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Closing Adoption & Foster Care

Catholic Family Service will be closing Adoption and Foster Care Services as of July 1st, 2010.

It is with heaviness of heart that we have come to the difficult decision to discontinue our adoption and foster care services this year.

We have been very reluctant to close our adoption and foster care programs as they have been provided by our agency for many, many years, serving thousands of parents and children. Even in light of declines in demands for services over recent years, we remained determined to do all that was possible to strengthen and revive these services with the hope of renewing their sustainability. We are very proud of our excellent staff under the capable leadership of Holly Campidilli, and her supportive team: Gail Herskovitz, Stephanie Fjetland, Kristen Key, Cecilia Bauer, and of all those who have worked diligently over the years to provide quality services for both our adoptive and foster families and children that Catholic Family Service has served.

Although we will no longer actively provide adoption and foster care services, we will ensure that those who seek our assistance are referred to agencies that hold similar beliefs and ethics to our own.

We are now working in collaboration with Catholic Charities in Dallas and their excellent Maternity and Adoption Programs. If you are currently looking for assistance with adoption or maternity services please contact Maternity and Adoption Program at Catholic Charities in Dallas.

Regarding Post Adoption Services:

After September 1, 2010, all adoption records will be moved to Catholic Charities in Dallas who will provide post adoption services to all members of the CFS adoption triad. Please be assured that this does not mean that your access to the records will be lost. Upon request, adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents may obtain services from that agency.

Due to the time it will take for us to properly transfer our files to Catholic Charities in Dallas we will be unable to process any new post adoption inquiries after May 25th, 2010. Please forgive us for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Once the records have been moved, you may contact:

Linda Christianson
214-526-2772 x112

Catholic Charities of Dallas
9461 LBJ Freeway, Suite 110
Dallas, TX 75243

If you would like to be notified by mail when the records have been relocated to Dallas, you may send an email to cfs@cfsama.com. Please include your name (including the name we would have on record for you) and your mailing address.

Birth Parents

As a Birth Parent You Can:

select the family you feel most comfortable with.
view photo albums, can have phone conversations, as well as face to face meetings.
agree with the adoptive parents on the amount and type of contact you both want following the placement of the child in the new home.

Adoption Myths

Common Myths About Giving Your Child For Adoption

I will not see my baby once it's born—you have as much say as you would like in how everything goes at the hospital.
I am selling my baby if I place it for adoption—you should never be offered money in exchange for placing your child for adoption. An agency should help you with medical and living expenses which are necessary.
I will never know how the baby is—you can receive pictures, videos, letters (sometimes even visits) as often as you feel is necessary to ease your mind.

Adoption Story

(The names in this and all the stories have been changed to protect the identities of our clients.)

One day, a 17-year old girl named Mindy showed up at CFS toting a diaper bag and a car seat. She stepped into the office of the adoption case manager and told her that she tried to be a mother to her baby for two months, but she realized it was just too much for her. She wanted to know her child was safe, but also wanted to go on with her life as a teenager. Then she pushed back the blanket covering the car seat to reveal a beautiful baby boy. After a long discussion explaining adoption, Mindy was shown a number of photos and profiles of potential parents waiting to adopt. The first one was the one she read most intensely. Then she read through the others, finally going back to the first one, deciding that this was the couple that was meant to adopt her baby. The adoption case manager took the file from her hands and saw that it was John and Nora.
The case manager picked up the phone and called John and Nora. It was a huge moment for everyone. You see, John and Nora had been trying to have a baby for 13 years, and after careful consideration, they decided to look into adopting. In September, they came to CFS and went through the process to become adoptive parents. During that meeting, they all realized that they were there for the same reason: to give a good home to this beautiful baby boy. By the next day, the baby was heading home in the arms of John and Nora. Mindy hears from them frequently, and eagerly reads the letters and looks at the photos. She loves knowing that her baby is loved and cared for. John and Nora never forget to thank her for blessing them with the baby they had wanted for so long.
At CFS, we are strong advocates of open adoption and have been facilitating open adoptions for many years. Giving control to our clients allows them to make the best determination for themselves in all aspects of adoption. The agency acts as an educator, mediator, and facilitator while the clients negotiate and work out their adoption plan together.

Adoption: A Handful of Hope, Suzanne Arms, Alfred A. Knophe Inc., New York, 1990 (400 + pages, a relation of adoption experiences emphasizing importance of open adoption alternatives)

Adoption without Fear, James Gritter, 1989, Corona Publishing. (A collection of open adoption experiences written by the families who had the experience.)

An Open Adoption, Caplan

Beating the Adoption Game, Cynthia D. Martin, Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, New York, 1988. (A good introduction to adoption practices in USA as of 1988, especially independent adoption.)

Children of Open Adoption, Kathleen Silber and Patricia Dorner, 1989, Corona Publishing. (Experiences of children growing up in open adoptions.)

Dear Birthmother, Kathleen Silber & Phyllis Speedlin, 1983, Corona Publishing. (An introduction to the birthmother's experience and the four myths of adoption.)

Open Adoption: A Caring Option, Jeanne Warren Lindsay, Morning Glory Press, 1987. (An orientation to Open Adoption.)

Parents, Pregnant Teens and the Adoption Option, Jeanne Warren Lindsay, Morning Glory Press, 1989. (A book oriented to the parents of children who have unplanned pregnancies - group therapy for birth grandparents.)

Raising Adopted Children, Lois Ruskai Melina, Harper & Row, 1986.

The Adoption Triangle, Sorosky, Baran & Pannor, 1984, Corona Publishing. (An adoption classic.)

The Private Adoption Handbook, Stanley B. Michelman, Villard Press, 1989. (A guide for independent adoption with a manipulative approach to birth families.)

The Wedded Unmother, Karen M. Halvesson, Kaye with Hess, Augsberg, 1980. (The struggle of infertility.)

The Open Adoption Experience, Lois Ruskai Melina & Sharon Kaplan Roszia, 1993, Harper Perennial. Addresses the issues and concerns of adoptive and birth families through all stages of the open adoption relationship.

Secret Thoughts of an Adoptive Mother, by Jana Wolff.

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