Community & Placement Services

Adoption Services and Birthparent Counseling

At Lutheran Services of Georgia, children are our major concern and focus, and decisions regarding our services are made accordingly. Lutheran Services of Georgia is a licensed "Child Placing Agency" with the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Office of Residential Child Care, and has held this license continuously since 1982. Our adoption services reflect our belief that adoption is a life long process that needs to be an ongoing family conversation, and that children grow up best in a permanent family.

Lutheran Services of Georgia Adoption Programs are located in Atlanta, Rome, Savannah, Albany, and Augusta. We provide two different types of adoption services and birthparent counseling in each office:

Cooperative Domestic Infant Adoption

LSG has a Domestic Infant Adoption Program which includes openness and responsible communication and information sharing between birth and adoptive parents. It is our belief that adoption should be shared with a child throughout his or her life, starting from placement.

Domestic Adoption of Waiting Children (Heritage)

LSG recruits and prepares families to adopt children who are in the State Foster Care System. Many of these children have special needs due to their age, past experiences or challenging medical or behavioral problems. These children include:

  • All children who have been in the foster care system for two years (24 consecutive months)
  • All sibling groups placed with the same family
  • Children with diagnosed medical, developmental or emotional challenges

There are no fees to adopt these children; however, some cost may be incurred in providing required documentation (such as medical exams, drug tests, criminal record checks, etc.) for the adoptive Family Assessment done for all prospective adoptive families.

Orientation Session

To assist you in making a more informed decision about adopting, we invite you to attend one of our free monthly orientation seminars.

Atlanta sessions are held the first and third Monday of each month from 4:00pm-6:00pm at the LSG Atlanta office: 1330 West Peachtree St. Suite 300. Reservations are recommended and will guarantee you a seat. Call Tracy Davis 404-591-7068 for reservations and/or more information.

IMPACT classes required for Heritage Adoption are offered on an as needed basis.

Joint Domestic and Heritage orientations are held in the Adoption Program locations. Please call the following numbers for an appointment or for more information on the birth family and pregnancy counseling available as needed at these offices.

  • Albany: 229-432-7664
  • Augusta/Statesboro: 800-395-0129 (local Augusta office and adoption case manager)
  • Rome: 706-506-0649
  • Savannah: 912-353-8875 Ext 26

Birth Parent Counseling

Birth Parent Counseling and information about making a cooperative open adoption plan is available at all of the above five locations and can be requested by calling the adoption program numbers above.

Support for our programs

Families who have recently adopted serve as "buddies" to families waiting for placement or experiencing a new placement.

Volunteers provide in-kind donations and work hours for the adoption programs.

Lutheran Services of Georgia adoptions benefit from generous donors who believe in the value of adoption and hope to make this service available to more children and families. Additionally, the agency has contracts with the Department of Human Resources, purchase of service funds through the County DFCS, and Wendy's Wonderful Kid's Grant from the Dave Thomas Foundation which funds a recruiter to develop homes for specific children waiting in the foster care system. For information on client adoption fees, please call LSG at 800-395-0129 or 404-591-7068 to speak with one of our staff.

FACES - Facilitating, Advocacy, Care, Education, & Shelter

For People with Developmental Disabilities

LSG has developed programs designed to keep adults , adolescents and children with disabilities in their communities. Primarily serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, these programs seek to provide participants with a meaningful life by giving them guidance, encouragement, and support. This is accomplished in one of the following models:

Host Homes

These homes are provided by Companions wishing to open their home to welcome individuals with disabilities who might not have family or the means to support themselves in their own home. The Support Companion makes every effort to help the individual feel that this is his or her home and offer a nurturing home setting. The Support Companion becomes a catalyst strengthening the individual's family and other support networks. This generally assures the person is the singular focus of the Companion and helps the participant become part of the community readily.

In-Home Support

In some areas, Participants; services are provided in their own or their family's home. Often these individuals still have family or have the means to live in their own home if they receive basic support services. The in-home Companions offer basic personal support care and by working together assist the Participant in developing strategies and supports to become active participants in their communities. Some examples could be, but are not limited to, social outings, attendance in clubs or other activities of interest, trips to the library, or out shopping.

Licensed Home Support

On a limited basis we provide supports in a licensed home where individuals with challenges share the home environment. We desire to have the primary Support companion live in the home with only limited addition of other direct support persons. Some individuals desire the activity and interaction of housemates being in the home; this can also mean less individualized focus at times.

Day Support

For some persons, we offer community based day supports to encourage their growth and the development of skills in the areas of employment, recreation, social, and independent living. These services would be offered primarily in the community where the Participant lives or wants to become involved. For others in our program they may receive day services in facility based programs or school settings provided by other agencies or entities.

Employment and Volunteer Opportunities

Some of our participants hold jobs in the community either part time or full time depending upon their interest and job demands. Others have opportunities to volunteer in organizations or settings where they build relationships and develop skills that help them become valued members of those respective communities.

