Adoption FAQs

In the past 12 months, we helped place 6 children for adoption. It is important to note that adoptions, nationwide, are down.  

Our general rule is “as open as the birth mother desires (within reasonable boundaries)”. On a spectrum, we are definitely on the more open end of that. We would want adoptive families (whether local or farther away) to be willing to make regular visits, share pictures, and Facetime/Zoom, as often as the birth mom wanted/needed. We see this as very beneficialfor both the birth mom and the adopted child. 

Please note that every case varies and that there may be additional costs not predicted on this list. On average these are the foreseeable costs associated with adopting through CPO.

Agency Fee for Out-of-Area Adoptions - $8500.00
(Out-of-Area Adoptions not required to complete 100 volunteer hours)

Agency Fee for Tulsa Area Adoptions - $7500.00
(Plus 100 hours of service hours required)

Family Attorney’s fee (average amount) - $6500.00
(This is billed by, and paid directly to, the family attorney)

Expectant Mother’s Attorney Fee - $1000.00
(Paid directly to birth mother’s attorney)

Initial Home Study Fee- $1000
(Paid directly to the Social Worker. ***Costs may vary

Post Placement Visits with Home Study Provider (3 Visits) - $150 per visit

Annual Home Study Update - $350 - $550

Any medical or hospital costs for the baby or expectant mother that are not covered by Medicaid or Insurance. On occasion an expectant mother may not have insurance, in the event of no insurance, the family is still responsible for the medical expenses.

Waiting Family Workshop Fee - $400

***Quotes for Home Study Fees are for Oklahoma residents. Fees vary by state.

The application fee at the time of submission.  The workshop fee is due prior to the workshop.   One-half of the agency fee is due once you are chosen by an expectant mother.  The other half is due once the expectant mother has relinquished her parental rights in court.  You will not need to pay the attorney until you are chosen by an expectant mother. 

The application and workshop fees are non-refundable. All but $500 of the agency fee is refundable if the expectantmother changes her mind. 

Click here for information about volunteering at CPO.

First and foremost, we are a ministry for expectant mothers considering adoption. We expect our families to join us in that ministry mindset and be willing to go out of their comfort zone to show an expectant mother the love of Christ. 

We don’t keep records on interrupted placements. But we will say that it is something that happens, and it is heartbreaking. All adoptive families should be prepared for that possibility. We have an interrupted adoption team who will walk with you during that time.  

We can recommend Tulsa-local home study providers, and we may know previous adoptive families from your area so we could make a recommendation, but ultimately it will be your choice, as long as they meet our court’s requirements regarding their certification, which we will provide to you if you were to be accepted as a CPO waiting family. 

Let’s start with the expectant mother: we provide weekly support groups and counseling for her for LIFE, if she wishes to accept them. We also continue to occasionally cover monetary needs within reason. Post-placement services for adoptive families include support groups as needed, annual parenting seminars specifically focused on adoption, events specifically designed for adoptive families and their birth parents, and a mentor who can continually help you navigate the open aspect of your adoption. We also provide a host home for out-of-state families while they wait on court approval to take the newborn back to their state. 

Medical expenses are not covered by your agency fee. Medical expenses are almost always covered by Soonercare, but onthe rare occasion that a birth mother isn’t eligible for state insurance, adoptive families are expected to pay her copays (if she has private insurance) or her entire medical expenses. 

Many major life changes can happen while families are waiting to be chosen by an expectant mother. If you still meet our previous requirements, you are welcome to remain as a waiting family. Some families choose to put their life book “on hold” while they adjust to major changes, and then just let us know when they are ready to be profiled again. 

No. We are very firm in our belief that adopted children need even more attachment and bonding opportunities than biological children, and the best way to do that is to spend years and years loving on them. We provide lots of education and training on this topic, as we feel it is essential for the healthy development of the children we place. We feel strongly that the child should spend most of their time with their mother or father. Grandparents and close family friends can of course babysit for the occasional date night, but beyond that, it needs to be solely mommy and/or daddy caring for the child. Additionally, please consider that making the decision to place a child for adoption is a difficult one. Many of these courageous women do so with much thought and deliberation. These mothers want to provide their children with the life they themselves cannot provide. This includes a two-parent home with a stay-at-home parent.

Yes. CPO is not agency-exclusive, so we don’t mind if you have your hat in several different rings. Just make sure the other agencies, etc. are okay with that as well! 

