Adoption Agencies in Delaware

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 Delaware (some of what you can and can't do) and then provide you with information on children available for adoption in Delaware.  We then relate how we can assist you during the adoption process, and finally we provide a list of licensed Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware child adoption law including such topics as advertising, adoption expenses, and the critical issue of ending the biological parental rights (called a Consent, Relinquishment or Surrender).

Use of Advertisement
Citation: Ann. Code Tit. 13, § 930

Only the department or a licensed agency may advertise in this State regarding the availability of adoption services or for the placement of a child for the purpose of adoption.

Use of Intermediaries/Facilitators
Citation: Ann. Code Tit. 13, §§ 904; 906

No placement for an identified adoption in which an intermediary has been involved shall be approved. All petitions for adoption shall have attached an affidavit attesting that no intermediary assisted in locating the child.

State Regulation of Adoption Expenses
Birth Parent Expenses Allowed
Citation: Tit. 13, § 928

Court costs and legal fees

Birth Parent Expenses Not Allowed
Citation: Tit. 13, § 928

No other payment is allowed.

Allowable Payments for Arranging Adoption
Citation: Tit. 13, § 928

No person or organization shall receive any payment in connection with an adoption.

Allowable Payments for Relinquishing Child
Citation: Tit. 13, § 928

No biological parent shall receive any sort of payment for the placement of a child for adoption.

Accounting of Expenses Required by Court
Citation: Tit. 13, § 906(10)

An affidavit is to be attached to the adoption petition stating the service fees and other expenses paid, and attesting that no intermediary assisted in locating the child.

Consent to Adoption
Who Must Consent to an Adoption
Citation: Ann. Code Tit. 13 §§ 908

The consent to the adoption shall be granted by the Department or by the licensed or authorized agency in whom the parental rights are vested.

In the case of an adoption by a stepparent or blood relative, the consent to the adoption shall be granted by the mother of the child and the biological father and any presumed father of the child.

If the individual with the right to consent is under age 18, this fact shall not be a bar to the giving of consent nor render the consent invalid.

Age When Consent of Adoptee is Considered or Required
Citation: Ann. Code Tit. 13 § 907

A child age 14 or older must provide written consent unless the court finds it in the child's best interest to waive consent.

When Parental Consent is not Needed
Citation: Ann. Code Tit. 13 § 1103(a)

The parent's consent is not required when his or her parental rights have been involuntarily terminated for one or more grounds, including:

Abandonment of the child
Inability to discharge parental duties due to mental incompetence or extended or repeated incarceration
Conviction of a felony in which a child has been harmed or endangered
A history of neglect or chronic abuse of the child or other children

When Consent Can Be Executed
Citation: Ann. Code Tit. 13 § 1106(c)

A mother whose consent to the termination of parental rights is required may execute a consent only after the child is born. Consent by the father or presumed father may be executed either before or after the child is born.

Revocation of Consent
Citation: Ann. Code Tit. 13 § 909

In any case in which consent has been given in accordance with the provisions of § 907 of this title, and the person, department, licensed agency, authorized agency or child over age 14 giving the consent desires to withdraw the consent, he or she shall file, within 60 days from the date of the filing of the adoption petition containing the consent, a petition asking the court to revoke his or her consent and dismiss the adoption petition. The family court shall refer the petition to revoke and dismiss to the department or licensed agency, and the department or licensed agency shall, within 30 days, make a formal report to the court. Promptly upon receipt of the report, the court shall rule upon the petition.

Rights of Presumed (Putative) Fathers
Registry/Paternity Requirements to Receive Notice
Citation: Tit. 13, § 8-402

The putative father must register in the Registry of Paternity before the birth of the child or within 30 days after the birth of the child.

Please visit adoption law in Delaware for more details.

Yes, through both public and private adoption agencies.  For example, in 2004, Delaware had 218 children in the welfare system waiting to be adopted of whom 9 were under the age of 1 year, and 87 were between ages 1-5 years old. The actual number of children adopted through Delaware public child welfare agencies was only 73, which represents only a small portion of the total number of all Delaware adoptions (exact numbers are not available at this time). 

Remember that while you may be a resident of Delaware, you are not limited to adopting a child from Delaware.  You can adopt a child born in Delaware, 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 Delaware, 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 House, Inc.
3411 Silverside Road
Webster Building, Suite 101
Wilmington, DE 19810
Phone: (302) 477-0944
Fax: (302) 477-0955
Toll-Free: (877) 236-7897

Adoptions From The Heart
18-A Trolley Square
Wilmington, DE 19806
Phone: (302) 658-8883
Fax: (302) 658-8873
Toll-Free: (800) 355-5500

Bethany Christian Services, Inc.
Suite 201G, Commonwealth Building
260 Chapman Road
Newark, DE 19702
Phone: (302) 369-3470
Fax: (302) 369-1315
Toll-Free: (800) 215-0702

Catholic Charities, Inc.
2601 West Fourth St.
Wilmington, DE 19805
Phone: (302) 655-9624
Fax: (302) 655-9753

Catholic Charities, Inc.
1155 West Walker Road
Dover, DE 19904
Phone: (302) 674-1600
Fax: (302) 674-1005

Children and Families First (C&FF)
2005 Baynard Boulevard
Wilmington, DE 19802
Phone: (302) 658-5177
Fax: (302) 658-5170
Toll-Free: (800) 734-2388

Children's Choice of Delaware, Inc.
707 Walker Road
Suite 100
Dover, DE 19904-6539
Phone: (302) 678-0404
Fax: (302) 678-9080
Toll-Free: (800) 220-2173

Upper Bay Adoption & Counseling Services
700A River Road
Wilmington, DE 19809
Phone: (302) 764-1890