Catholic Adoption Services
Provides post-adoption services that include assistance with search and reunions
Official Website of the
Catholic Diocese of Little Rock
About Us
Catholic Adoption Services
We do not assist families who want to adopt or birth parents who wish to make an adoption plan. We provide post-adoption services that include assistance with search and reunions. Adoption Services Inc. served as a nonprofit, Arkansas-licensed child placement agency from 1984 to 2023. In our nearly 40 years of being a licensed adoption agency, we assisted with or completed hundreds of adoptions. If you are connected to one of these adoptions as an adoptee, birth parent, birth sibling or adoptive parent, who is seeking information, please contact us.
Antje Harris, LSW, has served as director of this program since its inception. Catholic Adoption Services is a ministry of Catholic Charities of Arkansas as part of the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock. "Our agency and the diocese are very grateful for the privilege (to have been able to) provide comprehensive, compassionate and professional child placement services," she said. "We will continue to provide post-adoption support and search and reunion assistance to those who have been our clients."
Adoptees Must be 18 or Older
Adoption Search Request
Adoptees who seek information about their adoptions must be 18 or older unless there are special circumstances to consider. Proof of identity is required. According to Arkansas law, an adoption reunion through an agency requires mutual, voluntary consent from the birth parent(s) and adoptee. An adoption is presumed to be confidential unless both parties want it to be opened. There are varying levels of contact and openness possible. Even if you are not ready to make direct contact, we encourage you to provide updated information for your file. Our process includes the necessary forms and consents. We may also be able to provide non-identifying information about the genetic, health and social history of adoptees. Counseling is provided regarding the process. There is no fee for our services.
In addition to assisting clients served while we operated as a licensed agency, the Diocese of Little Rock was involved in a number of adoptions that had a Catholic connection about which we now may retain limited information. If you believe your adoption was linked to the Catholic Church in Arkansas, you are welcome to contact us to see if we have any records of your adoption. We may also be able to assist you with post adoption support and/or search and reunion assistance, or provide referrals to other appropriate resources.
If We Didn't Process Your Adoption
Contact for Other Agencies
If your adoption was not completed through Catholic Adoption Services, you will need to contact the agency or attorney that completed your adoption. The Arkansas Mutual Consent Voluntary Adoption Registry (MCVAR) is operated by the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Visit their website to register or get more information.
Adoption has changed a lot through the years. Confidentiality can no longer be assured because of genetic testing, the internet and the change in Arkansas law that allows an adoptee who is at least 21 years old to request a copy of their original, infant birth certificate through the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). The birth mother’s name would be listed on the birth certificate. There is a fee for these services. To request a document or get more information, visit their website.
If you have additional questions, please email Antje Harris, LSW, or call her at (501) 664-0340, ext. 347. Please leave a message. Your call will be returned as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.
Get Directions
Catholic Adoption Services is located in The McDonald Center on the campus of St. John Catholic Center at 2415 N. Tyler St., Little Rock, AR 72207. Click on the map below to get Google driving directions specific to your location.
Help Us Serve Clients at No Cost
We greatly appreciate your help in providing post-adoption support and search and reunion services at no cost to our previous clients. All donations are tax deductible. When donating online, select “Adoption Services” in the drop-down menu. If you prefer to donate by mail, please make your check payable to: Catholic Adoption Services, Catholic Charities of Arkansas, P.O. Box 7239, Little Rock, AR 72217-7239.
