Adoption Fees & Aid

This fee is due with the Preliminary Application prior to admittance to the Informational Meeting.

This fee is due upon adoption study approval and includes the following:

Miscellaneous: Assistance with profile preparation, support while waiting, assistance with showing profile to expectant parents

This fee is due after the “legal risk” period has passed and the placement has become secure. This fee includes the services provided primarily by the Expectant Parent Social Worker including:

Expectant Parent Sessions: Meetings with a social worker for decision making, adoption planning, openness, grief counseling and support before and after the adoption. These services are available to both expectant parents as well as their family members.

Case Management: Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) eligibility, medical assistance, assistance with referrals to other service providers, pass through fees (when applicable)

Placement: Hospital visits, completing paperwork, reviewing specific case risks, entrustment ceremony, liaison with hospital staff, support to birth family

Families who do not receive a placement from New Life Adoptions are not charged the Birth Parent Services Fee.

If interim care is necessary, there will be an additional fee of $1,000. The use of interim care is at the discretion of the birth parent(s) and New Life Adoptions in the best interest of the child.  

This fee is due after the “legal risk” period has passed and the placement becomes secure. This fee includes the services provided primarily by the Adoption Social Worker including:

Case Management: Communication with doctors, hospital, and other service providers

Adoption Facilitation: Compiling social and medical histories, birth certificates, compliance with the laws regarding father’s rights and the Minnesota Father’s Adoption Registry, face-to-face meetings with expectant parents, pre-placement meetings with adoptive family, assisting with completing cooperative agreements, applying for Medical Assistance for child, communication with adoptive family

Placement: Hospital visits, completing paperwork, reviewing specific case risks, entrustment ceremony, transition visits when needed, facilitation of birth parent(s)’ signing of adoption consents, New Life taking guardianship of the child and legal responsibility, support to birth and adoptive families

Families who do not receive a placement from New Life Adoptions are not charged the Placement Services Fee or are charged a reduced fee when placement is within Minnesota.

Legal consultation with New Life Adoptions’ attorney may be needed in some situations, and families would be charged $200/hour consultation fee. Families may choose instead to consult with an attorney of their choosing at their expense. If a Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) hearing is necessary to facilitate a secure placement under MN Statute 260C.301, there will be an additional $2,000 fee.

This fee is due at the end of the 90-day supervision period and prior to finalization. It includes:

Supervision Visits: State-required visits to assess family’s adjustment and level of attachment and bonding, support to adoptive family and their relationship with child’s birth family, as needed

Reports: Post-placement report; report to court; certificate of adoption; documentation of child’s well-being and adjustment; assisting with, compiling and submitting documents to court for finalization as required by law 

Post Adoption Services: Requests to update addresses, setting up visits through New Life, passing along information concerning death or terminal illness (birth parents/adoptee), passing new medical information from birth family, providing a social worker to facilitate meetings within the first two years after placement, connecting clients with similar circumstances, referrals, forwarding/copying regular correspondence once contact has been made, basic correspondence related questions

An additional Adoption Filing Fee for the court cost to finalize the adoption  is also due at this time. This fee varies by county and is typically between $375-400.

This fee covers the assistance with placement coordination when another agency, attorney, facilitator, or consultant is involved and collaboration of the two professionals.

This fee covers the facilitation of an interstate placement as required by both the sending and receiving states for the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC).

New Life charges an additional $750 for a rush home study in designated situations in which an expectant mother is due in less than three months or the child is already born.

This fee is due at the end of the supervision period and prior to finalization. It includes:

Supervision Visits: State-required visits to assess family’s adjustment and level of attachment and bonding, support to adoptive family and their relationship with child’s birth family as needed

Reports: Post-placement report; report to court; certificate of adoption; documentation of child’s well-being and adjustment; assisting with, compiling and submitting documents to court for finalization as required by law (No attorney needed in most cases)

Post Adoption Services: Requests to update addresses, setting up visits through New Life, passing along information concerning death or terminal illness (birth parents/adoptee), passing new medical information from birth family, providing a social worker to facilitate meetings within the first two years after placement, connecting clients with similar circumstances, referrals, forwarding/copying regular correspondence once contact has been made, basic correspondence related questions