Agency Adoptions

Question: What is the best US agency for Domestic Adoptions? We are a biracial couple hoping to adopt a biracial infant. We need to keep the costs down so we are working domestically. We are in the home study process right now. I would appreciate if you could share any experieces you have had (good or bad) with domestic adoption agencies. We are in Kentucky and would prefer an agency that has experience in this state. Thank you.

Answer: Shelia Davis from Heavensentadopt.com is a facilator who works almost exclusively with African American and biracial adoptions and many agencies across the country. I've read comments about her on many adoption sites and NEVER anything negative. We loved her. Although she is very religious, she doesn't force her views on you.

Question: Looking for the best Adoption Agency to use for Guatemala adoptions? Additional Information: I live in Florida and am single, so I would like to use an adoption agency that works well from Florida and has their home study here also if possible.

Answer: The only one I can recommend is http://www.CWA.org . They handle adoptions from China (where we intend to adopt from) as well as Guatemala. CWA is located in South Carolina, however they can assist you in your adoption process even though you live in Florida. You will simply use a licensed homestudy agent in Florida to complete that portion of your adoption process (usually a social worker). Visit their website to learn more. You can also do an internet search for "Guatemala adoption" and find links to various agencies. Add the name of your state in the parentheses, also, to narrow the results down further (although it does not matter if the agency is in your state or not). Visit http://travel.state.gov/family/adoption/… for more information. There are also many groups available (http://groups.yahoo.com is one site to find them) for people who have completed, or are in the process of, adoptions from Guatemala. They may be able to recommend an agency based on their experience (something I can not personally do, of course, as I have not adopted from Guatemala). Good luck! I hope you find the information you are seeking, and I wish you much happiness with your adoption and child!

Question: Where can I find a good adoption agency for foreign adoptions? My family is interested in adopting foreignly... does anyone know of a legit website for good research regarding countries and children?

Answer: Foreignly? What the hell is that?

Question: good samaritan agency adoptions? there's a local family help program in bangor, ME by the name "good samaritan agency" i only recently discovered that it has an adoption program; but i can't find out anything about it. does anyone know about it? are there any complaints about it? does it run like a regular adoption agency, or more like foster care?

Answer: This appears to be a website for them. While they do have adoption services, there primary focus is on keeping families intact (read their history and services). They don't appear to be a traditional adoption agency based on their mission statement and that they are not spending any money on an elaborate website to attract business. http://good_samaritan1.tripod.com/ If you really want to know more abut them, call them or the BBB in Maine. ETA: I lived in Maine for 10 years, during my adoption research I never once came across them in terms of adoption services.

Question: Any feedback for Adoptions Forever Agency in PA? We are poking around in the International adoption community and want to know any feedback from the Adoptions Forever Agency in PA - good or bad please! Did u get a sense that the child was cared for? Was the child overall healthy? any other info would be greatly appreciated. thanks for your time. Thanks for the help...Unfortunely its a dead link or the site is no longer running...

Answer: Pennsylvania has the most adoption agencies in the entire country because they have the most lenient laws in that state surrounding ones ability to adopt children. I ran a check on the agency in a site that tracks adoptions and I found nothing. Doesn't mean nothing exists, but good job in seeking the good and the bad. That is more than what many do ha ha. I'm not sure if you've been there or not, but another site to check out is... whats that link...someone will correct me if i'm wrong i'm sure www.adoptionagencyratings.com good luck

Question: What adoption is the best type? Foster Care Adoptions, Private Adoptions, Adoption through an Agency ...? International adoption, domestic adoption, and the list goes on. What is the best type of adoption?

