By Colleen M. Quinn, Esq.

I. The Home Study What is it? Assessment of the person(s) seeking to adopt Done by local licensed child-placement or adoption agency Usually about $2000 -$2500, “sliding scale” often the norm Typically requires: Criminal record check and child protection services (CPS) clearances for all adults in the household Medical clearance Medical, educational, vocational, mental health histories Financial wherewithal Recommendations from non-relatives Agency must “certify” or recommend that the person(s) is/are suitable to adopt Certification or Read More

Question 1: Can we as Virginia residents pay an attorney out in California his fee to match us with a birth mom or find us a child to adopt? Answer: No that is an illegal and unlawful payment that could subject you to a Class 6 felony charge in Virginia. Question 2: Can we as Virginia residents pay “We Will Find you a Baby Adoptions” a fee to match us with a Read More

A personhood bill has been introduced in VA -- Washington Post this morning says they are going to try to push it through while there are Republican majorities in both houses. The bill provides that "unborn children at every stage of development enjoy all the rights, privileges, and immunities available to other persons, citizens, and residents of the commonwealth, subject only to the laws and constitutions of Virginia and the United Read More

Click here to download this as a PDF > She has four children of her own, ages 2, 4, 6 and 8. "All my pregnancies have been easy for me. I love being pregnant. I wanted to give a family to someone who couldn't have one otherwise," Mathews said. She found an agency online called the National Adoption and Surrogacy Center based in Washington, D.C. "I was introduced to several families and finally found one that Read More