Adoption Agencies in Louisiana

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 Louisiana (some of what you can and can't do) and then provide you with information on children available for adoption in Louisiana.  We then relate how we can assist you during the adoption process, and finally we provide a list of licensed Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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: Rev. Stat. § 46:1425(A)

It shall be unlawful for any person other than a licensed child-placing agency or a Louisiana-based crisis pregnancy center to advertise through print or electronic media that it will adopt children or assist in the adoption of children.

Use of Intermediaries/Facilitators
Citation: Rev. Stat. § 14:286(B)-(C)

The payment or receipt of anything of value for the procurement or assistance in the procurement of a party to an act of voluntary surrender of a child for adoption is prohibited. No petitioner, agency, attorney, or other intermediary shall make any payment in connection with an adoptive placement other than for reasonable

State Regulation of Adoption Expenses
Birth Parent Expenses Allowed
Citation: Ch. Code art. 1200; R.S. § 14:286

Reasonable medical and hospital costs of the birth mother, including pharmaceutical, travel, or other similar expenses
Living expenses of the birth mother
Medical, hospital, and foster care expenses of the child
Reasonable expenses for counseling and training services
Attorney fees and court costs
Any other fees the court deems reasonable and necessary

Birth Parent Expenses Not Allowed
Citation: Ch. Code art. 1200

Payment for the birth mother's living expenses may not extend beyond 45 days after the birth.
If a court determines that an expense is unreasonable, it may order a reduction in the amount.

Allowable Payments for Arranging Adoption
Citation: Ch. Code art. 1200; R.S. § 14:286

Except for expenses permitted by law, the payment or receipt of anything of value for the procurement, attempted procurement, or assistance in the procurement of a party to an act of voluntary surrender of a child for adoption is strictly prohibited.

Allowable Payments for Relinquishing Child
Citation: Ch. Code art. 1200; R.S. § 14:286

Payment of expenses may not be made contingent on the placement of a child for adoption.
It is unlawful for any person to sell or surrender a child to another person for money or anything of value.

Accounting of Expenses Required by Court
Citation: Ch. Code art. 1200; 1201

A preliminary estimate and accounting of fees must be filed with the adoption petition.
Each petition for an agency adoption shall be accompanied by an affidavit of accounting of all fees and charges paid or agreed to be paid.
A form for the affidavit is in Ch. Code art. 1201.
The final adoption decree will not be issued until the final accounting is reviewed and approved.

Consent to Adoption
Who Must Consent to an Adoption
Citation: Ch. Code Art. 1193; 1113

Consent to the adoption of a child shall be required of the following:
The mother of the child
The father of the child, regardless of the child's actual paternity, if any of the following apply:
The child is a child born of the marriage.
The father is presumed to be the father of the child in accordance with law.
The alleged father of the child who has established his parental rights in accordance with law
The biological father of the child whose paternity has been determined by a judgment of filiation and who has established his parental rights
The custodial agency that has placed the child for adoption
If a parent executing a surrender in a private adoption is a minor, the parents or tutor of the minor must join in the surrender unless the minor parent has been judicially emancipated or emancipated by marriage.

When Parental Consent is not Needed
Citation: Ch. Code Art. 1193; 1245

The consent of the parent is not required if his or her rights have been terminated in accordance with Title X or XI.

The court may grant an adoption without the consent of the agency, if the adoption is in the best interest of the child and there is a finding that the agency has unreasonably withheld its consent.

In an intrafamily adoption, the consent of a parent may be dispensed with when the parent with custody is married to the petitioner and the other parent has failed to support, visit, or communicate with the child without just cause for at least 6 months.

When Consent Can Be Executed
Citation: Ch. Code Art. 1122(b)(1); 1130; 1195

No act of surrender by a mother shall be executed earlier than 5 days following the birth of the child.

A father may execute an act of surrender prior to the birth of the child or at any time after the birth. However, any surrender executed by a father earlier than the 5th day following the birth of the child shall not be irrevocable until the 5th day following the birth of the child.

An alleged or adjudicated father may execute an act of surrender prior to the birth of the child or at any time after the birth. His surrender shall be irrevocable upon execution.

Revocation of Consent
Citation: Ch. Code Art. 1123; 1147

Consent is irrevocable upon execution.

Except as noted in article 1130 above, no act of surrender shall be subject to annulment except upon proof of duress or fraud.

Rights of Presumed (Putative) Fathers
Registry/Paternity Requirements to Receive Notice
Citation: R.S. § 9:400; Ch. C. art. 1133 and 1137(A)

The putative father may file before or after the child's birth.
Registration requires a completed Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Preventive and Public Health Services, form.
Notice of the filing of the mother's surrender of the child is given to the putative father.
The putative father may oppose an adoption by filing a declaration of intention, which must be filed within 15 days after service of notice of surrender, or from the time he was served with notice of adoption, if no surrender was filed or executed.

Please visit adoption law in Louisiana for more details.

Yes, through both public and private adoption agencies.  For example, in 2004, Louisiana had 1,181 children in the welfare system waiting to be adopted of whom 14 were under the age of 1 year, and 336 were between ages 1-5 years old. The actual number of children adopted through Louisiana public child welfare agencies was only 455, which represents only a small portion of the total number of all Louisiana adoptions (exact numbers are not available at this time). 

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

Acorn Adoption, Inc.
2895 Highway 190
Suite 220
Mandeville, LA 70471
Phone: (985) 626-3800
Fax: (985) 626-3801
Toll-Free: (888) 221-1370

Beacon House Adoption Services, Inc. (BHAS)
15254 Old Hammond Highway
Suite C-2
Baton Rouge, LA 70816
Phone: (225) 272-3221
Fax: (225) 273-6491
Toll-Free: (888) 987-6300

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans (CCANO)
3019 North Arnoult Road
Metairie, LA 70002-4714
Phone: (504) 885-1141
Fax: (504) 885-1519
Toll-Free: (866) 566-1399

Catholic Social Services of Houma - Thibodaux
PO Box 3894
Houma, LA 70361
Phone: (985) 876-0490
Fax: (985) 876-7751

Catholic Social Services of Lafayette
1408 Carmel Avenue
Lafayette, LA 70501
Phone: (337) 261-5654
Toll-Free: (800) 256-7222

D. Missy Everson, LCSW, DCSW - A Professional Corporation
7330 Fern Avenue
Suite #204
Shreveport, LA 71105
Phone: (318) 798-7664
Fax: (318) 861-1710

Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans (JFS)
3330 West Esplanade Avenue South
Suite 600
Metairie, LA 70002-3454
Phone: (504) 831-8475
Fax: (504) 831-1130

LDS Social Services
480 Robert Boulevard
Slidell, LA 70458
Phone: (985) 649-2774
Fax: (985) 649-2738

St. Elizabeth Foundation (SEF)
8054 Summa Avenue
Suite A
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
Phone: (225) 769-8888
Fax: (225) 769-6874
Toll-Free: (800) 738-5683

Volunteers of America of Greater New Orleans, Inc. - Adoption and Maternity Services
3939 North Causeway Boulevard
Suite 101
Metairie, LA 70002
Phone: (504) 836-8702
Fax: (504) 835-0092
Toll-Free: (800) 535-9646

Volunteers of America of North Louisiana
1808 Roselawn Avenue
Monroe, LA 71201
Phone: (318) 322-2272

Volunteers of America of North Louisiana (VOA)
360 Jordan Street
Shreveport, LA 71101
Phone: (318) 221-5000
Fax: (318) 222-6370
Toll-Free: (800) 222-3196

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