If you're facing an unintended pregnancy or have recently given birth, we're here for you with free and confidential all-options counseling, resources, and support. Connect with our pregnancy counselors 24/7 via call or text at 800-439-0233.
Browse our network of adoption services including infant and foster care adoption, home studies, and post-adoption support.
Explore our network of services including specialized counseling and support groups that help to stabilize and improve behavioral health symptoms.
Looking for Adoptions Together or FamilyWorks Together? New name, same us. Here’s why!
In 1990, an action oriented social worker named Janice Goldwater decides to start an agency that will welcome every child in need of a family. Through over 3 decades since these beginnings, Paths for Families has grown to be an adoption and family wellbeing organization that partners with communities dedicated to the life-long work of building and sustaining families.
Our region was failing its children and families as poverty and the crack cocaine had become endemic and the child welfare system was overwhelmed with need. Exposed infants were spending months and years in the hospital. Children removed from birth family due to abuse or neglect were growing up in public foster care and aging out to homelessness at 18. Healthy majority race infants were welcomed with resources to begin life with the stability their birth parents seek. Closed adoption was the prevailing community practice, yet research and practice told us that openness is better for children. Opportunities to adopt children were limited based on religion, race, sexual orientation, age and marital status of prospective parents. Adoptees and their families sought mental health services and needs were not understood or being met.
Adoptions Together becomes a licensed child placement agency in Maryland. Hospitals and parents in crisis learn that they can reach us, and we will come to them 24/7 to prevent any child from being abandoned. Two weeks later our first child is welcomed, the birth and adoptive parents meet, and the child is adopted. Before the end of 1990, nine more children would have the same outcome.
The annual event, which has taken place every year of our existence, kicked off in the autumn of 1991
In 1992, Janice Pearce leads an effort to start an inter-country adoption program in Eastern Europe.
Adoptions Together applied for and was granted its first federal grant from Health and Human Services for Project Succeed, a project that would enhance parent and school relationships to give parents the tools and support to navigate their children's learning differences.
Counseling and training programs are formalized, and more post adoption programing offered to the community.
Xiumin Overall contacts Adoptions Together to explore working together to find families for babies and young children in China.
With an increase of African American infants in need of adoption, the agency reaches out and invites the black community to help shine a light on the need for adoptive parents and adapt practice to be more culturally competent.
Adoptions Together facilitated the agency's first placement through the public foster care system. This was a sibling group of 3 and spurred the foundation of our AdoptionWorks program.
Partnered with Local Departments of Social Services around the state of Maryland to provide post adoption support groups to families. These jurisdictions included Montgomery, Prince George’s, Howard, and Baltimore County
The agency recieves state funding to kick off AdoptionWorks to place Maryland children in foster care with adoptive parents
The agency receives a 3 year federal contract beginning in 2004 for this project, which was focused on recruitment of parents for African American males living in foster care.
The project focused on intensive family finding for youth in care.
PAP offered mentoring from parents with lived experience to parents working on reunification.
Since 2012, our family finding program has located permanent family connections for hundreds of local youth in temporary placements.
Awarded since 2012, the seal has affirmed our active dedication to equitable family welfare services for LGBTQIA+ children and parents.
Adoptions Together Recognized by Human Rights Campaign Foundation for LGBTQ+ Inclusion Efforts
The Heart Gallery
IDEAS principles are Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, and Social Justice.
