To ease the process of adoption, LDS Family Services has partnered with Adoption.com, one of the world’s largest online adoption agencies, says lds.org. LDS Family Services has agreed to pay the fees from adoption.com for members who meet the qualifying criteria. Members from around the world said they are feeling more optimistic about adoption.In June of last year, the church announced it would no longer operate a full-scale adoption agency, according to Deseret News. But the announcement made on March 2 offered much hope to families looking for a trusted and reliable agency to help them through the adoption process. “The Church has agreed to help them to transition to Adoption.com, the world’s largest adoption-related web site, where their exposure to women who might want to place a baby for adoption will be multiples of what we’ve ever been able to give them,” said David McConkie, adoption group manager for LDS Family Services.Elder Jerry Harris, the BYU-Hawaii Counseling Services director, who has more than 20 years of experience working with family services, said, “This will be greatly beneficial to all the LDS families out there looking to adopt. Adoption.com is one of the biggest online matching systems for adoptions around the world, and I think our LDS families will be a premium match for women looking to put their children up for adoption.”In a Church News interview, McConkie said a profile listing for couples hoping to adopt normally costs $199 a month. But the Church has offered to cover the cost for eligible adoptive parents through February 2016. To be eligible, families must submit a bishop’s recommend, be sealed in the temple, and be available to conduct and pass a home inspection and study. Once those are complete, Family Services and Adoption.com can move forward with a couple’s profile and listing. Harris said, “Adoption is expensive and a lengthy process. So to have these fees paid can be a huge help to these families. It will open doors for people who would not have been able to use these resources.”Harris continued, “This indicates how much the church wants to help couples who are desiring to adopt. It’s great to see all this coming together. What a blessing for the children and families alike. The church is focused on families and this is one more testament of that and is landmark for the church.”Uploaded March 11, 2015
Writer: Trenton McCullough
