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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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Since we were married… seven years ago, we wanted to have a family. After exhausting our efforts to conceive, and after much thought, discussion, and consideration, adoption felt like the right path to our child. We wanted to adopt, but… we did not want the first mother of our child to be treated like a commodity. We looked into several agencies and quickly realized that Spence-Chapin was right for us. We were very pleased with the services that birthmothers receive at Spence, as well as the education and preparation Spence offered us as potential adoptive parents. Through every step of… the process, our social worker, Carrie, was there to guide and support us. Our home study group offered additional support. We were amazed at the amount of information we were provided about potential matches, and ultimately the medical history we received on our daughter and her birth family. Liliana received love… and excellent interim care with a wonderful woman. We, our daughter, and her birth mother were treated with respect and kindness. We are happily in an… open adoption and our family has grown by more than one: we have added Liliana, her birth mother, and all of Spence-Chapin to our family.
Since we were married… seven years ago, we wanted to have a family. After exhausting our efforts to conceive, and after much thought, discussion, and consideration, adoption felt like the right path to our child. We wanted to adopt, but… we did not want the first mother of our child to be treated like a commodity. We looked into several agencies and quickly realized that Spence-Chapin was right for us. We were very pleased with the services that birthmothers receive at Spence, as well as the education and preparation Spence offered us as potential adoptive parents. Through every step of… the process, our social worker, Carrie, was there to guide and support us. Our home study group offered additional support. We were amazed at the amount of information we were provided about potential matches, and ultimately the medical history we received on our daughter and her birth family. Liliana received love… and excellent interim care with a wonderful woman. We, our daughter, and her birth mother were treated with respect and kindness. We are happily in an… open adoption and our family has grown by more than one: we have added Liliana, her birth mother, and all of Spence-Chapin to our family.
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Kathy Legg
Executive Director
“Spence-Chapin believes that it is most important for a child is to have a permanent family as early in life as possible, that every child who needs a family has one to love and cherish him throughout life, that children are not forced to grow up crowded into poorly staffed and equipped orphanages or spend year after year in multiple foster homes. What we want is for any child who cannot return home to have an adoptive family to love and care for them.”
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