Adoption Agencies in New Hampshire: Licensed Agencies Compared

Finding an adoption agency feels like it should be simple. There are not many licensed in New Hampshire. But choosing the right one — the one that fits your pathway, timeline, budget, and communication style — matters enormously for a process that can span two years of your life.

New Hampshire requires that all private domestic adoption agencies be licensed by the Department of Health and Human Services. Any entity that operates as a "child-placing agency" without this license is acting illegally under RSA 170-E. That licensing requirement is actually a protection: you know every agency on the state list has met baseline standards for staffing, background checks, and ethical practice.

Here is what you need to know about the agencies currently operating in New Hampshire and how to evaluate them.

The Six Primary Licensed Agencies

Adoptive Families For Children (Concord)

Established in 1983, Adoptive Families For Children is a full-service domestic agency based in Concord. They specialize in domestic infant placement, home study services for families pursuing independent adoptions, and post-placement assessments. Because they have been operating continuously in New Hampshire for over four decades, they have established relationships with the state's Probate Courts and Vital Records system.

They are a strong option for families who want a smaller, locally rooted agency rather than a national organization. Waitlists for infant placement can vary significantly year to year.

Waypoint (formerly Child & Family Services of New Hampshire)

Waypoint is the largest social services organization in New Hampshire, headquartered in Manchester with offices in Lebanon, Concord, and other locations across the state. Their adoption services sit alongside a broad portfolio of family therapy, domestic violence services, and substance use treatment — which means they bring significant experience with complex family situations.

For families pursuing foster-to-adopt or adopting children from the child welfare system, Waypoint's integration with community mental health services is particularly valuable. They can provide post-adoption counseling and family support that purely transactional agencies cannot.

New Hope for Children (Dover)

New Hope is a Hague-accredited agency, which means they meet the federal standards for international adoption under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. If you are pursuing an international adoption while living in New Hampshire, Hague accreditation is a prerequisite for the agency you use. New Hope also provides domestic adoption services and will conduct home studies for families using other placement services.

Bethany Christian Services (Candia)

Part of a national network, Bethany Christian Services in Candia provides domestic infant adoption, international adoption services, pregnancy counseling for birth mothers, and independent home study assessments. Their national network can be an advantage for families open to placements from other states, and their experience with ICPC (Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children) cases is well-documented.

Some families with different value systems find the faith orientation of Bethany's programming a consideration; others see it as a strength. It is worth a direct conversation with the office before you decide.

Wide Horizons For Children (Concord regional office)

Wide Horizons specializes in international placements and domestic adoption, with a particular focus on sibling groups, older children, and children with special needs. If your heart is set on international adoption or you are open to adopting a sibling group, Wide Horizons has deep program experience. They are Hague-accredited.

Catholic Charities New Hampshire

Catholic Charities provides adoption and maternity services across the state, including counseling support for birth families, home study services, and domestic placement assistance. They serve families of all backgrounds, not only Catholic families, and their long history in New Hampshire's human services sector gives them well-established processes.

Agency vs. Independent Adoption: The Core Tradeoff

The most important decision is not which agency to use — it is whether to use an agency for placement at all.

Agency adoption means the agency manages the match. They screen birth mothers, counsel both parties, manage the transition, and supervise the post-placement period. You pay for that comprehensive service, and total costs with a private agency typically run $20,000 to $45,000. The tradeoff is less direct control and higher cost in exchange for professional management at every stage.

Independent (attorney-facilitated) adoption means you and the birth family have already connected — through personal networks, outreach, or an adoption consultant — and you hire an attorney to handle the legal paperwork. You still need a licensed agency or DCYF to conduct the mandatory home study under RSA 170-B:18. Independent adoption often costs less in agency fees ($15,000 to $45,000 total, depending on birth parent expenses and attorney fees), but requires you to manage more of the process yourself.

New Hampshire also allows identified adoption, where birth parents and adoptive parents have found each other and bypass the agency's matching function while still using the agency for the home study. This is legal under NH law as long as all background check and assessment requirements are satisfied.

What to Ask Every Agency Before You Commit

Before signing an agency contract, get clear answers on these questions:

About their current program:

• How many domestic infant placements did you complete last year in New Hampshire?
• What is your average wait time from approved home study to placement?
• What is your disruption rate — how often does a match fall through after the family has been selected?

About costs:

• What is itemized in your agency fee? Does it include the home study?
• What birth parent expenses are typical, and what is your policy if expenses exceed the estimate?
• If a match fails, what portion of fees is refundable, and what carries over to the next match?

About the process:

• Who conducts our home study, and what is their experience level?
• How do you handle post-placement visits — your staff or a contracted social worker?
• What is your protocol for communicating updates during the wait?

About post-adoption:

• Do you provide post-adoption support services?
• Can you facilitate mediated open adoption contact agreements through DCYF if applicable?

Red Flags to Watch For

New Hampshire's licensed agency list is not long, which means unlicensed operators and adoption facilitators occasionally target NH families, particularly through social media. Watch for:

• Any person or organization that promises to "connect" you with a birth mother in exchange for a flat fee, without holding a state license as a child-placing agency
• Requests for large direct payments to a birth mother before the home study is complete
• Pressure to wire money before any legal documents are signed
• Agencies that cannot produce their current NH DHHS license number

DCYF offers orientation sessions and the "Adopt NH" online tool as starting points. If you have any doubt about whether an organization is legitimately licensed, call the NH DHHS licensing office directly to verify.

The Home Study as Your First Real Test

Regardless of which agency or pathway you choose, the home study is where the process gets concrete. You will likely be working with your home study agency for months — through the assessment, the placement, and post-placement supervision visits. The quality of that relationship matters as much as the quality of the agency's matching program.

For a full explanation of what NH home studies require, what the inspections cover, and how to prepare, see the New Hampshire adoption home study requirements post.

The New Hampshire Adoption Process Guide includes a current directory of licensed agencies with notes on specialty areas, ICPC experience, and home study-only services for families pursuing independent adoption. Learn more at /us/new-hampshire/adoption.

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