What types of adoptions are available in Texas?
Texas permits both private and agency adoptions. • Private Adoptions: Private adoptions are often referred to as independent adoptions. This type of adoption is the most common. In an independent adoption, it is the prospective adoptive parents who locate a birth mother who is willing to place her child for adoption. Another type of private adoption is where a step-parent wants to adopt the child of his or her spouse. In order for this to occur, the parental rights of the other biological parent must be terminated first. • Agency Adoptions: In an agency adoption, prospective adoptive parents apply with an agency and wait for the agency to select them to adopt a certain child. The agency itself locates a birth mother wanting to give her child up for adoption to a loving family. The agency acts as an intermediary between the birth parents and the adoptive couple. The agency should make all of the necessary arrangements to facilitate the adoption.
