Questions to Ask an Adoption Agency

Knowing where to start when deciding to adopt can be hard. While there is a lot of information about adoption online, it can be hard to know what steps to take first. Domestic or International? Infant or Child? One child or a sibling group? The questions can seem endless when starting the adoption process.

Many adoptive parents work with an adoption agency to help them connect with a child. These adoption agencies know the ropes of the adoption process and can be a huge resource. Choosing the right adoption agency for you can also seem quite overwhelming. Here are 5 questions to ask an adoption agency when trying to decide which agency to go with:

What Adoptions Do You Specialize In?

While there are a lot of adoption agencies, there are also a lot of different kinds of adoptions. Some agencies specialize in international adoptions from a specific country while others specialize in domestic adoptions from within the state. Every adoption agency is a little different and usually has a “go-to” type of adoption that they are well versed in.

How Many Children Did You Place Last Year?

One of the success rates of an adoption agency is gauged by how many successful adoptions they had in the previous year. This question will help you understand the length of your adoption journey and the likelihood that you could have an adopted child within a year. It also helps to answer how many birth moms the agency has waiting. While this question may sound too forward, it’s a red flag when an agency can’t answer this question, or gives you a broad estimate.

How Does the Waitlist Work?

Just like you, other families are waiting for a child within the same agency. The amount of waiting families can tell you a lot about the success of the agency. Receiving an updated waitlist and knowing how the waitlist is managed is another critical question to ask an adoption agency. While not everyone on the list may be a good match for a child, it is essential to know how the agency manages and matches children to adoptive families.

How Much Does It Cost?

Finances are a top priority that many adoptive parents worry about. There are many facts and figures out there that can seem insurmountable. Your adoption agency should be able to give you a solid estimate of what to expect financially. Remember that they have done this before and should know the steps required for a successful adoption, as well as the fees that come along with it. Understand that every adoption is different and that you won’t pay exactly what another family does. However, the adoption agency should be able to give you a ballpark figure to plan on.

Are the Adoptions Open, Closed, or Semi?

Knowing the type of relationship that you will have with a birth parent is important. Florida allows the birth and adoptive parents to choose the best kind of adoption that is best for their situation. Open adoptions mean that there is access to information from both parties throughout the child’s life. Closed adoptions are those that do not have any information or access to the birth parent or the child. Semi-open adoptions are those that do have access but may be guarded due to certain circumstances.

Interviewing a few adoption agencies at the beginning of your journey is important. Ask other adoptive families who they used and make sure that you feel comfortable with your chosen adoption agency. They will provide the connection that you have with your child and are a crucial part of adoption. Consider these 5 questions to ask an adoption agency when choosing adoption.