Adoption Agencies in Georgia

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 Georgia (some of what you can and can't do) and then provide you with information on children available for adoption in Georgia.  We then relate how we can assist you during the adoption process, and finally we provide a list of licensed Georgia 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 Georgia 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 Georgia 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 Advertising and Facilitators in Adoptive Placements
Use of Advertisement
Citation: Ann. Code § 19-8-24(a)

It shall be unlawful for any person, organization, hospital, or association that has not been established as a child-placing agency by the department to advertise, whether in a periodical, by television or radio or any other public medium or private means, that the person, organization, hospital, or association will adopt children or will arrange for children to be placed for adoption.
Individuals seeking to adopt a child or to place their child for adoption may communicate by private means, which include only written letters or oral statements.

Use of Intermediaries/Facilitators
Citation: Ann. Code § 19-8-24(a)(2)

It shall be unlawful for any person, organization, corporation, hospital, or association of any kind, which has not been established as a child-placing agency by the department to directly or indirectly hold out inducements, including any financial assistance except medical expenses, to parents to part with their children.

State Regulation of Adoption Expenses
Birth Parent Expenses Allowed
Citation: § 19-8-13(c)

Medical expenses related to the pregnancy
Hospital costs for the birth of the child
Expenses related to the placement and adoption

Allowable Payments for Arranging Adoption
Citation: § 19-8-13(c)

Payments for services related to the adoption or the placement of the minor are permitted.

Allowable Payments for Relinquishing Child
Citation: § 19-8-24

It is unlawful for any person or entity to directly or indirectly offer inducements to a parent to relinquish their child.

Accounting of Expenses Required by Court
Citation: § 19-8-13(c), (d)

Each petitioner must file a report fully accounting for all disbursements made or agreed to be made.
Each attorney must file an affidavit detailing all legal fees.

Consent to Adoption
Who Must Consent to an Adoption
Citation: Ann. Code § 19-8-4(a)

A child who has any living parent or guardian may be adopted through the department or any child-placing agency only if each such parent and each such guardian:
Has voluntarily and in writing surrendered all of his or her rights to the child to the department or to a child-placing agency and the department or agency thereafter consents to the adoption
Has had all of his or her rights to the child terminated by order of a court of competent jurisdiction, the child has been committed by the court to the department or to a child-placing agency for placement for adoption, and the department or agency thereafter consents to the adoption

Age When Consent of Adoptee is Considered or Required
Citation: Ann. Code § 19-8-4(b)

In the case of a child age 14 or older, the written consent of the child to his adoption must be given and acknowledged in the presence of the court.

When Parental Consent is not Needed
Citation: Ann. Code § 19-8-10

Surrender or termination of rights of a parent shall not be required as a prerequisite to the filing of a petition for adoption of a child of that parent when the court determines by clear and convincing evidence that the parent:
Has abandoned the child
Cannot be found after a diligent search has been made
Is insane or otherwise incapacitated from surrendering such rights
Has failed to exercise proper parental care or control due to misconduct or inability
Surrender of rights of a parent shall not be required as a prerequisite to the filing of a petition for adoption of a child of that parent if that parent, for a period of 1 year or longer immediately prior to the filing of the petition for adoption, without justifiable cause, has significantly failed:

To communicate or to make a bona fide attempt to communicate with that child in a meaningful, supportive, parental manner
To provide for the care and support of that child as required by law or judicial decree, and the court is of the opinion that the adoption is for the best interests of that child

When Consent Can Be Executed
Citation: Ann. Code § 19-8-5

Consent may be executed any time after the birth of the child.

Revocation of Consent
Citation: Ann. Code § 19-8-9(b)

A person signing a surrender shall have the right to withdraw the surrender by written notice delivered in person or mailed by registered mail or statutory overnight delivery within 10 days after signing. After 10 days, a surrender may not be withdrawn.

The surrender document is not valid unless it states the right of withdrawal.

