Legal Definitions - adoption agency

An adoption agency is a licensed establishment where a biological parent can voluntarily surrender a child for adoption. This means that if a parent is unable or unwilling to care for their child, they can give up their parental rights and allow another family to adopt and raise the child as their own.

For example, if a teenage mother is unable to provide for her newborn baby, she may choose to give the baby up for adoption through an adoption agency. The agency will then work to find a suitable family to adopt the baby and provide them with a loving home.

Adoption creates a parent-child relationship between the adopted child and the adoptive parents with all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities that attach to that relationship. This means that the adoptive parents have the same legal rights and responsibilities as biological parents, such as making decisions about the child's education and healthcare.

It's important to note that adoption is different from fostering, which is a temporary arrangement where a child is placed in the care of a foster family while their biological parents work to improve their situation.