Adoption Agencies in Indiana

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

State Regulation of Adoption Expenses
Birth Parent Expenses Allowed
Citation: § 35-46-1-9(b)

Reasonable attorney fees
Hospital and medical costs
Reasonable expenses for counseling
Travel expenses and maternity clothes
Living expenses, including housing, utilities, and phone service, during the 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy, not to continue for more than 6 weeks after the child's birth
Lost wages if leaving a job is made necessary by medical complications of the pregnancy
Any additional living expenses, as approved by the court, but not in excess of $1,000

Birth Parent Expenses Not Allowed
Citation: § 35-46-1-9(b), (c)

Compensation for lost wages shall be offset by living expenses paid and any unemployment compensation to which mother is entitled.
Total expenses paid shall not exceed $3,000 unless approved by the court.
Payment of living expenses shall not extend beyond 6 weeks after the child's birth.

Allowable Payments for Arranging Adoption
Citation: § 35-46-1-9

Reasonable charges and fees levied by a licensed child placing agency or by a county office of family and children are permitted.

Allowable Payments for Relinquishing Child
Citation: § 35-46-1-9(a)

Except for expenses allowed, it is unlawful to transfer or receive property for waiving parental rights or consenting to adoption.

Accounting of Expenses Required by Court
Citation: § 35-46-1-9(c)

All fees and expenses paid must be disclosed to the court supervising the adoption.

Consent to Adoption
Who Must Consent to an Adoption
Citation: Ann. Code § 31-19-9-1

Written consent to adoption must be executed by the following:
Each living parent of a child born in wedlock
The mother of a child born out of wedlock and the father of a child who has established paternity
Each person, agency, or county office of family and children having lawful custody of the child
The court having jurisdiction of the custody of the child, if the legal guardian or custodian of the person of the child is not empowered to consent to the adoption
The spouse of the child to be adopted, if the child is married
A parent who is under age 18 may consent to an adoption without the concurrence of the individual's parents or guardian unless the court, in the court's discretion, determines that it is in the best interest of the child to be adopted to require the concurrence.

Age When Consent of Adoptee is Considered or Required
Citation: Ann. Code § 31-19-9-1

A child age 14 or older must consent to the adoption.

When Parental Consent is not Needed
Citation: Ann. Code §§ 31-19-9-8 to 31-19-9-10

Consent is not required from any of the following:

A parent who is adjudged to have abandoned the child for at least 6 months immediately prior to filing of the petition
A parent of a child in the custody of another person who fails for a period of at least 1 year to communicate significantly or provide for the care and support of the child when able to do so
A biological father of a child born out of wedlock who has not established paternity
A biological father of a child born out of wedlock whose child was conceived as a result of rape, child molesting, sexual misconduct with a minor, or incest
A putative father whose consent to adoption is irrevocably implied, who established paternity after an adoption petition was filed, or who failed to register with the putative father registry
A parent who has relinquished the right to consent or whose rights have been terminated
A parent judicially declared incompetent or mentally defective
A legal guardian who has unreasonably failed to consent to the adoption
A parent who has been found to be unfit
A biological father who had denied paternity before or after the birth of the child
Consent to adoption is not required from a parent if the parent is convicted of committing any of the crimes listed below and the victim is the child’s other parent:

Murder, causing suicide, or voluntary manslaughter
An attempt to commit a crime described above
A crime in another State that is substantially similar to a crime described above
Consent to adoption is not required from a parent if the parent is convicted of any of the following and the victim is another child of the parent:

Murder, causing suicide, or voluntary manslaughter
Rape, criminal deviate conduct, child molesting, or incest
Neglect of a dependent or battery

When Consent Can Be Executed
Citation: Ann. Code § 31-19-9-2

The consent to adoption may be executed at any time after the birth of the child. The child's mother may not execute a consent to adoption before the birth of the child.
The child's father may execute a consent to adoption before the birth of the child if the consent to adoption:

Is in writing
Is signed by the child's father in the presence of a notary public
Contains an acknowledgment that the consent to adoption is irrevocable and the child's father will not receive notice of the adoption proceedings

Revocation of Consent
Citation: Ann. Code §§ 31-19-9-2(d);31-19-10-3; 31-19-10-4

A child's father who consents to the adoption of the child prior to the child's birth may not challenge or contest the child's adoption.
A consent to adoption may be withdrawn no later than 30 days after consent to adoption is signed, if the court finds that the person seeking the withdrawal is acting in the best interest of the person sought to be adopted.

A consent to adoption may not be withdrawn after the entry of the adoption decree.

Rights of Presumed (Putative) Fathers
Registry/Paternity Requirements to Receive Notice
Citation: §§ 31-19-5-12; 31-19-5-10

The putative father may file before the child's birth, within 30 days after the child's birth, or within 30 days of the date of the filing of a petition for the child's adoption, whichever occurs later.
Registration requires a completed Department of Health form, signed by the putative father and notarized.

Please visit adoption law in Indiana for more details.

Yes, through both public and private adoption agencies.  For example, in 2004, Indiana had 2,561 children in the welfare system waiting to be adopted of whom 37 were under the age of 1 year, and 1,010 were between ages 1-5 years old. The actual number of children adopted through Indiana public child welfare agencies was 1,057, which represents only a small portion of the total number of all Indiana adoptions (exact numbers are not available at this time).

