For expectant parents, adoption provides an opportunity to ensure a bright future for your child and focus on your personal goals. For adoptive families, it’s a chance to fulfill your dream of parenthood. And at the heart of it all, adopted children gain the chance to grow up in a family full of love and opportunity.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about adoption in Madison. For more information, you can call 608-821-8220 or email aowinfo@adoptionsofwisconsin.com. You can also visit our office to speak to a social worker in person:

Madison

433 W. Washington Ave., Suite 300

Madison, WI 53703

608-821-8220

How to Put a Baby Up for Adoption in Madison

Choosing adoption is a brave and selfless decision. You’re putting your baby’s future above your own wants and needs. It’s not an easy choice, but it could be the best option for you and your baby.

If you want to move forward with adoption, here’s what the process involves:

  • Step 1: Contact our adoption agency. You can fill out our contact form to get free, unbiased counseling today.

  • Step 2: Create a personalized adoption plan. One of our social workers will help you create an adoption plan. This will contain information on what you’re looking for in an adoptive family, how much contact you’d like to have and more.

  • Step 3: Select an adoptive family. We have profiles of waiting families online that you can look through to find the perfect match for your baby.

  • Step 4: Give birth and consent to the adoption. You will control every aspect of your hospital stay, and you’ll have legal representation when you’re ready to terminate your parental rights.

  • Step 5: Adjust to life as a birth mother. You can take time to heal after placement, or you can start receiving updates right away. We’ll be by your side as you navigate what comes next.

Adoption Financial Assistance in Madison

If you’re placing your baby for adoption, the adoptive family you choose could cover the following expenses through our agency:

  • Counseling

  • Maternity clothes (up to $300)

  • Transportation for medical- or adoption-related appointments

  • Pregnancy and childbirth medical expenses

  • Living expenses (up to $5,000 if necessary)

  • Birthing classes

  • A small gift for you (up to $100)

How to Adopt a Baby in Madison

Adoption can help you fulfill your dream of parenthood. We’re here to guide you through every step of this life-changing journey and help you prepare for this important chapter in your life.

Here’s what the adoption process looks like:

  • Step 1: Reach out to our adoption agency in Madison. We’re licensed to complete home studies and facilitate adoptions, so we can handle every aspect of your adoption journey.

  • Step 2: Become an active family. Once your social worker approves your home study, you can create an adoptive family profile.

  • Step 3: Find an adoption opportunity. You’ll get one of the most exciting calls of your life when a pregnant woman chooses you as her baby’s adoptive family.

  • Step 4: Get to know the expecting parents. If the expectant parents want an open adoption, you can meet up to tell them more about yourself and ask questions about their vision for the baby’s future.

  • Step 5: Finalize the adoption. After your baby has been placed for six months, you can finalize the adoption in court.

Adoption Agencies in Madison

Depending on your family-building goals, you may want to work with a certain professional. Here are three different types of adoption agencies in Madison:

Types of Adoption in Madison

There are different types of adoption available. Here are four options you can consider as you pursue parenthood:

  • Infant adoption: You can welcome a newborn or infant into your family through a private domestic adoption agency.

  • Foster care adoption: There are older children, sibling groups and children with special needs available for adoption at foster care agencies.

  • International adoption: A Hague-accredited agency can help you adopt a child from another country.

  • Stepparent adoption: If you want to become a legal parent to your spouse’s children, this type of adoption can help you formalize that bond.

Adoption Laws in Madison

Various laws in Madison, Wisconsin, outline how the adoption should proceed and what each party’s rights are.

  • Adoption professionals: In Wisconsin, a licensed professional must facilitate your home study and adoption.

  • Financial assistance: Expectant parents in Wisconsin could receive financial assistance for specific pregnancy- and adoption-related expenses.

  • Birth fathers: Adoption usually requires consent from both birth parents unless a court has terminated one parent's rights or the parent has been absent for more than a year.

  • Consent to the adoption: After the baby is born, birth parents can terminate their parental rights and consent to the adoption.

  • ICPC: The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) law acts as a guide for interstate adoptions.

Adoption Requirements in Madison

There are no requirements for expectant parents to put a baby up for adoption. If you’re ready to move forward, we’ll help you get started. Remember: You’re not “giving up” on your baby — you’re giving them a brighter future.

If you’re hoping to adopt a baby, you will need to meet certain legal requirements:

  • Be at least 21 years old.

  • Be single or married for at least one year.

  • Have enough space in your home for a child.

  • Make enough to support your household.

  • Complete 25 hours of preadoption preparation, including six hours of in-person training and six hours focused on the child’s needs.

  • Complete a home study.

Madison Adoption Costs

If you want to adopt, the cost of private domestic adoption starts at $30,000. This total typically includes home study fees, legal fees, counseling services and other necessary expenses to facilitate the adoption.

We do not offer financial assistance for hopeful adoptive families. However, you can explore adoption grants, loans, fundraisers and other funding sources to help fulfill your dream of becoming a parent.

On the other hand, foster care fees are minimal because the state aims to remove barriers to finding stable, loving homes for children. Many older kids, sibling groups and children with special needs are available for immediate adoption.

Other Adoption Professionals in Madison

Here are some other adoption professionals you may need to work with in Madison:

  • Attorneys: Adoption attorneys in Madison manage the adoption legal process.

  • Home study agencies: We’re licensed to complete home studies in Wisconsin, so we can guide you through every step of the adoption process.

  • Adoption social workers: Our social workers provide counseling to expectant parents and work closely with hopeful adoptive couples to help them achieve their dream of parenthood.

  • Foster care services: We can refer you to a local foster care agency.

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Adoption can be an incredible journey that transforms lives. If you have any questions or are ready to start the process, call 608-821-8220 or email aowinfo@adoptionsofwisconsin.com for more information.