Answer: Private adoptions are the best. There is less likelyhood that the child came from questionable parents. By that I mean that many children who are wards of the state because the parent rights were terminated come from parents who were drug addicts. There will be behavioral problems. I adopted a child from a state agency and a friend of mine who is an early childhood specialist, a social worker and a lawyer adopted five children. All of our children turned out to be drug addicts and sociopaths, in and out of jail and unwilling to take care of themselves. I used to believe that nuture was more importatn than nature., social situations was more important than biology. I adopted a child at five months. I am a school teacher and a minister. He had the best that a single professonal woman could provide but he turned out to be a sociopath. Very dangerous and destructive. No normal parenting techniques changed any of his behaviors and under the right circumstances I believe he would kill someone. Now not all babies that come out of the state system will turn out like that, but you are courting danger when you adopt them. Adopter beware

Question: How much do private adoptions cost- no agency fees?

Answer: It really is dependent on the type of private adoption that you are doing. If you have identified the birth family and the child is already here, the fees for private adoption can be significantly less than if the child is not born yet. Some private adoptions may include birth mother expenses, some may not. Also, there are your standard court fees, attorney fees, background checks, etc. When we began our adoption process, our attorney wanted a $4000 retainer. As it turned out because it was a "special needs" adoption of a child from another state, our attorney was not able to help us with some of the specialty things and recommended that we seek out an adoption agency who specialized in "identified adoptions", which is what we did. Good luck to you.

Question: Catholic adoption agency loses fight against Gay adoptions.is this good news for same sex couples?

Answer: Of course it is. We can be parents too, no one has the right to say we can't or that were not fit. IM HAPPY ABOUT IT!

Question: Any recommendations for an adoption agency in the USA that specializes in Russian adoption? I know this question has been asked before, but I would like some fresh opinions. PLEASE don't answer if you are going to say "Adopt from the USA, not Russia." because that is NOT an answer to my question. With that said, can anyone give me some reccomendations on a good agency to work with that specializes in Russian adoptions? I really liked the Bless This Child website, but they never answered my email inquery. Thank you!

Answer: I would suggest moving there for at least a few months so you will really know if the agency's legit or not. All are good at supplying children so if you want to gamble on whether or not the child is a real orphan than follow b/s agency's here in the states out to make a profit and are not really into the business for the best interest of the children. There was a sex trafficking ring that was just busted in England and Russian girls are claiming that they had children that were taken from them and sold(put up for adoption). The slime bag guys that kidnapped these girls, told them they would help them find work so they could care for their babies. These girls had there babies kidnapped and the girls were injected with heroin, repeatedly raped and beaten so they would comply with the pimps. Be careful.

Question: How can you adopt without an adoption agency? I was wondering if there is any organizations out there that put people who want to adopt in contact with people who want someone to adopt their child without having to go to an adoption agency. Adoption agencies are so expensive! In a perfect world, I would meet someone pregnant who, for whatever reason, could not keep the baby and they would just let me have it. I know that is over simplifying it, but you get the point. My husband and I want a second child very badly, but I keep miscarrying. Please help!

Answer: We networked with all of our friends, told them that we wanted to adopt, especially my teenage son's friends, and one of the girls came to me and said her mom's best friend was pregnant and couldn't keep it. Our little Jacob is now 7 months old, very, very happy baby, who reaches for me all the time. He is beautiful, and although there were a few small problems, we had a good attorney who legally got everything done (thank God we hired her to do it, because we almost didn't get a signature from the bmom's husband (not the dad) and he later threatened us when she filed for divorce). We had to have a home study, which we had mostly completed before the social worker got to the house, and therefore saved a lot of money. Our adoption was less than $1100.00 total, and even if it had taken every penny we had, it would have been worth it. DHS has so many kids that need homes. We did private adoption, because I'm 41, and couldn't adopt a baby being that age. Now we want to adopt a little bit older girl (2-10 years old). There shouldn't be fees, however, you'll need to take some parenting courses they offer, still have a home study (theirs are free). You can request newborn, however, they are very hard to come by, and will usually be hard to place because of addiction/alcohol abuse. You also have a chance of that with private adoption (our bmom took a dose of meth in order to try to force herself into labor, luckily he's perfect anyway!) Good luck!

