is geared to your needs. 

If you are an adopting family we believe you will find the information below helpful. We begin by giving you information regarding child adoption law in Arkansas (some of what you can and can't do) and then provide you with information on children available for adoption in  Arkansas.  We then relate how we can assist you during the adoption process, and finally we provide a list of licensed Arkansas adoption agencies through which you can browse for additional information.

Before starting to search for a child to adopt or an agency to assist you, it is important that you understand how the adoption laws in Arkansas may affect your decisions. Making informed decisions is the best way of increasing your chances of adopting a child.  By way of example, we have listed below a few of the important parts of Arkansas child adoption law including such topics as adoption expenses and the critical issue of ending the biological parental rights (called a Consent, Relinquishment or Surrender).

State Regulation of Adoption Expenses
Birth Parent Expenses Allowed
Citation: § 9-9-211

Expenses incurred in connection with the birth of the child
Fees related to the adoption or placement of the child
Medical or hospital care received by the mother or minor child
Fees charged by all attorneys

Accounting of Expenses Required by Court
Citation: § 9-9-211

The petitioner must file a full accounting report of all expenses incurred or agreed to, and file a signed, sworn affidavit that all expenses have been truthfully listed.

Consent to Adoption
Who Must Consent to an Adoption
Citation: Ann. Code § 9-9-206

A petition to adopt a minor may be granted only if written consent to a particular adoption has been executed by:
The mother
The father, if he was married to the mother at the time the minor was conceived or at any time thereafter, the minor is his child by adoption, he has custody of the minor at the time the petition is filed, he has a written order granting him legal custody of the minor at the time the petition for adoption is filed, or he proves that a significant custodial, personal, or financial relationship existed with the minor before the petition for adoption is filed
Any person lawfully entitled to custody of the minor or empowered to consent
The court having jurisdiction to determine custody of the minor, if the legal guardian or custodian of the person of the minor is not empowered to consent to the adoption
The spouse of the minor to be adopted

Age When Consent of Adoptee is Considered or Required
Citation: Ann. Code § 9-9-206

A child age 10 or older must consent to the adoption, unless, in the child's best interest, the court dispenses with consent.

When Parental Consent is not Needed
Citation: Ann. Code § 9-9-207

Consent to adoption is not required of:
A parent who has deserted a child without affording means of identification or who has abandoned a child
A parent of a child in the custody of another, if the parent has failed significantly without justifiable cause to communicate with the child or to provide for the care and support of the child for at least 1 year
The father of a minor if the father's consent is not required by § 9-9-206(a)(2)
A parent who has relinquished the right to consent or whose rights have been terminated
A parent judicially declared incompetent or mentally defective if the court dispenses with the parent's consent
Any parent of the adopted person if the person is an adult
Any legal guardian or custodian of the adopted person, other than a parent, who has failed to respond in writing to a request for consent for a period of 60 days or who is found by the court to be withholding his or her consent unreasonably
The spouse of the adopted person, if the failure of the spouse to consent is excused by the court by reason of prolonged unexplained absence, unavailability, incapacity, or circumstances constituting an unreasonable withholding of consent
A putative father of a minor who signed an acknowledgment of paternity or is listed on the Putative Father Registry but who failed to establish a significant custodial, personal, or financial relationship with the juvenile prior to the time the petition for adoption is filed

When Consent Can Be Executed
Citation: Ann. Code § 9-9-208

Consent to adoption shall be executed any time after the birth of the child.

Revocation of Consent
Citation: Ann. Code § 9-9-209

A consent to adoption cannot be withdrawn after the entry of a decree of adoption.

A consent to adopt may be withdrawn within 10 calendar days after it is signed or the child is born, whichever is later, by filing an affidavit with the probate clerk of the circuit court in the county designated by the consent as the county in which the guardianship petition will be filed, if there is a guardianship, or where the petition for adoption will be filed, if there is no guardianship. If the 10-day period ends on a weekend or a legal holiday, the person may file the affidavit the next working day. No fee shall be charged for the filing of the affidavit.

The court may waive the 10-day period for filing a withdrawal of consent for agencies, minors over age 10 who consented to the adoption, or biological parents if a stepparent is adopting.

