Adoption coordinator uses her experiences to help families seeking children

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Adoption is an emotional experience no matter how you approach it but having the right coordinator can make the process easier.

Laronda Southworth has helped countless families and provided the emotional support of someone who has been through the process herself.

Southworth is an Adoption and Outreach Coordinator for the Courageous Hearts Adoption Agency and an adoptive mother herself.

“For me, it’s second nature. I’m able to guide them because I personally adopted,” she said.

Southworth knows the ins and outs of adoption and can provide the emotional support parents need through the long and difficult process.

“18 years ago my husband and I adopted our son and 12 years ago we adopted our daughter; there are five years between my son and my daughter due to two failed adoptions,” Southworth said. “So when I speak to adoptive parents I can speak to them on a personal level as well as a professional level to help them understand the process, what goes into adoption as well as the emotional parts of the adoption.”

Private adoption is a lengthy and expensive process. Southworth said adoptive families have to pay for the cost of a home study and all of the other associated fees. This can cost anywhere from $30,000- $60,000.

“Once the birth mother has had the baby she would sign her relinquishments in the state of Indiana she can sign them upon birth and it’s irrevocable upon signing,” Southworth said.

Courageous Hearts requires two post-placement visits before the adoption is finalized four to six months after the birth.

“Once those post-placement visits are completed, which basically we are going to the home, visiting with the adoptive parents, seeing the baby and or child to make sure bonding is taking place and that the adoptive parents live in a home that’s suitable for the child and nothing has changed,” Southworth said.

She says Courageous Hearts adoption agency works to battle the stigma that a birth mother “gives up their child” and supports open adoptions so no child has to question their history.

“The reason why you have national adoption awareness month and why it is so important is so that so every birth parent and adoptive parent can help raise awareness and celebrate adoption,” Southworth said.

Courageous Hearts Adoption is a non-discriminatory private adoption agency that will help adoptive families find funding for this expensive process.