Adoption Agencies in West Virgina

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

Use of Intermediaries/Facilitators in Adoptive Placements
Citation: Ann. Code § 48-22-803

Any person or agency who knowingly offers, gives, or agrees to give to another person, and any person who receives, accepts, or offers to accept, money, property, service or other thing of value in consideration for the recipient's locating, providing, or procuring a minor child for any purpose that entails a transfer of the legal or physical custody of said child, including, but not limited to, adoption or placement, is guilty of a felony.

A child whose parent, guardian, or custodian has sold or attempted to sell said child in violation of this article may be deemed an abused child. The court may place such a child in the custody of the department of health and human resources or with such other responsible person as the best interests of the child dictate.

This section does not prohibit the payment or receipt of the following:

Fees paid for reasonable and customary services provided by the department of health and human resources or any licensed or duly authorized adoption or child-placing agency
Reasonable and customary legal, medical, hospital, or other expenses incurred in connection with the pregnancy, birth, and adoption proceeding
Fees and expenses included in any agreement in which a woman agrees to become a surrogate mother
Any fees or charges authorized by law or approved by a court in a proceeding relating to the placement plan, prospective placement, or placement of a minor child for adoption

State Regulation of Adoption Expenses
Birth Parent Expenses Allowed
Citation: § 48-22-803(e)

Reasonable and customary legal, medical, hospital, or other expenses incurred in connection with the pregnancy, birth, and adoption proceedings
Any other fees authorized by law or approved by the court

Birth Parent Expenses Not Allowed
Citation: § 48-22-803(e)

Any fees not authorized by law or approved by the court

Allowable Payments for Arranging Adoption
Citation: § 48-22-803

It is unlawful for any person or entity to offer, give, or agree to give payments for providing or procuring a child for the purpose of adoption.

Accounting of Expenses Required by Court
Citation: § 48-22-803(f)

At the final hearing, an affidavit of any fees and expenses paid or promised to be paid shall be submitted to the court.

Consent to Adoption
Who Must Consent to an Adoption
Citation: Ann. Code §§ 48-22-301; 49-3-1

Consent to or relinquishment for adoption of a minor child is required of:
The parents or surviving parent, whether adult or infant, of a marital child
The outsider father of a marital child who has been adjudicated to be the father of the child or who has filed a paternity action that is pending at the time of the filing of the petition for adoption
The birth mother, whether adult or minor, of a nonmarital child
The determined father
If all persons entitled to parental rights of the child are deceased or have been deprived of the custody of the child by law, then consent or relinquishment is required of the legal guardian or of any other person having legal custody of the child at the time. If there is no legal guardian or any person who has legal custody of the child, then consent or relinquishment is required from some discreet and suitable person appointed by the court to act as the next friend of the child in the adoption proceedings.

Whenever a child welfare agency licensed to place children for adoption or the department of health and human resources has been given the permanent legal and physical custody of any child and the rights of the mother and the rights of the legal, determined, putative, outside, or unknown father of the child have been terminated by order of a court of competent jurisdiction or by a legally executed relinquishment of parental rights, the child welfare agency or the department may consent to the adoption of the child.

Age When Consent of Adoptee is Considered or Required
Citation: Ann. Code § 48-22-301

If the child to be adopted is age 12 or older, the consent of the child is required to be given in the presence of a judge of a court of competent jurisdiction, unless for extraordinary cause, the requirement of such consent is waived by the court.

When Parental Consent is not Needed
Citation: Ann. Code § 48-22-301

Consent or relinquishment shall not be required of a parent or of any other person having custody of the child:

Whose parental rights have been terminated
Whom the court finds has abandoned the child
Who, in a stepparent adoption, is the birth parent or adoptive parent of the child and is married to the petitioning adoptive parent
If the mother, legal father, or determined father is under disability, the court may order the adoption if it finds:

The parental rights of the person are terminated, abandoned, or permanently relinquished.
The person is incurably insane.
The disability arises solely because of age and an otherwise valid consent or relinquishment has been given.

When Consent Can Be Executed
Citation: Ann. Code § 48-22-302

No consent or relinquishment may be executed before the expiration of 72 hours after the birth of the child to be adopted.

Rights of Presumed (Putative) Fathers
Registry/Paternity Requirements to Receive Notice
Citation: §§ 48-22-601(a); 49-3-1(b)(3)

The putative father is entitled to notice of adoption proceedings if he is claiming to be the father, and his paternity of the child has been established.
Notice also is given to a putative father who has asserted or exercised parental rights and duties within 6 months of the child's birth, if he knew the whereabouts of the child.

Please visit adoption law in West Virginia for more details.

Yes, through both public and private adoption agencies.  For example, in 2004, West Virginia had 1,002 children in the welfare system waiting to be adopted of whom 44 were under the age of 1 year, and 295 were between ages 1-5 years old. The actual number of children adopted through West Virginia public child welfare agencies was only 384, which represents only a small portion of the total number of all West Virginia adoptions (exact numbers are not available at this time). 

Remember that while you may be a resident of West Virginia, you are not limited to adopting a child from West Virginia.  You can adopt a child born in West Virginia, 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 West Virginia, 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 Services, Inc.
Route 1 Box 675
Berkley Springs, WV 25411
Phone: (717) 737-3960
Fax: (717) 731-0157
Toll-Free: (800) 943-0400

Adoptions From The Heart
PO Box 2057
Beaver, WV 25813
Phone: (304) 763-5400
Fax: (304) 763-5201
Toll-Free: (800) 355-5500

Burlington United Methodist Family Services
RR3
Box 346A
Grafton, WV 26354
Phone: (304) 265-1338
Fax: (304) 757-9136

Burlington United Methodist Family Services
RR 3
Box 3122
Keyser, WV 26726
Phone: (304) 788-2342
Fax: (304) 788-2409

Burlington United Methodist Family Services
RR3, Box 3122
Keyser, WV 26726
Phone: (304) 788-2342
Fax: (304) 788-2409

Children's Home Society of West Virginia
165 Scott Avenue
Suite 106
Morgantown, WV 26508
Phone: (304) 284-0992
Toll-Free: (866) 700-4292

Children's Home Society of West Virginia
PO Box 2942
Charleston, WV 25330
Phone: (304) 345-3894
Fax: (304) 345-3899
Toll-Free: (800) 854-1544

Children's Home Society of West Virginia
PO Box 5533
1805 Honaker Avenue
Princeton, WV 24740
Phone: (304) 431-2424

Children's Home Society of West Virginia
815 West King Street
Suite 200
Martinsburg, WV 25401
Phone: (304) 264-0225
Toll-Free: (877) 837-5814