Can I give up my child to the State of Florida?
Let’s start with the “why” you feel you should “give up your child.” The “why” can determine how you move forward. Are you and your child in danger? Does your child have special needs you do not feel you can handle? Do you feel financially or emotionally underwater? Are you facing incarceration? Has your partner left you and the child, and you don’t feel you can parent on your own? There are many reasons a parent decides they can no longer parent.
Your first step is to talk to an adoption coordinator, social worker, or counselor. These individuals are trained to help you understand all of your options and provide the help and resources you and your child need. If you and your child can improve your situation with some professional help and stay together, that is ideal.
If staying together is not a good option, then you have some choices. First, let’s not think of it as “giving up your child to the state of Florida.” You are being a loving and responsible parent in working towards placing your child in a safe and loving home. If possible, you want to maintain as much control in deciding where your child will be placed. If the state has decided that it is in the best interest of the child to be removed from your care or if you choose to place your child with the state, social services will decide where to place your child.
A better option is to create an adoption plan through a private Florida adoption agency, like Lifetime Adoption. One of the benefits of private adoption is that you get to control who adopts your child. You will get to choose the parents from hopeful adoptive couples throughout the nation. You can find a couple that is open to contact after the adoption is final. You can get pictures, videos, social media contact, and even visits.
These waiting adoptive families have been thoroughly checked to be sure they can and are ready to provide a loving, safe home for your child. They have completed a home study that includes financial and background checks, interviews, educational requirements, so you will know your child will be safe and happy. These couples have worked very hard to qualify to adopt a child, and every day they hope that call will come that a child can join their family.
Deciding to place your child for adoption is a loving and selfless act. If your heart and mind tell you that placing your child is the right thing for you and your child, make sure you take the time to talk with an adoption coordinator and create an adoption plan specifically for your situation.