Choosing an adoption agency to work alongside you is a pivotal step in your adoption journey. It is one of the first and most important decisions you’ll make in your adoption journey, and it can feel overwhelming and stressful, given its value. The decision you make here will shape your entire experience. There are some critical questions to ask before committing, and we’re here to guide you through this crucial process of how to choose an adoption agency.
You will discover that asking questions gives you the necessary information to understand the process when choosing your adoption professional. Whether you want to adopt a baby or a child, asking these questions will prove helpful.
Questions to Ask as You Choose an Adoption Agency
Selecting the right adoption agency is crucial as they will serve as your invaluable support throughout the complex adoption journey. Investing the time in choosing the agency that best fits your needs is essential.
Don’t just rely on emailing agencies with a list of questions. Engaging in actual conversations with them is important to assess whether you can trust the agency to help you bring your child home. Beyond just inquiring about wait times and successful adoptions, it’s crucial to determine if you feel a sense of trust in their ability to assist you in building your family.
Below you’ll find a list of 20 questions you can ask an adoption agency professional in a phone interview. Feel free to save this list to your phone, Internet favorites, Pinterest, or simply print it out.
- What state or states are you licensed to provide services in?
- What are your business hours, and can we reach you after hours?
- Can you share your background, including how long you’ve been in business?
- How many adoptions did your agency complete in the last year?
- Can you please outline your fees and fee schedule? (if applicable)
- How many waiting adoptive families are you currently working for?
- Can you give me the average wait for families with similar marital status, race, age, and adoption preferences as us? What factors influence a family’s wait time?
- How do pregnant women and mothers considering adoption find your agency?
- Can you please outline the services you provide for adoptive families and birth mothers?
- Do you provide services and support to birth parents both pre- and post-placement?
- Do you offer counseling to birth mothers, and if so, what type of counseling is it? Is it provided free of charge to them?
- If we get pregnant, what happens with our adoption process with you?
- Do you have a formal adoption contract?
- How much experience do you have with the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC)?
- How often and through what method does your company communicate with adopting parents?
- If we have questions once we’re your client, who should we contact?
- Can you provide the expected wait time for a response to our emails or calls?
- Should our match fail after we’ve paid fees and/or expenses, what is your policy?
- Who incurs the cost of the birth mother’s living expenses and medical costs?
- How do you support and guide clients in open adoption?
If you’ve been wondering how to choose an adoption agency, the answers to these questions should prove helpful.
Staying Organized
I encourage you to take notes when you talk to an adoption professional, including the date and person you spoke with. Creating a file folder for each adoption professional you talk to is wise. Then, you can place the information and notes about them in the appropriate file, helping you stay organized while searching for how to choose an adoption agency.
Since these interviews require substantial time and attention, scheduling an appointment ensures the agency assigns the appropriate person to speak with you. Moreover, making an appointment guarantees that the individual has dedicated enough time for the conversation.
Customer Service
Consider how your conversation went. Did you feel like the adoption professional you spoke with was rushing you? Were they courteous? Visit their website and consider whether the information there helps answer preliminary questions. Was your contact at the agency prompt when returning your phone calls and emails?
When noting details about adoption professionals, consider not only the information they provide but also their approach and demeanor. Reflect on whether you feel comfortable collaborating with them based on their stance on important matters, general behavior, and level of support.
How to Choose an Adoption Agency
The agency you choose should always be open and honest about all options available to adoptive families and birth mothers and share their fees. Choosing the first agency that makes grandiose promises or guarantees a quick adoption is easy. However, it’s in your best interest (and ultimately your future child’s) to conduct research when selecting an adoption agency.
The adoption agency you sign on with will become your main partner as you build your family through adoption. By doing research now on how to choose an adoption agency, you’re saving yourself time as well as money. You’re on the path towards adoption success!
Adoption agencies are licensed, regulated professionals who help you complete the adoption process. They are the only type of adoption professional that undergoes regular checks from the government, making them the most reputable.
You may see professionals such as adoption consultants or facilitators during your research. However, unlike adoption agencies, they are not licensed or regulated. As a result, working with them is typically an unreliable and confusing venture.
According to the National Council for Adoption, “Because unlicensed facilitators and consultants are not supervised by the state, their education, experience, record keeping, and policies are not regulated or evaluated to ensure their services are ethical, transparent, and in the best interests of children. Further, prospective parents and expectant parents have fewer means of recourse if the adoptive placement does not work according to their plans.”
As you can see, to complete the adoption process and welcome a baby into your family, you’ll need the support of a fully licensed adoption agency.
Lifetime Adoption
Lifetime Adoption is a leading domestic adoption agency in the US with nearly four decades of experience building families. Its mission has been to promote open adoptions that benefit everyone involved, especially the child. Through its focus on newborn open adoption, the agency has made parenthood a reality for thousands of families nationwide.
Lifetime Adoption offers various avenues to help each hopeful adoptive couple find the right match, resulting in a high success rate. The agency provides many services that set it apart from other adoption professionals. These services include comprehensive information about the adoption process, online support, screening of expectant parents, a membership website, and monthly webinars exclusively for Lifetime families.
The experienced adoption professionals at Lifetime are available to help prospective parents navigate their options, understand the adoption process, and address any questions they have. To learn more, call Lifetime Adoption at 727-493-0993 or request free adoption information today.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on January 17, 2018, and has since been updated.
Founder of Lifetime Adoption, adoptive mom, adoption expert, and Certified Open Adoption Practitioner (C.O.A.P).
Since 1986, adoption expert Mardie Caldwell has been dedicated to bringing couples and birth parents together in order to fulfill their dreams.
“Many years ago, I was also searching for a child to adopt. We didn’t know where or how to get started. Through research, determination, and a prayer, our dream of a family became reality. I started with a plan, a notebook, assistance from a caring adoption consultant and a lot of hard work; this was my family I was building. We had a few heartaches along the way, but the pain of not having children was worse!
Within weeks we had three different birth mothers choose us. We were overwhelmed and delighted. Many unsettling events would take place before our adoption would be finalized, many months later. Little did I know that God was training and aligning me for the adoption work I now do today. It is my goal to share with our families the methods and plans which succeed and do not succeed. I believe adoption should be affordable and can be a wonderful “pregnancy” for the adoptive couple.
I have also been on both sides of infertility with the loss of seven pregnancies and then conceiving by new technology, giving birth to a healthy daughter. I have experienced first-hand the emotional pain of infertility and believe my experience allows me to serve your needs better.
It is my hope that for you, the prospective parents, your desire for a child will be fulfilled soon.”
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