Rights of Presumed (Putative) Fathers
Registry/Paternity Requirements to Receive Notice
Citation: §§ 20-18-702; 9-9-224

The putative father may file prior to the child's birth, or at anytime prior to the filing of a petition for adoption.
A completed Department of Health form must be signed and acknowledged by the putative father and notarized.
When information is contained in the registry at the time of the filing of the adoption petition, a copy of the petition is served on the registrant.

Please visit adoption law in Arkansas for more details.

Yes, through both public and private adoption agencies.  For example, in 2004, Arkansas had 943 children in the welfare system waiting to be adopted of whom 24 were under the age of 1 year, and 300 were between ages 1-5 years old. The actual number of children adopted through Arkansas public child welfare agencies was only 331, which represents only a small portion of the total number of all Arkansas adoptions (exact numbers are not available at this time). 

Remember that while you may be a resident of Arkansas, you are not limited to adopting a child from Arkansas.  You can adopt a child born in Arkansas, a child born in any other U.S. state, or even a foreign born child.  What is important for you to understand is that infants and children are available for adoption in Arkansas, in each of the other the 49 states, and in many foreign countries. 

Yes, we can help you and so can any licensed child adoption agency (we have listed several below).  By way of introduction to Adoption Services, Inc, I will relate to you a little about myself and our child adoption agency.

Almost 40 years ago I (Dr. Vince Berger) began working as a psychologist with pregnant teens in the Pittsburgh city school system. It was very challenging because in those days there were very few services for these young women, society was not yet accepting of unmarried and/or pregnant teens, and the word "adoption" was hardly ever used.

I loved the work I was doing and knowing that I was personally able to help so many of the pregnant women I was working with. But something was missing - I did not feel I was helping people enough. So, I set out to provide the personal and professional care that a birth mother and adopting family need and deserve in the adoption process.

I started a full service, non-profit adoption agency. Not just any agency, but one that was, and still is, dedicated to helping birth parents and adopting families receive the best and most comprehensive of adoption related services. Over the past 20 years, my staff and I have helped over 9,000 adopting families, birth parents, their babies and children.

I love helping people. I work 6 days a week and answer calls at all hours. The hours I put in are long but never hard, since I find so much joy and strength in helping others.

My goal continues to be to help you. Accordingly, in addition to the website you are on now and the Adoption Services website, we created Adopting Family Resources and International Adoption Help as well as Child Adoption Laws and Child Adoption Resources and Pregnancy And Children to give you a information and help.

I hope that you will call me or my staff so we can help you in the adoption process. However, if you don't want to call us, then please review the agencies listed here and give one of them a call. Do not give up until you get the help and attention you need and deserve.

Thank you for letting us help, and good luck.

Dr. Berger
and the staff of Adoption Services

Adoption Advantage, Inc.
13720 Colonel Glenn Road
Little Rock, AR 72210
Phone: (501) 376-7778
Fax: (501) 376-7775
Toll-Free: (877) 349-9334

Bethany Christian Services
1100 North University Avenue
Suite 66
Little Rock, AR 72207-6344
Phone: (501) 664-5729
Fax: (501) 664-5740

Children's Home, Inc.
5515 Walcott Road
Paragould, AR 72450
Phone: (870) 239-4031
Fax: (870) 236-9743

Families Are Special, Inc. (FASI)
2200 Main Street
North Little Rock, AR 72114
Phone: (501) 785-9184
Fax: (501) 758-4704

Gladney Center for Adoption
PO Box 94615
North Little Rock, AR 72190-4615
Phone: (501) 791-3126

Highlands Child Placement Services
2325 Malvern Avenue, Hot Springs, AR 71901 |
Phone: (501) 262.1660
E-mail: highlands@ag.org

Searcy Children's Homes, Inc.
PO Box 1141
509 N. Main Street
Searcy, AR 72145
Phone: (501) 268-3243
Fax: (501) 278-4773

Southern Christian Home
100 West Harding Street
Morrilton, AR 72110
Phone: (501) 354-2428
Fax: (501) 354-2429