Finding the perfect connection between birth mother and adoptive parent(s) can be highly dependent upon finding the right adoption agency for you. An ideal adoption agency should understand your wants, needs, and requirements, as well as handle the adoption process with the care and sensitivity it deserves, helping both the birth mother in her time of need, as well as supporting prospective families through regular updates, counseling, and information.
Choosing the right adoption agency for you can be a daunting experience, and with this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of things to consider to ensure you make the right decision.
Know Yourself
Make sure you are prepared for adoption interviews, a vital part of the agency selection process. A good adoption agency will want to know as much about you as a prospective parent as possible, and will likely ask about your finances, your career, your health, personal history, and lifestyle, among other things. While this might seem invasive, a good agency does this to help ensure you are connected with the perfect birth mother. Therefore, ask yourself these questions, so you have the information at the forefront of your mind.
Research Fees
As many of us know adoption can be an expensive process, and therefore when choosing your agency you should research their fees to ensure that you can afford them, but also more importantly are the reasonable? Any agency whose fees are suspiciously high or low may be best avoided.
Detailed Research
Choosing the right adoption agency shouldn’t be a split second decision — it should be well considered and deliberated over. You should screen all potential options thoroughly, and should pay particular attention to reviews. It is important to not only rely on reviews on the agency’s website, as the testimonials written there are likely to only represent positive experiences. Also ask around in adoption forums and Facebook groups too, to ensure your opinion is well rounded.
You should also be on the lookout for warning signs such as declarations or offers that seem too good to be true, as well as a lack of reviews or accreditations/affiliations. If there is any lack of transparency you should most likely keep looking.
The Internet is your Friend!
Many prospective adoptive families have never met anyone who has adopted before, and can often have questions about the process or even life after adoption. You should use the internet to interact with adoptive families via forums, facebook groups and blogs. You may find that the people you interact with strongly recommend or dissuade you from a certain agency or agencies.
Final Decisions
When you’ve narrowed down your options, you should ask questions of your prospective choice to help make sure they align with your beliefs and opinions surrounding adoption. Your questions might include adoption philosophies, services offered, success rates, and accreditation. These can all help to confirm that you have made the right decision for you and your future family.