Remember that while you may be a resident of Indiana, you are not limited to adopting a child from Indiana.  You can adopt a child born in Indiana, 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 Indiana, 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 Support Center, Inc.
6331 Carrollton Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46220
Phone: (317) 255-5916
Fax: (317) 253-8838
Toll-Free: (800) 274-1084

Adoptions of Indiana, Inc.
1980 East 116th Street
Suite 325
Carmel, IN 46032
Phone: (317) 574-8950
Fax: (317) 574-8971
Toll-Free: (888) 573-0122

Baptist Children's Home and Family Ministries, Inc. (BCH)
354 West Street
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Phone: (219) 462-4111
Fax: (219) 464-9540

Bethany Christian Services (BCS)
5650 Caito Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46226-1346
Phone: (317) 568-1000
Fax: (317) 541-4646
Toll-Free: (800) 723-6784

Catholic Charities - Diocese of Gary
1128 Broadway
Gary, IN 46407
Phone: (219) 886-3565

Catholic Charities - Diocese of Gary
321 West 11th Street
Michigan City, IN 46360
Phone: (219) 879-9312

Catholic Charities of Evansville
Court Building, Suite 603
123 NW Fourth Street
Evansville, IN 47708
Phone: (812) 423-5456
Fax: (812) 423-4392

Center for Family Building, Inc. (CFB)
8231 Hohman Avenue
Suite 200, #3
Munster, IN 46321
Phone: (219) 836-0163
Toll-Free: (800) 869-1005 (Birth Mothers)

Childplace, Inc.
2420 Highway 62
Jeffersonville, IN 47130
Phone: (812) 282-8248
Fax: (812) 282-3291
Toll-Free: (800) 787-9084

Children's Bureau of Indianapolis, Inc.
615 North Alabama Street
Suite 426
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: (317) 264-2700
Fax: (317) 264-2714

Children's Bureau/Family Place
3801 North Temple Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46205
Phone: (317) 545-5281
Fax: (317) 547-6378

Compassionate Care General Baptist Family & Childrens Ministries, Inc.
RR 3 PO Box 12B
Highway 64 West, Wilder Center
Oakland City, IN 47660
Phone: (812) 749-4152
Fax: (812) 749-8190
Toll-Free: (800) 749-4153

Greater Love Adoption Decision, Inc. (G.L.A.D., Inc.)
PO Box 9105
5000 First Avenue
Evansville, IN 47724
Phone: (812) 424-4523
Fax: (812) 424-3180

Independent Adoption Center (IAC)
8122 Madison Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46227
(317) 887-2015
Toll-Free: (800) 877-6736

LDS Family Services, Inc.
3333 Founders Road
Suite 200
Indianapolis, IN 46268
Phone: (317) 872-1749
Fax: (317) 872-1756
Toll-Free: (800) 537-2229

Loving Option, Inc.
1001 South Clark Ave
Bluffton, IN 46714
Phone: (260) 824-9077
Fax: (260) 824-9507
Toll-Free: (800) 924-9077

Lutheran Child and Family Services
1525 North Ritter Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46219
Phone: (317) 359-5467
Fax: (317) 322-4095

Lutheran Social Services of Indiana (LSSI)
330 Madison Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
Phone: (260) 426-3347
Fax: (260) 424-2248
Toll-Free: (888) 72A-DOPT

Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth of America (SAFY)
2809 West Godman Avenue, #1
Muncie, IN 47304
Phone: (765) 287-8477

St. Elizabeth l Coleman Pregnancy and Adoption Services
2500 Churchman Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46203
Phone: (317) 787-3412
Fax: (317) 787-0482
Toll-Free: (800) 499-9113

St. Elizabeth's Regional Maternity Center
601 East Market Street
New Albany, IN 47150
Phone: (812) 949-7305
Fax: (812) 941-7008
Toll-Free: (800) 227-3002

Sunny Ridge Family Center, Inc.
900 Ridge Road
Suite H
Munster, IN 46321
Phone: (219) 836-2117
Fax: (219) 836-2621

The Villages, Inc. (The Villages)
2405 North Smith Pike
Bloomington, IN 47404
Phone: (317) 273-7575
Fax: (317) 273-7565
Toll-Free: (800) 874-6880

If you are looking for a child adoption agency simply click the link below for the state to see a list of the adoption agencies in that state.

Why You Need an Adoption Consultant

There are many risks when you go to adopt a child including losing a child after you have already taken them home (referred to as a disruption), loosing all of the money you have invested in the adoption if the birth mother changes her mind, or finding that there are previously unknown or undisclosed fees that may appear. Dr Berger has helped thousands of  adopting families with domestic adoptions and international adoptions and he is available to assist you no matter what type of adoption you chose to pursue and regardless of whether you work with an adoption agency, facilitator or adoption attorney.  He can help you save your  time, effort and money in helping you to decide what routes to take and the best way to achieve your goal of adopting a child. He can help reduce your risks and potential pain and can help you avoid many of the problems and pitfalls found in the adoption process. You can read and download his free adoption manual or, for more information on how he can help you, please visit his Adoption Consultant link or contact him by phone (1-800-943-0400) or email.

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