Adoption Agencies in Maryland

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 Maryland (some of what you can and can't do) and then provide you with information on children available for adoption in Maryland.  We then relate how we can assist you during the adoption process, and finally we provide a list of licensed Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Facilitators in Adoptive Placements
Use of Intermediaries/Facilitators
Citation: Fam. Law § 5-3B-32

Except as otherwise provided by law, a person may not charge or receive, from or for a parent or prospective adoptive parent, any compensation for a service in connection with:

Placement of an individual to live with a pre adoptive family
An agreement for custody in contemplation of adoption
This section does not prohibit payment, by an interested person, of a reasonable and customary charge or fee for adoption counseling, hospital, legal, or medical.

State Regulation of Adoption Expenses
Birth Parent Expenses Allowed
Citation: Fam. § 5-327(a)(2)

Reasonable and customary charges or fees for hospital or medical or legal services

Allowable Payments for Arranging Adoption
Citation: Fam. § 5-327(a)(1)

A person or organization may not receive compensation for arranging an adoptive placement.

Allowable Payments for Relinquishing Child
Citation: Crim. § 3-603

A person may not barter, trade, buy, or offer to sell a child for anything of value.

Accounting of Expenses Required by Court
Citation: Fam. § 5-327(c)

In an independent adoption, the petitioner shall file an accounting of all payments and disbursements of any items of value.

Consent to Adoption
Who Must Consent to an Adoption
Citation: Fam. Law § 5-338

Consent to an adoption is required from the following persons:
The natural mother and father
If parental rights have been terminated, the head of the agency that has been awarded guardianship
The director of the local department with custody of the child

Age When Consent of Adoptee is Considered or Required
Citation: Fam. Law § 5-338(3)

The court may grant an adoption only if the child is represented by an attorney and he or she:
Consents to the adoption, if at least age 10
Does not object to the adoption, if under age 10

When Parental Consent is not Needed
Citation: Fam. Law § 5-3B-22

A court may allow adoption without parental consent if the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the parent:
Has not had custody of the prospective adoptee for at least 1 year
Has not maintained meaningful contact with the child while the petitioner had custody, notwithstanding an opportunity to do so
Has failed to contribute to the child's physical care and support, notwithstanding the ability to do so
Has subjected the child to chronic abuse, chronic and life-threatening neglect, sexual abuse, or torture
Has been convicted of abuse of any offspring
Has been convicted, in any State or any court of the United States, of:
A crime of violence against a minor offspring of the parent, the child, or another parent of the child
Aiding or abetting, conspiring, or soliciting to commit a crime described above
Has, other than by consent, lost parental rights to a sibling of the child

When Consent Can Be Executed
Citation: Fam. Law § 5-3B-21(2)

Consent to adoption is not valid unless the consent is given after the prospective adopted person is born.

Revocation of Consent
Citation: Fam. Law §§ 5-339; 5-351

A parent may revoke consent to adoption at any time within the later of:
30 days after the parent signs the consent
30 days after the adoption petition is filed, after which consent is irrevocable
A local department, a guardian, or the child may revoke consent to an adoption at any time before a juvenile court enters an order of adoption.

Rights of Presumed (Putative) Fathers
Registry/Paternity Requirements to Receive Notice
Citation: Fam. Law §§ 5-322; 5-310

The natural father is entitled to notice of the filing of an adoption petition.
The natural father must acknowledge himself to be the father, orally or in writing, and the natural mother must agree that he is the father.
The natural father must file notice of objection to an adoption within the time stated in the show cause order.
Failure to receive a response to a petition filed by the local department within 30 days shall be deemed a negative response, if reasonable efforts were made to locate the putative father.

Please visit adoption law in Maryland for more details.

Yes, through both public and private adoption agencies.  For example, in 2004, Maryland had 2,320 children in the welfare system waiting to be adopted of whom 18 were under the age of 1 year, and 585 were between ages 1-5 years old. The actual number of children adopted through Maryland public child welfare agencies was only 914, which represents only a small portion of the total number of all Maryland adoptions (exact numbers are not available at this time). 

Remember that while you may be a resident of Maryland, you are not limited to adopting a child from Maryland.  You can adopt a child born in Maryland, 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 Maryland, 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 Options/JSSA
6123 Montrose Road
Rockville, MD 20852-4880
Phone: (301) 816-2700
Fax: (301) 770-8471

Adoptions Together
10230 New Hampshire Avenue
Suite 200
Silver Spring, MD 20903
Phone: (301) 439-2900
Fax: (301) 439-9334

Bethany Christian Services
2130 Priest Bridge Drive
Suite 9
Crofton, MD 21114
Phone: (410) 721-2835
Fax: (410) 721-5523
Toll-Free: (800) BETHANY

Board of Child Care
3300 Gaither Road
Baltimore, MD 21244
Phone: (410) 922-2100
Fax: (410) 922-7830

Burlington United Methodist Family Services, Inc.
PO Box 422
St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 10711 South Second Street
Oakland, MD 21532
Phone: (301) 334-1285
Fax: (301) 334-6352

CASI Foundation For Children
3415 Olandwood Court
Suite 201
Olney, MD 20003
Phone: (301) 570-9600
Fax: (301) 570-9233

Catholic Charities
1 East Mt. Royal Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21202
Phone: (410) 659-4050
Fax: (410) 659-4060
Toll-Free: (800) CARE002

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Washington D.C.
11160 Veirs Mill Road
Suite 700
Wheaton, MD 20902
Phone: (301) 942-1856

Catholic Charities, Inc.
1405 Wesley Drive
Salisbury, MD 21801
Phone: (410) 749-1121
Fax: (410) 543-0510

Children's Choice
1103 Butterworth Court
Stevensville, MD 21666
Phone: (410) 643-9290
Fax: (410) 643-9293

Diakon Adoption Services
3805 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
Phone: (410) 261-2859  

Family Building Center
606 Baltimore Avenue
Suite 400
Towson, MD 21204-4903
Phone: (410) 296-5126
Fax: (410) 296-5128

Family and Children's Society
204 West Lanvale Street
Baltimore, MD 21217
Phone: (410) 669-9000
Fax: (410) 728-2972

International Children's Alliance (ICA)
8807 Colesville Drive
Third Floor
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone: (301) 495-9710
Fax: (301) 495-9790

Jewish Family Services - Adoption Alliances
6 Park Center Court
Suite 211
Owings Mills, MD 21117
Phone: (410) 581-1031
Fax: (410) 356-0103
Toll-Free: (800) 803-0170

Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
7410 New Hampshire Avenue
Tacoma Park, MD 20912
Phone: (301) 434-0080
Fax: (202) 723-3303

The Barker Foundation
7979 Old Georgetown Road
First Floor
Bethesda, MD 20814
Phone: (301) 664-9664
Fax: (301) 664-9604
Toll-Free: (800) 673-8489