Pact, An Adoption Alliance

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Adopting Through Pact

How long does it take?
What does it cost?
Who are the children Pact places?
Can I specify that I want a biracial child?
Does Pact work with adoptive families outside of California?
Does Pact work with adoptive families who live in Oregon or New York?
Does Pact work with families who live outside of the U.S.?
Does Pact work with LGBT families?
Does Pact work with single parents?
Does Pact work with adoptive parents who are over 50 years of age?
Does Pact place older children, or sibling groups, or children with special needs?
What if I want to get started right away?

How long does it take?
African American couples or interracial couples with one African American member who are looking to adopt a child of African American descent (full or mixed) or Latino (Spanish speaking) families looking to adopt a Latino baby are generally matched with an expectant parent within six months or less. Couples of other races who are ready to adopt an infant of African American heritage (if there are no special reasons why it might be difficult for a birth mother to choose them) can expect to be a parent within a year. Those families seeking a Latino, Asian, or multiracial child, can expect the process to take a year or longer.

What does it cost?
Adoptions facilitated through Pact typically cost between $10,000 to $15,000, over and above Pact's fee (which is on a 6-step sliding scale that ranges from $1000 to $8000, based on family income). The expenses that are covered within this budget (other than Pact fees) include: homestudy and agency placement fees, attorneys' fees, travel costs, and birth parent expenses.

Who are the children Pact places?
The children Pact works with in our placement program are infants of color. The vast majority of them (85%) are healthy, with no known medical problems, no in utero drug exposure, and minimal cigarette or alcohol use during pregnancy. Fifty one percent of the babies placed by Pact in 2004-2005 have beenAfrican American; 32%multiracial; 13%of Latino descent and 4% of Asian descent.

Can I specify that I want a biracial child?
Pact does place biracial and multiracial children. However, you should be aware that, depending on your current family's racial make-up, adopting a biracial child can make racial identity and parenting issues more - not less - complex. At Pact we believe that when white families adopt biracial children who are half white, the adopting parents need to address the racial identity needs of their child in the same way they would if they had adopted a monoracial child of another race. Pact offers pre-adoption consults to help families educate themselves about issues of race and adoption before making the decision about what race child to adopt, whether they plan to use Pact's placement services or not. We also have many resources available on this website to help you as you think this decision through.

Does Pact work with adoptive families outside of California?
Yes, Pact works with adoptive families from across the country (with the exception of families who live in Oregon and New York - see below).

Does Pact work with adoptive families who live in Oregon or New York?
Although we have worked successfully in the past with a few families from these states, their adoption laws prohibit families from adopting directly through our organization because we are not a licensed agency. We are not currently accepting new families from these states but we will send you a packet of information about our other programs.

Does Pact work with families who live outside of the U.S.?
Pact is not able to provide adoption services to families who live outside of the U.S., whether or not they are U.S. citizens. In the past, we provided services to residents of Canada, but we no longer do so.

Does Pact work with LGBT families?
We have worked with many lesbian and gay parents who have adopted and parented children with great success. Often, people who have experienced prejudice of one kind are better prepared to handle it in another form. Children who have grown up with gay and lesbian parents have told us that they felt their parents were more accepting and unbiased about racial and adoption issues, having already faced so much prejudice themselves. It is our belief that we live in a homophobic world. Many people in this day and age do not approve of LGBT parents. Nonetheless, we insist upon complete honesty and openness in the adoption process. We do not agree with the practice advocated by some adoption professionals of hiding a parent's sexual orientation. We ask all birth parents who choose to place their children for adoption whether or not they want to consider a non-traditional family, and all placements with LGBT parents are done with everyone's full knowledge and consent.

Does Pact work with single parents?
Yes, we have worked with many single moms and some single dads in the past. Generally, single parents can expect to wait longer for a placement. If they are open to adopting any race child, it can take a year to 18 months for them to bring a new child into their family.

Does Pact work with adoptive parents who are over 50 years of age?
Generally, expectant parents placing newborns have a range of younger families to choose from, and don't select couples where both parents are 50 or older. There are many difficult questions raised for the child when a newborn is placed with an older couple, or older single adult, especially if they are first time parents. Given that there are usually several other younger potential parents waiting, we question whether placing a baby with parents 50 and older is fair to the child. In those circumstances where we have a great deal of difficulty recruiting families for a particular child, and the choice is between older parents or foster care, the decision is very different. But that happens very rarely in our work. The high level of activity that even the calmest young child demands asks a lot of parents, physically and emotionally. Most first time parents, no matter their age, are not fully prepared for the changes and enormous energy young children require. For those who have lived a long period of their life without children, the transition that this requires and the loss of their own independence can be even more challenging. And then, of course, older parents will be facing the emotionally taxing task of raising an adopted teen when they are in their mid-sixties. Finally, it is more likely that the young adopted adult -- who, remember, already lost his or her birth family -- will be facing the loss of their parents when they are in their twenties or thirties instead of forties or fifties like many of their peers. Even if their parents live to an older age, these young people may be put in the position of dealing with issues of elder care at a time when they are just setting out in life as adults. We urge parents who are fifty or older to seriously consider whether or not their decision serves the best interest of a newborn. Whatever you decide, if you adopt, we will be happy to have you and your child(ren) participate in our post-placement support programs for families.

Does Pact place older children, or sibling groups, or children with special needs?
The majority of the placements Pact facilitates are of newborn babies, but from time to time we hear about older children, sibling groups or children with special needs who are in need of forever families. If you have a completed home study and would like us to contact you when we hear about such cases, please let us know. This listing is a free service. We list ten families at a time, rotating families through in the order they send their materials to us. Of course if you decide you also want to consider infant placements you can become a full client and be considered by all the birth parents and agencies we work with. Our client fees are explained in the packet you will receive by mail.

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