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The Adoption Resource Library contains recomended books and articles by adoption professionals, birth parents, adoptive parents
and adopted children, who share their unique insights.
Adoption Without Fear
James L. Gritter
James Gritter, a social worker who was a pioneer in the transition from closed to open adoptions, gathers the stories of seventeen couples who tell of their experience with open adoption, ranging from occasional contact, to sharing the birth experience, and their lives beyond. While each relationship has its unique qualities there are also many common threads in these emotion-filled and often complex family stories. Published 20 years ago, this book still has relevance for families today.
Out of the Shadows: Birthfathers' Stories
Mary Martin Mason
Based on in-depth interviews, this book profiles a diverse group of men "who have fathered a child whom they are not parenting" including, but not only, through adoption. Common issues emerge in their often painful stories: grief, regret and shame, damage to self-esteem and subsequent relationships, and lasting feelings for the child. Besides the emotional cost to the birthfather, Mason also examines the impact of shutting out birthfathers on adoptive parents and children.
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Adoption Programs
FOR 100 YEARS, SPENCE-CHAPIN HAS BEEN committed to the idea that all
children deserve a permanent home. In that time, we have placed over
18,000 children with loving families.
The decision to adopt is highly personal. It represents a large
commitment of time, energy and finances.
Spence-Chapin’s team of professional, experienced social workers
recognize the challenges of this undertaking and will be there for you
to provide guidance, education and emotional support throughout the
process. We can demystify the process, work with you at whatever pace
you would like, and insure the highest standards of ethical practice.
On the following pages you can learn about our programs for domestic,
international, and special needs adoption.
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Adoptive Parents
In Their Own Words
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Meet Our Staff
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It's hard to know… where to go and who to trust when making the most important decision of your life. Russell and I found that at Spence Chapin. From the first informational meeting, we knew we would be treated with the utmost respect and individual attention. Every waiting family… every birthmother, and every child has their own unique circumstances and needs. It was important to us to work with an agency that didn't put the placement of babies as the first priority. It gave us an incredible sense of security to know that the needs of the birthmother and the child were given first priority. Through our social worker… and everyone else we worked with at the agency, we had the confidence that we would be shepherded through a process with not only professional expertise, but with compassion, empathy, and a shared excitement for our journey. We had hoped for… a direct placement from the hospital, but ended up needing the agency's interim care. The idea of our child being cared for by people we had never met, before coming home, was unsettling. After reassurances from our social worker we were able to talk to, and eventually meet, the wonderful caregivers and to hear about how our child was doing. The supervising doctors… , the other social workers, and everyone else we have had the pleasure of working with only gave us more confidence in our decision. We have Spence Chapin to thank for making us the happiest family in the world.
It's hard to know… where to go and who to trust when making the most important decision of your life. Russell and I found that at Spence Chapin. From the first informational meeting, we knew we would be treated with the utmost respect and individual attention. Every waiting family… every birthmother, and every child has their own unique circumstances and needs. It was important to us to work with an agency that didn't put the placement of babies as the first priority. It gave us an incredible sense of security to know that the needs of the birthmother and the child were given first priority. Through our social worker… and everyone else we worked with at the agency, we had the confidence that we would be shepherded through a process with not only professional expertise, but with compassion, empathy, and a shared excitement for our journey. We had hoped for… a direct placement from the hospital, but ended up needing the agency's interim care. The idea of our child being cared for by people we had never met, before coming home, was unsettling. After reassurances from our social worker we were able to talk to, and eventually meet, the wonderful caregivers and to hear about how our child was doing. The supervising doctors… , the other social workers, and everyone else we have had the pleasure of working with only gave us more confidence in our decision. We have Spence Chapin to thank for making us the happiest family in the world. |
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David Nish
Director, Adoptions
“Adoption, as a field, is a never ending opportunity to explore interesting issues. I am honored to work at Spence-Chapin with a staff of passionate and skilled professionals who work tirelessly to connect children with loving families.”
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