Resources

To request a fingerprint based criminal background check for a private adoption, as required by the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, please review the document below. All questions should be directed to the Washington State Patrol.

Links

American Adoption Congress - Provides information on adoption reform.

Annie E. Casey Foundation - Their mission is to foster public policies, human service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today's vulnerable children and families.

Child Welfare Information Gateway - A comprehensive resource on all aspects of adoption.

International Soundex Reunion Registry - Free registry system for matching people who desire contact with their next-of-kin by birth.

North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) - Provides adoption information and services for children in the United States foster care system.

Northwest Adoption Exchange - Provides adoption services for special needs children in the Northwest.

A listing of adoption resources in Washington State for adoptive families, birth parents, and adopted individuals:

• Agencies
• Homestudy Providers
• Attorneys
• Community Resources
• Support Groups
• Counselors
• Search and Reunion Resources

DCYF does not endorse any particular entity listed; this information is provided solely as a document for individuals doing their own research on adoption.

Books of Interest

• The Connected Child by Karyn Purvis Ph.D., David Cross Ph.D., and Wendy Lyons Sunshine
• Healing Parents by Michael Orlans & Terry Levy
• The Adoptive Parents’ Handbook by Barbara Cummins Tantrum
• Dancing with a Porcupine by Jennie Lynn Owens
• When the body says no by Gabor Mate, M.D.
• The Connected Parent by Karyn Purvis Ph.D. & Lisa Qualls
• Honestly Adoption by Mike & Kristin Berry
• Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew, By Sherrie Eldridge
• Being Adopted The Lifelong Search For Self, By David M Brodzinsky Ph.D., Marshall D. Schechter M.D., Robin Marantz Henig
• Talking with Young Children About Adoption, By Susan Fisher M.D. & Mary Watkins Ph.D.
• Keys To Parenting The Adopted Child, By Kathy Lancaster
• Jewel Among Jewels Adoption, By Gregory C. Keck Ph.D.
• A Man and His Mother: An ADOPTED Son's Search (autobiography - NFL star), By Tim Green
• What is Written on the Heart: Primal Issues in Adoption (booklet), By Marcy Wineman Axness
• Don't Touch My Heart: Healing the Pain of an Unattached Child, Lynda Gianforte Mansfield & Christopher H. Waldmann
• Facilitating Developmental Attachment: The Road to Emotional Recovery & Behavioral Change in Foster & Adopted Children, By Daniel A. Hughes Ph.D., Jason Aronson, Inc
• Journey of the Adopted Self: A quest for wholeness, By Betty Jean Lifton Ph.D.
• Painful Lessons, Loving Bonds: The Heart of Open Adoption, By Marcy Wineman Axness
• The Spirit of Open Adoption, By James L. Gritter CWLA
• The Whole Life Adoption Book: Realistic Advice for Building a Healthy Adoptive Family, By Jayne E. Schooler
• Books by Foster Cline

Children's Books

• Mario's Big Questions .. Where Do I Belong?, By Carolyn Nystrom
• The Mulberry Bird, Story of an Adoption, By Dr. Anne Brodzinsky
• Two Orphan Cubs, By Barbara Brenner and May Garelick
• Brian Was Adopted, By Doris Sanford

Contact

DCYF does not facilitate step-parent, independent, international, private, or adult adoptions. DCYF cannot provide legal advice. Please contact a family law attorney or the local county clerk for questions regarding any other type of adoption outside of adoption through foster care.