About Us
Brief History and Philosophy
Christian Adoption Services, Inc. was founded in 1979 to avail homeless and orphaned children in El Salvador permanency through adoption. During the past twenty five years, the founders of Christian Adoption Services (CAS) have sought to extend program services to children in Latin America, Asia, and East European countries. Within the past decade, CAS has instituted a pregnancy counseling program which has lead to the establishment of the agency's domestic adoption program.
Statement of Purpose
Christian Adoption Services is a private, non-profit organization whose primary purpose is to provide needy children the opportunity of having a loving, Christ-centered family. CAS is licensed in the state of North Carolina by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
Program Services
CAS coordinates international adoptions from such countries as Korea, China, Philippines, Russia, Kazakhstan and Guatemala. CAS also provides domestic adoptions of infants, supports relative adoptions and collaborates with parent-initiated, independent adoptions.
In recognition of the high rate of abortion in North Carolina, Christian Adoption Services has committed itself to addressing the needs of birth mothers throughout the state. Staff workers are endeavoring to help mothers in an unplanned pregnancy to recognize that adoption should be included as an option for their unborn child. All counseling to the birth parents and their extended family members is free and confidential with there being no religious stipulations.
Linked closely to the agency's pregnancy counseling program is its foster care program. The agency has several state licensed foster families who are prepared to accept infants, toddler, and pre-school children under the age of six years. In its efforts to support single mothers who are parenting, CAS also provides short-term respite for children whose parents may be having a difficult time parenting and are considering adoption as an option.
As inferred, Christian Adoption Services, Inc. is seeking to be responsive to the needs of the adoption triad – adoptive parents, birth parents and the adoptees.
Direct Services to Adoptive Applicants
North Carolina residents are required to attend one of the agency's informational meetings in order to obtain an application for adoption. At this meeting, they are given an overview of the agency's role in coordinating an intercountry adoptive placement. Prospective adoptive parents also give a general description of children who are in need of permanency through adoption. Discussion also includes the waiting time for placement and the legal process through which children are united with their parents.
During the development of the adoption home study, applicants are directly involved in assessing their own motivation and readiness for adoption. By attending various workshops and seminars, prospective parents are well prepared for meeting the physical and emotional needs of their children. It is through CAS social gatherings that parents and children extend their circle of friends and acquaintances to include those of a common ethnic and/or cultural heritage. As one might expect, some very strong friendships develop among those who participate in these agency activities. Although adoptive parents are encouraged to participate in adoptive parent support groups in the community, CAS families have basically developed a parent support group among themselves. Experienced parents are eager to help prepare new applicants for the exciting adoption experience that lies before them.
Direct Services to Intercountry Children
After a child enters a family, CAS staff workers are immediately available to support the family with any adjustment issues that may occur. Reports of the placement, together with photographs for the child, are forwarded to the placing agency abroad. CAS is also prepared to undertake the legal steps leading to the finalization or re-adoption of the child in the United States.
Indirect Services to Intercountry Children
Although Christian Adoption Services is a relatively small agency, it seeks to support children's centers abroad by making donations of items that may be needed yet not readily available. When parents travel abroad, they commonly take a variety of items with them as donations to the children's centers which they may visit. Efforts have been taken to help develop sponsorship and medical funds for children who are physically challenged.
Although CAS has not recently been engaged in coordinating medical services to children abroad, it has in the past been successful in helping children receive the medical attention they have needed either in the United States or through medical teams that have traveled abroad. Such children who come into the U.S. on medical visas are often not available for adoption, but rather are reunited with their birth parents or legal guardians.
Direct Services to Birth Parents and Children
From early in this agency's history, a number of birth mothers have made direct contact with CAS in their request for pregnancy counseling and exploration of abortion alternatives. CAS has willingly sought to minister to the individual needs of the birth mothers to the best degree it can.
The initial goal of the CAS social work staff is to identify the birth mother's immediate needs and to help her develop a plan to accomplish them. Common goals may be the acquisition of the mother's basic need for food, clothing and safe shelter. Efforts are also taken to insure that the birth mother receives adequate medical attention. Staff workers do not counsel the birth parents to rear their children or to release them for adoption. Instead, caseworkers strive to help them evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each choice that may be available for their child and themselves. CAS is prepared to provide grief counseling for birth mothers including issues related to post abortion syndrome. When necessary and appropriate, staff workers do assist birth parents by making appropriate referrals to other resources that may be more helpful in meeting their personal needs.