There is really no way to pinpoint when we will be able to accept applications of any given type. Our process allows expectant mothers to have 100% control in choosing families, so it really depends on when the expectant mothers find us, when they choose a family, and what “type” of family they choose. We close to certain applications to ensure that none of our already-waiting families must wait an inordinate amount of time. If a lot of our local families get chosen in a row, we’ll open to local families soon after. If a lot of our non-local families get chosen, we’ll open to non-local families. 

Yes, since we only keep a limited number of active life books, we often must close applications.  In the meantime, you can sign up to be in our “Waiting Room”.  We will contact you when applicationsopen.  

CPO does not screen expectant mothers. We provide services to women facing unplanned pregnancies. Our primary goal is to assist women in making the best possible decisions for their children. 

CPO has been a licensed adoption agency since 2001. We have always encouraged openness in adoptions, even before “open adoption” became popular.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services licenses adoption agencies in the state. If you have questions about the agency, you can contact them at 405-521-2779. 

We cannot provide an exact time frame. The average wait time is 6 months to 2 years. Some couples have waited as little as 20 minutes after turning in their Life Book, others as long as 3 years. 

No. When a child is conceived, as biological parents, we have no control over the sex of the baby. As such, CPO does not provide for preferred gender of the children placed for adoption. We believe God knows just how He wants to design each family. 

We ask all expectant mothers to complete (as much as possible) a 67-page form that includes many questions about their medical history. 

Federal law requires that babies born to parents with Native American heritage be placed with an adoptive family that has documented Native American blood. Please be sure to notify CPO if you have Native American heritage and a tribal roll card. We place many Native American babies and always need adoptive families who have roll cards. 

CPO asks local adoptive families to pay an agency fee of $6,000 plus 150 volunteer hours and out-of-Tulsa-area families to pay $7,000. Our fees are much lower than many other agencies because we are a non-profit agency and no one associated with CPO benefits monetarily from the fees. All monies are used to pay for operating expenses, maternity and personal care items for expectant moms, support group supplies, counseling services, advertising, and other necessary expenses. 

CPO is a non-profit agency and no one associated with CPO benefits monetarily from the fees. 

Most of our placements are for newborn babies. However, from time to time, older infants, young children, and sometimes teenagers have needed a stable home environment. CPO has helped to facilitatethese adoptions on an “as-needed” basis. 

No. We place babies in a loving home environment with the adoptive couple, straight from the hospital. Quite often, the adoptive mother/couple can be in the delivery room when their baby is born. 

On-going contact with his/her birth family is important for your child, for the birth family, and for you as the adoptive couple. The frequency of contact (face-to-face visits, phone calls, letters) will be dependent upon the birth mother and her availability and the proximity of the birth family and adoptive family. Typically, contact is greater in the first few weeks and months after placement. The frequency of contact is often discussed during sessions with the counselor and the birth mother and adoptive couple. 

CPO has retained the services of experienced and knowledgeable attorneys who specialize in adoptions. You are required to use one of our attorneys. 

Yes. Sometimes expectant mothers request out-of-state families. You will require a home study completed by a home study professional in your state and you may need to meet additional Oklahoma adoption requirements. 

Out-of-state couples are required to pay an additional $1,000 in lieu of the 150 volunteer hours. 

Yes. CPO has several families who open their homes to waiting couples and to new adoptive couples. 

CPO wants to know if you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Yes. CPO requires that you be active in your local church and you will need a letter from your pastor.  

When CPO receives your Life Book, it is ready to be shown to the next expectant mother whose criteria you meet. The girls often have a preference for a Christian denomination, geographic location, number of children you already have in your home, openness to pets, or the size of your town or city, to name a few. We always show them all the life books that meet those preferences. We never have more than 20 life books at one time.  We do have a “waiting Room” .

Each expectant mother has the opportunity to be seen by a licensed professional every week. If they choose, they can remain in counseling for many years. We feel that this is a very important investment in the lives of these women. 

Yes, if an expectant mother comes to us during her pregnancy, she will see one doctor for the rest of her pregnancy and birth. The doctors we work with are highly respected by the Tulsa medical community and are well-known for their expertise. The expectant mothers receive very high-quality, personal medical care. However, we also receive calls from women who have just given birth at a local hospital and have received no prenatal care.