We desire that our Participants have personally meaningful, fulfilling lives of their choosing. We accomplish this by cultivating and honoring their choices about where and with whom they live, spend their time and develop their interests in life and work.

Opportunities

We are seeking individuals and families who are interested in being trained and approved to provide support and companionship to individuals with developmental disabilities. Typically our participants would share your home where they would be the only person served and thus would be the sole focus of the work. Currently we are serving a variety of folks with various challenges. Participants will usually be involved in activities through the day, whether that is school, a day service or other meaningful vocational or avocational activities. If your home is wheel chair accessible, you have medical training or experience, have experience or training in mental health or behavioral supports, or have a Support Companion who is a male role model in the home, or in some particular areas of the state, you may be especially interesting to us.

Our offices in Atlanta, Athens, Albany, Rome, and Savannah are expanding services into the DBHDD regions in which these cities are located. If you are interested in pursuing this challenging and rewarding lifestyle, we want to hear from you.

For Recruiting (providing supports) contact Sherri Teixeira in the Savannah area at (912)353-8875, ext.14, or steixeira@lsga.org. All other areas call Angela Buckem at 404-591-7065, or abuckem@lsga.org

For Intake (receiving services):Rome, contact Marty Willingham at 706-232-1696; Athens, contact Ryan Whitmire at 706-546-9730; Atlanta, contact Tammy Serwitz at 404-591-7044; Columbus, Albany, contact Nancy Hannon at 229-432-7664; Savannah, contact Sherri Teixeira at 912-353-8875.

A+ Parents

A+ Parents is an eight session parenting skills course designed to promote positive, healthy, nurturing interactions between parent and child. The curriculum is based on the "The Nurturing Program" developed by Dr. Stephen Bavolek. Parents learn to increase empathy and self-esteem, to develop positive alternatives to physical punishment, develop family rules, and learn how to simply have fun as a family.

Topics

We offer three age based curriculums: 0-5 years, 5-11 years, and adolescents. Among the many topics covered in this program are Ages and Stages, Behavior Management, Stress Management.

Activities and lessons are prepared for the children as well. Child care and light refreshments are offered during classes and an "incentive program" is offered to parents that complete the course. Upon graduation, parents are awarded "gift vouchers," (please see how you can help, below) which can be used to purchase toys, books, and school supplies or other items the family may be in need of. Parents must attend and complete 6 of the 8 classes to graduate and earn vouchers. Follow-up services are provided in the form of:

  • In-home therapeutic counseling for parents and children
  • Marriage and relationship counseling
  • Housing, employment and transportation assistance
  • Substance abuse treatment and referrals

Eligibility and service area

A+ Parents is for anyone caring for a child. Parents, grandparents, foster parents, child care providers, and children are encouraged to attend. A+ Parents is currently offered in Chatham County, however services are available upon request in Effingham, Bryan, and Liberty counties.

Fees

There is a fee for services offered, however the cost may be covered by the Department of Family and Children Services, the United Way, WELCA or donations (please see how you can help, below).

Schedule

The course meets twice a week for 4 weeks, for a total of 8 sessions. Each session runs from 2 to 2 ½ hours. Dates, times, and locations vary, so please call the Savannah office for the next scheduled class. (912) 355-2083, ext: 25

Location

A+ Parents is located at 6555 Abercorn St. Suite 200 Savannah, Ga. 31405 (912) 355-2083 or fax (912) 355-1499

You Can Help

If you wish to donate items for the "incentive program", please contact our resource development department at (912) 355-2083, ext: 13. You can also sponsor a family in need of services when other funding is not available.

Funding

A+ Parents was started in 1993 and partners with several agencies throughout the community including Hope House, Turning Point, and Union Mission's Magdalene Project. A+ Parents is sponsored by Lutheran Services of Georgia in collaboration with State and local agencies. It is also funded in part by various Lutheran congregations and private donations.

Lutheran Services of Georgia provides Specialized Foster Care services for children who have been placed in the custody of the Department of Family and Children Services for protection from abuse or neglect and for children committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice for delinquency. While we are available for referrals for children in foster care with minimal basic care needs, our agency has developed expertise in providing services to children in foster care with significant physical, developmental, mental, and/or behavioral challenges for which the children require specialized care. Children we serve generally range from birth to 18 years of age as well as youth from 18 to 21, who request to remain in foster care.

The foundation of our Specialized Foster Care program lies in our individually matching each child referred to us with a nurturing and comprehensively trained and well-prepared Specialized Foster Family. We consider the child’s history, needs, and culture and the Specialized Foster Family’s availability, expertise, location, culture, and interests as we look for the best possible foster home setting. LSG supports placements with well-trained, experienced Staff who work in partnership with the foster family to meet the child’s needs, a competitive financial per diem, and 24/7 on-call availability.