Adoption Connection: The Iowa Center for Adoption

Adoption Connection is a fully licensed child-placement agency in Ankeny, Iowa. We are a non-traditional, non-denominational agency. Our staff members are caring and experienced professionals dedicated to creating adoption connections that meet the needs of the individuals involved in a safe, secure and compassionate way. Our mission is to offer a healthy, loving alternative for unplanned pregnancies and to provide permanent family placements for children through adoption. Our adoption services are offered without regard to age, ethnic origin, religion, marital status, physical characteristics or disability or number of children in the home. All of our client services are individualized to best meet the needs of those involved in each adoption plan. Open, semi-open and closed adoptions are all available.

Here are the basics of how the overall adoption process works: By law, all prospective adoptive families are carefully screened in a pre-placement “home study” and must be approved by a licensed provider like Adoption Connection before a child can be placed with them. At Adoption Connection, prospective adoptive families take an adoption preparation class to learn about developmental milestones for adopted children, talking to their child about their adoption story, creating positive self-esteem about birth families, and more. Prospective adoptive families create their family “profile” for viewing by expectant and birth parents. Expectant and birth parents typically choose the family for their child as part of their adoption plan before or after the child is born. Adoption plans may be closed, open and semi-open adoption plans depending on the wishes of the placing parents. After the child is born, the parental rights of the birth parents are voluntarily terminated in court so the child can later be adopted. Adoption Connection provides ongoing support for birth parents as long as needed after this process is completed. Ongoing updates about the child are also available to all birth parents if desired. Once a child begins living with their new family, Adoption Connection “supervises” for at least 6 months. Older children may require more time to adjust so not all adoptions are finalized exactly after 6 months. When all post-placement requirements are met, Adoption Connection provides a ‘consent’ for the family to adopt the child legally through a court process. In Iowa, court records of termination and adoption are confidential and sealed after each step is completed. Adoption Connection services are also confidential and no identifying information about you can be shared without your consent. Adoptive families placed through Adoption Connection have an agreed communication plan to provide pictures and updates on their child after adoption fo