How to Choose an Ethical Adoption Agency

You have chosen to adopt a child. It should be a happy experience. Choosing an unethical adoption service provider will cause heartache and endanger your entire adoption process. Keep several things in mind when selecting an adoption agency or facilitator.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Educate yourself about the adoption process. If you are adopting from the United States, learn about adoption law in your state and the interstate adoption compact. If adopting internationally, learn the regulations that govern international adoptions in the United States, as well as the country from which you intend to adopt.
2. Make a decision about what country you will adopt from prior to choosing a provider. This decision will eliminate certain adoption providers immediately and narrow the choices. Agencies that have at least a three year record in a given country are preferred.
3. Read about other parents adoption experiences. Join online groups and ask for feedback both good and bad about any agency you are considering. Contact the state adoption licensing office and the Better Business Bureau in the state an agency operates to check if complaints have been filed. If an agency is not licensed, in a country where they offer an adoption program or in the United States, consider it a red flag and think hard before contacting it.
4. Understand that many agencies have complaints. Learn how the agency resolved or did not resolve the complaint. The resolution of a complaint says a great deal about the ethics of an agency.
5. Speak with several agencies prior to signing a contract with one agency. Learn what policies are common and what policies may just be a quirk of on agency. The type of correspondence and contact you have with an agency prior to signing a contract is an indication of what you may expect later in the process. Check references given by the agency, but don’t expect to hear much negative. Most agencies will not give you the name of a client who is unhappy with them.
6. Look at the paperwork you are provided. You should be given a written fee schedule and an explanation of the fees. There should be a grievance policy in writing, as well. Make sure there is no “gag” clause in the contract which prohibits you from sharing your adoption experience with others.
7. Don’t use an agency that uses photo listing as a “catalog” shop of children. There are legitimate cases where photo listing children is effective and legal. However, many countries have laws against using photographs of children in this manner. Parents who fall in love with a picture set themselves up for heartache if the agency is not on the level. Think twice about agencies using this form of recruitment.
8. Follow your instincts. If something seems too easy or if promises are made that don’t seem to be possible; run the other direction quickly. Many adoptive parents have suffered at the hands of a less than ethical adoption agency. Prevent this from happening to you by researching and learning as much as you are able prior to starting the process of an adoption.