Life-Long Support
Birth Parent Support Network
Adoptions of Indiana facilitates a private online group, “Indiana Birthparents” where those who have placed a child for adoption may share their joys and sorrows and receive encouragement, wisdom, and support from other women who have walked the same path. All birth parents with a connection to Indiana may be included. Please contact our office at (317) 820-2290 if you wish to be invited to the group!
Adoptions of Indiana sponsors special events for birth parents to come together socially to build community and support. Those events may be centered around honoring birth parents on Birth Mother’s Day, educational opportunities, holiday parties, picnics, brunch, or activities.
Special Events
Adoptions of Indiana sponsors special events for birth parents to come together socially to build community and support. Those events may be centered around honoring birth parents on Birth Mother’s Day, educational opportunities, holiday parties, picnics, brunch, or activities.
Support Group
A monthly support group is available both virtually as well as in person. Having the support and wisdom of those who share your journey is helpful as a birth parent.
Please contact Adoptions of Indiana at (317) 820-2290 to learn more about these programs and opportunities.
Lifetime Healing Foundation
Ashley Mitchell’s program for Post Placement care of birth mothers.
We'd Love To Hear From You!
Have questions about our Birth Parent Support Network? Contact Meg to learn more!
Meg Sterchi | ACSW, LCSW
Executive Director
Meg Sterchi is the founder and Executive Director of Adoptions of Indiana. For the last 28 years, she has focused on working with birth and adoptive families, preparing and supporting them throughout the adoption process. She also has personal experience with adoption, as an adoptive mother. She is guided by her philosophy that a major focus of adoption agencies should be to prepare, support and educate all parties involved in an adoption.
“I've had the honor of working with women considering adoption and birth mothers for over 25 years. I'm always impressed with their grit and desire to put the needs of their children first, whether that is by making an adoption plan or by choosing to parent. Walking by their sides throughout the process and building supportive relationships that have lasted years, sometimes decades, is one of my favorite parts of the adoption process.”
Stay Informed
At Adoptions of Indiana, we believe that it is important to stay informed about adoption issues and be prepared as an adoptive parent to deal with them as they arise.
Education and resources will define your experience throughout the adoption process. We believe the better informed you are, and the more you know about your situation, the more prepared you will be along this journey. Below are resources we think you’ll find invaluable in your search for useful information.
The information listed here is meant to nurture, educate, and empower, however Adoptions of Indiana does not endorse any particular site or their information.
General Adoption Information
Adoption.com provides a clearinghouse for information, products, forums, and many other offerings related to adoption.
Adoptive Families Magazine, the award-winning national adoption magazine, is the leading adoption information source for families before, during, and after adoption.
Adoption Learning Partners provides an array of e-learning classes for adoptive parents.
American Academy of Adoption Attorneys website provides contact information for academy members nationwide as well as other important information.
How to Support Birth Mothers Throughout an Adoption, Baylor University’s Social Work program recently published a detailed toolkit that provides actionable strategies that can help families and friends support birth mothers throughout the pregnancy and the adoption process.
Child Welfare Information Gateway offers resources on all aspects of domestic and intercountry adoption, including adoption from foster care.
Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCA) is a bicameral, bipartisan caucus of members of Congress dedicated to improving adoption policy and practice, and to focusing public attention on the advantages of adoption.
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to increasing the adoptions of the more than 150,000 children in North America’s foster care system.
The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, founded in 1996, is a national not-for-profit organization devoted to improving adoption policy and practice.
Indiana Adoption Code review specifics of Indiana adoption law.
Indiana General Assembly contact information
Sherrie Eldridge, Sherrie offers online resources for encouragement, coloring projects for children, several years of archived newsletters, and free adoption workbooks.
United States House of Representatives
AdoptUSKids is a national project that supports child welfare systems and connects children in foster care with families. Read more . Find out about adoption from foster care.
