Catholic Charities?

Zaphina

I was just wondering if anyone has used Catholic Charities, or what your experiences have been with this group? My husband and I are having a meeting with our local CC group the beginning of next month. This will be our first foray into adoption information gathering outside of DCF. Also, does anyone have any advice on questions we should be asking them? Thanks!

samiammantha

Our son was placed with us through Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada in February.  The experience has been absolutely wonderful.  We could not be happier with the process. After he is finalized, we'd like to do it again with them.

I've been told, though, that each branch is its own entity.  

The first few questions we asked were about religion, as DH and I do not practice.  It wasn't a problem.  Our branch's philosophy is to do what's in the best interest of the child.  I'd inquire about how many placements they make each year and inquire about their waiting list. 

Good luck!  

Zaphina

Thanks for the info! I'm glad you had such a good experience with them! We're in Connecticut. I heard about Catholic Charities from my mom's friend, as her husband was adopted from CC about 45 years ago. I hope our local group is equally helpful

bumpuser794640

We will be going through Catholic Charities for our domestic infant adoption.  Our local office (Dallas) is pretty small, and you get very individualized service, as far as I can tell.

Lemmen

We are in a similar spot in our adoption process. Thanks for posting this question!

I just called our diocese of Catholic Services to get some information. We just had our DCF orientation, and I'm interested to see how the two programs compare.  I couldn't find much information on the CC website. Does anyone have a rough estimate of the costs involved with CC?

Thanks! 

Zaphina

According to the paperwork i got from my local CC, the costs are on a sliding scale based on your income from anywhere between $7,000 - $20,000. The home study thing is $1,500, which is separate. Not sure if those are the same for all CC or not. Good luck!

Lemmen

Zaphina:

According to the paperwork i got from my local CC, the costs are on a sliding scale based on your income from anywhere between $7,000 - $20,000. The home study thing is $1,500, which is separate. Not sure if those are the same for all CC or not. Good luck!

 Thanks! 

samiammantha

Each "section" was X amount and the placement cost was based upon our income.  Plus, we have to factor in legal costs for finalization.  I expected it to be super pricey, but when all was said and done, it ought to be under $25,000.

The agency ought to provide you with the pricing information very soon after you begin discussions with them.  

Lemmen

samiammantha:

Each "section" was X amount and the placement cost was based upon our income.  Plus, we have to factor in legal costs for finalization.  I expected it to be super pricey, but when all was said and done, it ought to be under $25,000.

The agency ought to provide you with the pricing information very soon after you begin discussions with them.  

Thanks for the info!

Trippleb

Hope it's okay that I respond (not a regular here).  I got married later in life and suspected that we might have problem TTC on our own right from the beginning.  I was 38 when I contacted our local CC about adoption.  I am a practicing Catholic and I was married in the Catholic Church.  I was told there was a 2 - 4 yr waiting list for domestic infant adoption.  The cutoff age is 40.  I asked if we got on the list at age 38, but didn't get placed within 2 years, what would happen?  I was told that regardless of my time on the waiting list, once I reached 40 I would no longer be eligible for domestic infant adoption.   That was and still is a tough pill for me to swallow.   Just wanted to throw that out there incase you are anywhere near my age.  

They would work immediately with us if we were interested in international adoption.  Of course the expenses are much higher and from what I understand it's not possible to adopt a newborn internationally.   Just something to ask about if you contact them.

GulfCoaster

Another thing to keep in mind is that each diocese or archdiocese operates its Catholic Charities agency independently.  Try to find some people in your area who've used your local Catholic Charities, too -- to make sure that the references you're getting are applicable to your local agency.

Good luck!

Zaphina

Thanks, everyone!