Cradle Care

What is Cradle Care?

Cradle Care is a service that is offered to birth parents who have made an adoption plan through Barker. After birth parents officially consent to an adoption, they are legally given a timeframe, called a revocation period (in DC 14 days, MD 30 days and in VA 7-10 days) to decide if adoption is the right choice for them, or if they would like to revoke their consent and not move forward with an adoption. During this time, we offer birth families the opportunity to have their babies/children safely and lovingly cared for by a licensed Cradle Care parent. This allows birth parents (who choose this option) to reflect upon their decision without the pressure or guilt that they can sometimes feel if they ultimately decide that adoption is not right for them after placing their baby into an adoptive home.

Who are the Cradle Care Parents?

Cradle Care parents are parents who are licensed by Barker to provide short-term care of babies/children during the revocation period. They are often families that have a stay-at-home parent, and are always families that love and adore babies. Our cradle care parents understand that this is an important time to make a baby feel secure, and they work hard to make everyone involved comfortable by providing updates and facilitating visits with both birth parents and adoptive parents (if this is the desire of the birth parents). Cradle care families take photos, journal progress and memories and most importantly shower the babies with love and affection during this transitional period. Cradle Care parents are not seeking to adopt. They provide loving care for children for whom an adoption plan has been made until the decision is final and the baby can either go home with their birth or adoptive family.