If you are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy in/or outside of Anchorage, Alaska, our Pregnancy Support services are free and available to anyone. Call (907) 276-5590 or e-mail.

If you want to find out more about adopting a child in Alaska, you may e-mail or call (907) 276-5590 to contact us.

Pregnancy Support offers counseling, advocacy, housing referrals, childbirth preparation, parenting skills and adoption planning to all women in need.

If you are confused, uncertain or afraid, we can help you cope with your pregnancy and assist you in making plans for the future.

Catholic Social Services is committed to supporting pregnant women, their partners, babies and families.

Information and Referral
We are in contact with many community programs that assist pregnant women. If you need help in a particular area, we can refer you to the appropriate resources in Anchorage or throughout Alaska.

Guidance
We can assist as you explore the critical issues facing you during your pregnancy:

• Decisions
• Relationships
• Stress and Coping
• Health and Nutrition
• Hospital Planning
  

Adoption is a decision that lasts a lifetime and therefore is one not to be made in haste. Every adoption is unique because of the individuals who do the planning. Today, the range of possibilities with regard to openness in adoption is endless.

In fiscal year 2006, 1,415 people utilized the services of the Pregnancy Support & Adoption Services program, including 24 families who adopted infants. The Adoption services were established in 1967.

Adoptive Children
All children waiting for permanent adoptive homes with Catholic Social Services have been voluntarily relinquished by birth parents who have made the difficult decision to choose the path of adoption. The majority of these children are infants or toddlers, but a few are older. The program places Caucasian, Alaska Native, African-American and bi-racial children. In compliance with the Indian Welfare Act, the agency strives to place children in an environment that will maintain their cultural and ethnic heritage.

Birth Parents
Keeping the well-being of the child as a primary focus, CSS Pregnancy Support & Adoption Services assists birth parents with:

• Making informed decisions about their child's future
• Education and information about legal rights, pre-and postpartum care;
• Referrals for financial resources and independent living programs;
• Finding suitable housing for duration of the pregnancy;
• Actively creating an adoption plan; and
• Post-placement counseling.

Contractual Services
Catholic Social Services is licensed in the State of Alaska as a child placement agency. We provide home-study, update and post-placement services to families seeking to adopt. These home studies are accepted by the state's Office of Children's Services, Interstate Compact for families seeking to adopt a child across state lines, and by U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, for those adopting from out of the country.

Advantages of Working With a Private Adoption Agency
Catholic Social Services provides:

• On-going, lifelong resources for your family;
• Unbiased and pressure-free counseling for all parties in the adoption plan;
• Help with adoption preparations;
• A reliable program, licensed and audited by the state, monitored by a board of trustees, and conscious of its reputation in the community; and
• Care, compassion, and partnership with parents and their children.

Philosophy - Making a Life Plan
One of the few licensed private adoption agencies in Alaska, Catholic Social Services has made more than 600 adoption placements in 30 years.

The focus of Adoption had gradually evolved from solving a life problem to creating a life plan for a child based on the following precepts:

• Every child is special and deserves a permanent home.
• Adoption is a lifelong commitment involving birth and adoptive parents, adoptive children and extended families.
• Every adoption is a sacred connection to be treated with deep respect.
• Children have a connection to their birth heritage that begins before birth and cannot be changed or denied by legal documents.
• Children need to know that their birth families care about them and that the adoption does not represent rejection.
• Family relationships are healthier in an atmosphere of openness and honesty.
• The emphasis is on honesty and candor in trying to preserve a child's identity with respect to her/his heritage.
• A good adoption plan involves unbiased and pressure-free counseling for all parties.
  

Pregnancy Support & Adoption Services acts as an advocate for the future well being of all children placed in its temporary care and protection. In an environment of compassion and sensitivity, the program provides excellence in service and care to adoptive and birth families.

Good decisions require:

• Time
• Willingness to be educated
• an OPEN mind to all possibilities

What does Catholic Social Services offer?

• Friendly counseling to help you understand yourself and your choices.
• Education about the decisions and challenges of adoption today.
• Loving support as you journey through the world of adoption.
• On-going commitment to you and your plan in the years ahead.
• Comfortable, non-judgmental environment, open to all ages, races and religious beliefs.

If you consider adoption, we will help you make an adoption plan:

• CHOOSING a family from among the many families who have successfully completed a home study and have been accepted into the program.
• MEETING the chosen family
• DESIGNING a plan together for the birth, placement and continuing contact in the years ahead.

Support Group
Birth parents who have chosen to place their child for adoption find comfort and strength from other birth families in a support group setting or on a one-to-one basis.

Questions?
For more information on Pregnancy Support & Adoption Services, e-mail, call 907-276-5590 or contact us.

Donation opportunities
Want to donate to Pregnancy Support & Adoption Services? Call 907-277-2554 or make a secure online donation.