Question: I don't plan on adopting internationally, but do you HAVE to go through an adoption agency to do so? I know a lot of international adoptions go through orphanages. What stops someone from just going directly to an orphanage while visiting a place like Russia or Haiti and adopting a child? Are there laws saying you must use an agency, or do people do it for translation/legal ease reasons?

Answer: That really depends on the country. Some, like Haiti and some african countries, allow independent adoptions and others, like China, will not allow independent adoptions. In either case, you will still need a homestudy done in your state, and pass all of the clearances for your country, get an I-171h for the child to enter the country, etc, so you can't really just adopt a kid while you're on vacation on a whim (not that I'm saying you suggested that, just saying its an involved process). I would personally advise using an agency though, if you did want to adopt, especially if its your first adoption, because it is easy to mess up the paperwork and fall victim to scams, or corruption. Also, with an agency you are better able to adopt a child who actually needs a home instead of someone trying to sell you a child for money. Not saying it doesn't happen with agencies unfortunately, you have to be vigilant, but it happens more often in independent adoption. Just make sure you are as well informed as possible either way, not just on the process but on other aspects such as ethics, adoptee feelings and grief, attachment, post institutional autism, regression, how to avoid corruption, etc.

Question: If you could change the cost of private/agency adoptions...? would you increase the price or decrease the price and why?

Answer: I would increase the price to one arm from the a'mother, one leg from the a'father, and their firstborn. That would be a great way to highlight the ridiculousness of separating families for profit. A lot more people would look at that practice as unacceptable, unlike when it's "just" $40,000.

Question: what type of adoption agency do i have to go though to adopt an 18 month old to a two year old? my husband and i have decided to adopt. i would like to adopt a child about 18 months old to about two. i've contacted a few agencies to be told that they only do infant adoptions. where can i go for an older child?

Answer: Social Services/Foster Care where you live. That is where you find children available for adoption who are OLDER than newborn/infant. And, please be clear... I AM talking about ADOPTION... not fostering. There are many people who don't know that there are, as H****** said, over 100,000 children waiting in the system to be ADOPTED. So, if you already knew that, please forgive me. It's something that I think is important to make a point of. When I (or anyone else) say(s) "Foster Care" -- people sometimes stop listening/reading right there because they don't understand that it IS adoption and it IS permanent. Take care~

Question: How do you pick the best adoption agency? My husband and I will (hopefully) begin the adoption process in September. We have been talking to AGAPE but I was wondering if there are other agencies I should consider using. And if we use one agency, can we still adopt children from other agencies? I just want to go with the best agency and would like a little feed back if anyone here has any experience in this situation. Thanks!

Answer: I would pick one that doesn't charge for children. AGAPE makes a profit on the adoptions, and to me, that is unethical. I also find many of their practices unethical. They "recruit" pregnant women so that they can coerce children from them. Based on this alone, I wouldn't ever go through them for anything. Many other agencies are the same way. Foster care is inexpensive, and those children need homes. If we stop giving our business to places like AGAPE, perhaps they will realize that they are morally bankrupt, and that everyone knows it.

Question: Anyone know of a good animal adoption agency to drop a cat off at? We have discovered that our baby is very allergic to our cat and we need to get rid of it. She is 5 years old and very sweet, her name is Mrs. Sweets. We don't know anyone who wants a cat and do not want to give her to the pound. We would prefer to give her to an animal adoption agency that keeps them until they find a home. Please help? It's very obvious that you are not a parent Robbo.

Answer: if there is a PetSmart in your area try them. they usually have a drop off in the store. you may have to pay 30 bucks to spay or neuter but they will take it and most stay in the store until someone adopts them.

Question: How could I start an orphanage/adoption agency in a foreign country? I have been thinking that it would be great to start an orphanage/adoption agency in a foreign country that has a lot of orphans and kids living on the streets. I was thinking about China. I know that a lot of people adopt children from there. I was just curious about what financial and political steps that I would have to go through to do something like this.

