There are adoption agencies in New Mexico for individuals who want to foster and adopt.
To foster or adopt, it is required that you have an approved home study done through the Children, Youth, and Families Department of the State of New Mexico.
However, a homestudy is a document that talks about your strengths as a family. This includes interviews with everyone who is living in your household.
Before we talk about adoption agencies in New Mexico, let’s talk about foster and adoption requirements.
What is Fostering?
Fostering can be defined as when you care for a child while their caseworker decides if they can be safely reunited with their birth family.
Many children are reunited, however, many others cannot return to their birth families and as such, they need adoptive families.
It is possible to qualify to be a foster family in New Mexico. To qualify, you must be:
- Healthy
- 18 or older
- Able to provide space for a child
- willing to schedule time with your placement social worker in order to get your fingerprints taken for background checks.
What is Adopting?
Adopting is when a child permanently joins your family. You can qualify to become an adoptive family if:
- You are at least 18 years old
- You are healthy
- You attend your local adoptive parent orientation program
- You fill out the application completely and provide personal references
- You schedule time with your placement social worker to get your fingerprints taken for a background check.
- You attend 32 hours of pre-service training
- You complete a homestudy with your social worker
- You have adequate space for an adopted child or children
- You provide adequate space for an adopted child or children
- You provide other documents that may be required
- You are committed to caring for and loving children
Visit the Children, Youth, and Families Department website to get more information about adoption and foster care.
Costs to foster and adopt
Fostering is for free, and as a matter of fact, you can receive financial assistance in order to help them meet some of the children’s needs.
Adopting is free if you want to adopt a child in New Mexico and as long as you are licensed through the Children, Youth, and Families Department.
In fact, you can receive financial assistance for some of the other standard costs of finalizing your adoption.
Attorney fees and court costs may be reimbursed either completely or in part.
Other fees and expenses that may be reimbursed in part or completely include:
- Transportation, lodging, and meals costs incurred during visits with your potential adoptive child
- Department required physical and psychiatric exams not covered by your health insurance
If you are licensed through a nonprofit or private agency, they may charge fees.
If you adopt a child who is waiting in foster care in another state, your licensing agency may charge fees.
However, when families adopt children who are in foster care and eligible for a subsidy, the families may be eligible for reimbursement through the child’s state and/or federal options for some costs that are adoption-related.
Such adoption-related costs may include:
- Attorney fees
- Court fees
The List of Adoption Agencies in New Mexico as Listed by The Adoption and Foster Care Alliance of New Mexico
Below are Adoption Agencies in New Mexico or Child Placement and Foster-Care Agencies with the most provided services state-wide. These agencies will provide full support services, education, and supervision to:
- Foster families,
- Parents with a crisis pregnancy or who are considering a foster or adoption
- plan for their child,
- Prospective adoptive parents and adoptees.
Adoption Assistance Agency
- 2800 Eubank Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87112
- 505 821-7779
Joyful World Ministries All Age Adoptions Plus
- 11811 Menaul Blvd Ne Suite 5
Albuquerque, NM 87112
- 505 323-6002
State of New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department
- PO Drawer 5160, Santa Fe, NM 87502
- 800 610-7610
505 827-8400
Christian Child Placement Services
A division of New Mexico Christian Children’s Home
- 1356 NM 236, Portales, NM 88130
- 575 356-5372
800 553-2229
La Familia, – Namaste, Inc.
- 2400 Wellesley Dr. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87107
- 505 766-9361
These adoption professionals below are experienced in completing adoptions in New Mexico and can help guide you through your adoption journey:
Other Adoption Agencies in New Mexico to Consider
All Faiths Adoption Services
- 8401 Constitution Ave. NE Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110
All Faiths Adoption Services is one of the adoption agencies in New Mexico that provides comprehensive infant adoption services to all families seeking to build their family through adoption.
They are fully inclusive and are proud to welcome all families.
They believe that adoption is not a one-time event; instead, it is a lifelong process of growth, commitment, and development.
They provide support to families during and after the adoption process.
Raise the Future
- 2920 Carlisle Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110, United States
Since our founding in 1983, Raise the Future has designed and implemented evidence-based, wraparound services that reduce the amount of time youth in foster care live without a permanent family.
Their programs increase the likelihood of forming and sustaining positive connections that help to transform their futures.
Information on New Mexico’s Children
In New Mexico, there are approximately 2,300 children in foster care;70 of these children are waiting for adoptive families.
There are a number of reasons why children become available for adoption. Children often experience conflicting emotions or grief over the loss of an important person in their lives.
Some children may have brothers and sisters and may need families who can keep them with their siblings.
All of these children have different hopes, dreams, and talents and consequently, they deserve a loving family.
New Mexico children currently live in foster homes, group homes, and treatment centers.
New Mexico Adoption Laws
Adoption can be a happy time in the life of the newly expanded family. But if you are considering adopting.
You may have noticed that the adoption process is a bit complicated. Below is a brief introduction to adoption laws in New Mexico.
Who Can Be Adopted?
Any child or any adult can be adopted, if he or she consents when consent is required.
Who Can Adopt?
Any individual approved by the court as a suitable adoptive parent can adopt. If the person who is petitioning to adopt is married, his or her spouse must also join the adoption petition, unless he or she is the natural parent of the adoptee or he or she is legally separated or otherwise excused from joining by a court.
Non-residents can adopt in New Mexico if the adoptee is a resident or was born in the state, is less than 6 months old, and was placed by the state agency or an adoption agency licensed in New Mexico.
Consent of Adopted Child
Any child or adult who is at least 14 years old and has the mental capacity to give consent must consent before being adopted.
The consent must be in writing and explained in the first language of the consenting person(when not English).
Also, the adoptee’s mother, presumed or acknowledged father, and proposed adoptive parents must all consent to the adoption, relinquish parental rights, or have had parental rights terminated.
Also, for Native American children, the “Indian custodian” must consent, as required by the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978.
LGBT Adoptions
New Mexico laws do permit gay, lesbian, ar transgender individuals or couples to adopt.
In addition, there is no legal prohibition on the adoption of one same-sex partner’s child, such as stepparent adoption.
What state agency is involved in adoption?
The New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department is the state agency involved in the adoption of minors who are in foster care, and also will give you information on the adoption agencies in New Mexico.
State Court
Child adoptions are heard by the local Children’s Court Division. Adult adoptions are handled by the local district court.
Home Residency
New Mexico law requires the adoption petition to be filed within 60 days of placement if the child is less than a year old when placed.
Furthermore, for older minor adoptees, the petition must be filed within 120 days. Extensions up to an additional 180 days are available upon time request.
Statute of Limitations
The time period in which a lawsuit can be brought is called the “statute of limitations.”
A person must challenge the adoption for fraud or other legality problems within one year.
However, if a Native American child is involved, ICWA prevails and that federal law doesn’t have a limit to when the adoption can be challenged if ICWA was violated.
Editor’s Pick
Adoption Agencies in New Mexico Footnotes: https://www.adoptuskids.org/adoption-and-foster-care/how-to-adopt-and-foster/state-information/new-mexico
New Mexico Adoption Laws: https://www.findlaw.com/state/new-mexico-law/new-mexico-adoption-laws.html