Adoption Support Groups in Arkansas
For Adopting Families

If you are a pregnant woman please visit pregnancy support groups.

If you are a birth mother please visit adoption support groups for birth mothers in Arkansas.

If you are an adopting family looking for support groups in Arkansas you are in the right place.

We understand there are many reasons that you may be looking for support groups. To better assist you and make sure your questions and concerns are addressed, in addition to listing the adoption support groups for Arkansas listed at the bottom of the page, we have provided additional resource information that we feel you may be looking for.  To find more information on these subjects, simply click the blue links.

Among the most common things you, as an adopting family, may be looking for is information on "how to adopt a child" whether to use an adoption facilitator, whether to engage in a private adoption or adoption agency, the limitations and requirements for adoption, what to consider in selecting an adoption agency, where to find licensed adoption agencies in Arkansas, and the laws relating to what you can and cannot do when adopting a child in Arkansas.

Understanding the child adoption laws in Arkansas can greatly increase your chances of successfully adopting a child. Important legal concerns include the giving of support or gifts to a birth mother or birth father, fees paid to an adoption agency, attorney, or other intermediary, the legality of using an adoption facilitator, the legal rights of the birth parents and the adopting family, and the critical issues of a disruption and the ending the biological parental rights (called a Consent, Relinquishment or Surrender).  For example, using our most recent update, in Arkansas:

*Birth Parent expenses allowed are as follows:
Expenses incurred in connection with the birth of the child
Fees related to the adoption or placement of the child
Medical or hospital care received by the mother or minor child
Fees charged by all attorneys

*The petitioner must file a full accounting report of all expenses incurred or agreed to, and file a signed, sworn affidavit that all expenses have been truthfully listed.

*Consent to adoption shall be executed any time after the birth of the child. A consent to adoption cannot be withdrawn after the entry of a decree of adoption.

You may be looking for the differences in the waiting period, effort, cost, and success rates involved in adopting children within your state or in other states (domestic adoption) or even from other countries (international adoption) in order to determine which type of adoption will work for you.  Some specific choices you may want to consider, as the waiting lists tend to be shorter, are special needs adoption, bi-racial and trans-racial adoption, and older children (generally from one to 15 years of age) from the Arkansas child welfare and foster care systems. The more open you are in the type and age of child you are looking to adopt the better your chances of success. You should also decide before contacting an adoption agency whether you want an open adoption or closed adoption.

In addition to the adoption support groups shown below, there are many sources of help available to you in Arkansas. For example, we are always happy to take your calls and offer you help and information (contact us). There are local and private as well as state and federal government resources that can provide financial and medical information and help.  Arkansas also has the Arkansas adoption exchange or photo listing program and an Arkansas adoption contact  office.

You may also be looking for information on special problems in raising an adopted child and being the best possible parent you can be. This may include explaining adoption to your child, family, friends and others. It could also include dealing with special emotional and developmental issues, or adoption and school problems, or issues involving adoption therapy and finding a therapist who specializes in working with adopted children and their families. Then again you may be looking for information on infant nutrition or birth records or one of a myriad of other questions.

American Adoption Congress is composed of individuals, families and organizations committed to adoption reform.

Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption (FRUA) is for families who have adopted, or are in the process of adoption, from Russia and former Soviet Union countries.

Families with Children from China is a non-denominational organization of families who have adopted children from China.

Guatemala Adoptive Families Network initiates and supports the adoption of Guatemalan children.

National Adoption Center attempts to facilitate the adoption of children in the U. S., particularly children with special needs and those from minority cultures.

North American Council on Adoptable Children is committed to meeting the needs of waiting children and the families who adopt them.

Our Chinese Daughters Foundation (OCDF) is a non-profit foundation that supports families with children adopted from China.

Resolve is dedicated to providing education, advocacy, and support to those who face infertility.

The Child Welfare Information Gateway provides information on all aspects of both domestic and international adoption.

AFACT and North American Council on Adoptable Children
17 McKee Circle
North Little Rock, AR 72116
Phone: (501) 372-3300

Families Are Special, Inc
2200 Main Street
North Little Rock, AR 72114
Phone: (501) 785-9184

Families are Special
805 S. Claremont Ave
Sherwood, AR 72120
Phone: 501-983-9069

River Valley Adoption Group
1005 W. 18th Terrace
Russellville, AR 72801
Phone: 501-967-1641

Yuma Parent Support Group
103 East 24th Street
Yuma, AR 85364
Phone: (928) 344-8800

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