Answer: Kazi made great points. bottom line is that you have LOTS of homework to do. first step will be to select a country...and then start reading. rules will be different in each country (obviously you'll have to know the law from both U.S. and that country for a start). I would suggest interviewing directors of agencies already working in that country. they can quickly coach you on the cities to stay away from or to focus on areas that still need help. good luck and be patient. there is much to learn and some countries (i.e. Russia) change their adoption policies and rules very often.

Question: How do you know if an adoption agency is the way to go? If not how do find a way to do a private adoption? My husband and I want a child in our life but cannot have our own. We are willing for the birth mom to be involved so a private adoption sounds good to us but, we wondered if an agency was a better way to go. Besides private we have no idea how to find the person to adopt from. Any comments or suggestions would be great.

Answer: First of all, I'm sorry that you're dealing with the inability to conceive a child, for whatever reason. We dealt with infertility for over 10 years before we adopted and although sometimes I wish we'd made the adoption decision earlier I know if we had, we would have the children we have today. We are so blessed! I'm not sure why you think a private adoption is the only way to an open adoption, but I recommend going with an agency for several reasons. 1. Most offer the birthparents counseling, for life, free of charge. It was important to us for the birthparents to receive any support they needed from a licensed counselor before, during, and after relinquishment of their child. 2. An agency's staff, counselors, psychologist, and attorney have done many adoptions and have a lot of experience in handling any issues that may arise. 3. With our agency, we were protected financially if a birthparent changed his/her mind. 4. The counseling we receive in invaluable as well. Any time I need advice or just someone to talk to, I can call our counselor. 5. They will help you to facilitate an open adoption by guiding you and the birthparent for setting up a plan for visits, pictures, etc. if needed. Those are just to name a few and I hope that helps. Also, check out this website: www.theadoptionguide.com And for what it's worth, I do not think that Sarah is from an agency. All her information from a birthparent's perspective is accurate.

Question: What does it take to open a dog adoption agency? I am interested in opening a dog adoption agency, sanctuary/rescue. What would be my first steps in doing this? What kind of education should I have to make sure it is successful? If you have an experience in this field please fill me in on what steps you took to achieve this, and what things you would have done differently ect. Thanks.

Answer: You could check with your state on laws that pertain to opening a shelter. Many sates have law libraries that you can contact by email and ask questions. Checking in with other shelters, a humane society, animal hospital or your local ACO might be of some help to you as well. I'm not too sure on what exactly you would have to do. But, I do think it is a very nice thing for you to do. I wish you very much luck in getting going too.

Question: Is there an adoption agency inside the Catholic Church? Can you give a baby to the Catholic Church? I've heard of it, but don't know if it's true. People in my history class were debating on abortion, and a girl spoke up and said, "I mean, there's no reason for abortion, the Catholic Church will take any and all babies, they have over 2 million handicap babies and won't refuse any." So, I mean, is there some type of adoption agency in the Catholic Church? If so, could somebody direct me to some online information about it, I would like to do some research on it.

Answer: There may or may not be other adoption service organizations sponsored by the Catholic Church, but where I live, it's all handled by Catholic Social Services, which has a license as an adoption agency.

Question: What's the difference between an orphanage and an adoption agency? I know this probably sounds really stupid and I apologize. But I'm writing a book and there happens to be a spot where a girl goes looking for her biological mother without her adoptive parents help. Where would she go for the information; an adoption agency or the orphanage where she lived? And what's the difference between the two, exactly? Thanks for reading and any help is appreciated!

Answer: Foster Home - Placement by Children & Families where a child is temporarily housed due to an emergency situation with the family. The foster parents are screened by the agency. Adoptive Home - The parents applied for an adoptive child and were granted the right of custody by the courts. The child becomes like their natural born child and assumes their legal surname. Adoptive Agency- They are the agency that arranges the adoption. Orphanage - An institution where children live and are supervised by an adult staff, their needs for food, shelter, and medical care are taken care of by the institution. The state and federal government regulate.