Rights of Presumed (Putative) Fathers
Registry/Paternity Requirements to Receive Notice
Citation: §§ 19-11-9(d)(2); 15-11-96

The putative father may acknowledge paternity before or after the birth of the child in a signed writing, or indicate the possibility of paternity without acknowledging paternity.
The putative father must file a petition to legitimate the child within 30 days of receipt of notice of termination proceedings.
Notice of termination proceeding is given if:
The putative father's identity is known to the petitioner or attorney.
Any of the following is true of the putative father: he is on the putative father registry, he lived with the child, he made any attempt to legitimate the child, or he provided support or medical care for the child's mother.

Please visit adoption law in Georgia for more details.

Yes, through both public and private adoption agencies.  For example, in 2004, Georgia had 2,520 children in the welfare system waiting to be adopted of whom 74 were under the age of 1 year, and 909 were between ages 1-5 years old. The actual number of children adopted through Georgia public child welfare agencies was only 1,269, which represents only a small portion of the total number of all Georgia adoptions (exact numbers are not available at this time). 

Remember that while you may be a resident of Georgia, you are not limited to adopting a child from Georgia.  You can adopt a child born in Georgia, 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 Georgia, 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

AAA Partners in Adoption
5665 Hwy 9
Suite 103-351
Alpharetta, GA 30004-2910
Phone: (770) 844-2080
Fax: (770) 344-2075

Bethany Christian Services
15 Dunwoody Park Drive
Suite 200
Atlanta, GA 30338
Phone: (770) 455-7111
Fax: (770) 455-7118
Toll-Free: (800) 238-4269

Bethany Christian Services (BCS)
5050 Warms Springs Road
Suite 200-B
Columbus, GA 31909
Phone: (706) 576-5766
Fax: (770) 395-1692

Catholic Social Services, Inc.
680 West Peachtree Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30308
Phone: (404) 885-7275
Fax: (404) 888-7816
Toll-Free: (800) CARE-002

Covenant Care Services, Inc.
3950 Ridge Avenue
Macon, GA 31210
Phone: (478) 475-4990
Fax: (478) 475-0367
Toll-Free: (800) 226-5683

Families First
PO Box 7998
1105 West Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30357
Phone: (404) 853-2867
Fax: (404) 685-4760

Georgia Baptist Children's Home and Family Ministries, Inc.
505 Waterworks Road
Palmetto, GA 30268
Phone: (770) 463-6240
Fax: (770) 463-6245
Toll-Free: (888) 545-8299

Georgia Mentor, Inc.
2799 Lawrenceville Highay
Suite 201
Decatur, GA 30033
Phone: (770) 496-5500
Fax: (770) 496-0101

Hope for Children, Inc.
24 Perimeter Center East
Suite 2400
Atlanta, GA 30346
Phone: (770) 391-1511
Fax: (770) 391-1556
Toll-Free: (800) 522-2913

Independent Adoption Center (IAC)
3774 Lavista Road
Suite 100
Tucker, GA 30084
Phone: (404) 321-6900
Fax: (404) 321-6600
Toll-Free: (800) 877-6736

Lutheran Ministries of Georgia Inc.
756 West Peachtree St., N.W.
Atlanta, GA 30308
Phone: (404) 607-7126
Fax: (404) 875-9258
Toll-Free: (800) 875-5645

One World Adoption Services
P.O. Box 539,
Flowery Branch GA 3054
Phone: (678) 714-6612
Fax: (770) 965-6632

ROOTS...planting seeds to secure our future, Inc.
1777 Phoenix Parkway
Suite 108
Atlanta, GA 30349
Phone: (770) 907-7770
Fax: (770) 907-7726

The Open Door Adoption Agency, Inc. (TOD)
PO Box 4
218 E. Jackson Street
Thomasville, GA 31799-0004
Phone: (229) 228-6339
Fax: (229) 228-4726
Toll-Free: (800) 868-6339