Open Adoption for Prospective Adoptive Parents | January 2026

Adoption is not a one-time event—it’s a lifelong relationship. And when you’re preparing for an open adoption, understanding how to honor that relationship is essential.

Featuring insights from experts, birth parents and adoptive families, Open Adoption for Prospective Adoptive Parents will prepare you to navigate the complexities of open adoption with knowledge, empathy, and boundaries.

During the workshop, you will:

• Explore the adoption process, including legal aspects
• Prepare for the realities of an open adoption, including intrusive questions and comments
• Acknowledge the basic differences in adoption-built families
• Navigate all types of relationships, or lack of a relationship, with biological parents
• Talk to children about their adoption story

A key part of this training is a panel of real birth parents, who openly share their stories and answer questions from adoptive families. Hearing directly from birth parents helps adoptive parents see openness from a more personal and human perspective—not just as a concept, but as a lived experience.

This interactive workshop will take place in four sessions. The main session will be held in-person in Glad Tidings Church – Central Campus in Austin, TX with follow-up sessions held virtually.

Part 1: Saturday, January 31, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Glad Tiding Church | Austin, TX

Part 2: Wednesday, February 4, 2026 | 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Online

Part 3: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 | 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Online

Part 4: Wednesday, February 18, 2026 | 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Online

You do not need to be adopting through Adoption Advocates to participate. This workshop is valuable for anyone pursuing open adoption, including independent adoptions and domestic adoptions through other agencies.