LDS Family Services

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

LDS Family Services is a private nonprofit corporation owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It offers members of the church and others adoption services, foster child placement services, marital and family counseling, addiction and drug dependency counseling, general psychotherapy, and counseling and other services to women or girls who are pregnant and unmarried. All services are offered to all, regardless of religion, and some are free of change.

In 1919 the organization was organized as the Relief Society Social Service Department by Amy B. Lyman, an official in the church's Relief Society. In 1969, the organization was renamed Unified Social Services. In 1973, the organization became a corporation separate from the church's Relief Society and renamed LDS Social Services. In the late 1990s, the name was again changed to LDS Family Services.

LDS Family Services currently has 62 offices located in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Staff must have a minimum of a master's degree in behavioural sciences.

As a corporation affiliated with the LDS Church, one of the main roles of LDS Family Services is to counsel single pregnant women and girls to avoid abortion. As an alternative, these women are counselled to consider marrying the biological father or, if that is not possible, to allow the child to be adopted by a married couple. LDS Family Services does not allow its services to facilitate adoption of a child by single parents, unwed couples, or same-sex partners.

Recently, LDS Family Services classes on strengthening marriage, strengthening families and addiction recovery have become integrated with LDS congregations in some countries.

[edit] References

[edit] External links