Adopting Internationally
- Adoption Medical Articles on the Internet by Dr. Jerri Jenista
- Hague Convention Country Status Table
- International Adoptive Medicine Clinic @ University of Minnesota
- Red Thread Maps- personalized and detailed maps of China
- USCIS: I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition
- USDOS International Travel
Public/Foster To Adoption
- AdoptUSKids is a website to assist with the recruitment of adoptive families for children placed in foster care and to provide post-placement recourses for adoptive families.
- National Adoption Center expands adoption opportunities for children living in foster care throughout the United States, and is a resource to families and to agencies who seek the permanency of caring homes for children.
- North American Council on Adoptable Children is committed to meeting the needs of waiting children and the families who adopt them.
For Birth Parents
For Adult Adoptees
- Child Welfare Information Gateway Find information and resources on searching for birth relatives, reunion, obtaining birth and adoption records, support groups, and relevant laws and policies.
- Indiana Department of Health vital records forms.
- Jewel Among Jewels Adoption Network, Inc., a non-profit adoption educational organization, Sherrie offers online resources for encouragement, nine years of archived newsletters, and free adoption workbooks.
Transracial Adoptive Parenting
- Pact, An Adoption Alliance provides the highest quality adoption services to children of color and their adoptive parents through literature, education, and suppor
- Angela Tucker – Author, Mentor, Consultant. Founder of Mentoring Society for adoptees by adoptees. Mission to center adoptees. Race Identity and trans racial adoption.
Special Needs Adoptions Services & Support
Adoption Education
At Adoptions of Indiana, we pride ourselves in providing extensive, quality adoption education courses to all of our home study and placement families. Given the current global health situation, out of an abundance of caution, and with public health recommendations in mind, we have built a comprehensive adoption education curriculum that will allow our families to learn, grow and reflect on adoption issues remotely. There will be no additional cost for your family to complete these trainings.
We are utilizing two respected adoption education platforms (Adoption Learning Partners and Creating A Family) to provide the most complete experience possible. This curriculum is designed to be taken in this particular order and these courses are required and should be completed by both spouses, if adopting as a couple. After each course, you will compile five takeaways or observations from the session and upload them to the online portal. Your family’s social worker will also be discussing these topics with you and address any questions you have. More information about the required classes will be available in the online portal as you move through the homestudy process.
Pre-Adoption Education
Support For Waiting Adoptive Parents And Families
Allison Montgomery, LCSW
This group is open to all waiting prospective adoptive families. Gain support, education, information, and network with other families also experiencing the unique challenges of “the wait.” This event will be held virtually via Zoom from 6 – 8 pm on January 17, March 20, May 15, July 17, September 18, November 2. Feel free to enjoy a meal at home while we “visit”.
Patricia Irwin Johnston
Invite your family members to get on board with your adoption journey! This class will help them identify adoption myths and misconceptions, as well as teach them to be a support system during the adoptive process.
Contact the agency for more information at info@adoptionsofindiana.org
Professional Education
Seminars
Meg Sterchi, ACSW, LCSW | Madison Smith, MSW, LSW
Adoptions of Indiana’s seminar for social workers and nurses will emphasize best practice when navigating an adoption plan in the hospital setting. Our educator will provide a historical perspective of adoption, will teach the importance of respectful adoption language, and will identify modern adoption practices. In addition, she will explore how social workers and nurses can support all members of the adoption triad in the hospital setting. We are pleased to be able to offer 1-2.5 CEHs from NASW for social workers who participate.
Contact the agency for more information at info@adoptionsofindiana.org
Meg Sterchi, ACSW, LCSW | Madison Smith, MSW, LSW
“Students’ ability to learn depends not just on the quality of their textbooks and teachers, but also on the comfort and safety they feel at school and the strength of their relationships with adults and peers there.” (Sarah Sparks, Education Week, 2016) Adoptions of Indiana’s seminar for educators will explore how teacher curricular decisions, language, and media choices impact students who joined their family through adoption in their classroom. Professional development can be offered at your school and programming is flexible.
Contact the agency for more information at info@adoptionsofindiana.org