LSS POST ADOPTION SERVICES

Adoption is a life-long process, rooted in grief and loss.  As children move through developmental stages, their understanding of the implications of being adopted increase, raising questions that parents are sometimes challenged to address. 

Eligibility

Any member of the adoption triad (birth parents, adoptive parents, adult adoptee) who was party to an adoption facilitated by Lutheran Social Services of the South (formerly Lutheran Social Services of Texas). 

Services Provided

• Ongoing Intermediary Services - provides birth and adoptive families a means by which they can maintain ongoing contact without fully disclosing their last names and addresses.  This contact may include the exchange of letters, pictures and gifts, and face-to-face meetings in the office.
• De-identified Social and Medical History - provides all non-identifying health, education, social and genetic history information from the record to an adult adoptee.
• Passive Adoption Registration- enables one member of the adoption triad (birth parents, adoptive parents, adult adoptees) to register their desire for contact with another triad member should that party register as well.  If both parties register, contact is facilitated after each has completed the one hour of individual counseling required by the state of Texas. 
• Search and Reunion Services – initiates a search for one member of the adoption triad at the request of another member.  This may be an adult adoptee searching for a birth parent, a birth parent searching for an adult adoptee or an adoptive family searching for a birth parent.  If the search is successful and both parties wish to meet, contact will be facilitated.  Contact usually starts with a letter or a phone call and evolves based upon the mutual consent of both parties.  State law requires that individuals initiating an adoption search must have an hour of counseling before a reunion can be facilitated.  This counseling can be provided by LSS or another professional counselor of your choice. 
• Post Adoption Counseling – provides one hour of counseling for any adult member of the triad participating in a search and reunion.
  

Cost for Services

LSS charges based upon the service being provided. 

Start the Process

Complete an enrollment packet and send it to:

LSS Post Adoption Department
Lutheran Social Services of the South
8305 Cross Park Drive
Austin, TX 78754

Or for more information and to obtain an enrollment packet, email us at postadoption@lsss.org or call our toll-free number at (800) 396-4611.  

International Post Adoption Services