An independent voice for ethical adoption
Choosing an Adoption Service Provider
What is the difference between an agency and a facilitator?
What should families look for in choosing an agency?
How can families find information about an agency’s reputation?
What is the difference between an agency and a facilitator?
Generally, when people speak of an adoption agency, they are referring to an agency that has been licensed by a state to place children for adoption. Most states have rules regarding the number of employees, the type of education and degree the directors should have, the type of records they have to keep, etc. In most states, individuals can also provide home study services, although the regulations vary from state to state. Some agencies also have overseas staff; staff would be actual employees of the agency and not just contracted workers who provide services for specific fees (such contract workers are generally considered facilitators).
A facilitator is an agent or a go-between working to connect the adoptive family (or their agency) with a child who is available for adoption. In domestic adoption, facilitators often work to connect a family or their representative with another agency or attorney who knows of a birthmother looking to place her child for adoption. Most states do not license facilitators. If they do, they likely do not require them to meet the same qualifications for staff, education or other child welfare services. Therefore, there may be no official oversight for the services they provide. For this reason, many consider facilitators to be business people as opposed to child welfare providers.
In intercountry adoption, a facilitator may actually be the person who finds the children for adoption if they are arranging direct adoptions between birth parents and adoptive parents. Or, the facilitator may be the person overseas who contracts with orphanages to place children through the government system, and works with stateside agencies to find families for the children.
What should families look for in choosing an Agency?
There are many factors that one should consider when choosing an agency. Families will need a local agency to do their home study. However, many families who adopt internationally do not use their home study agency as their placement agency. Some do. Either is likely fine. If your family values face to face contact, then consider using a local agency that also provides intercountry adoption services. However, if you cannot find a local agency which provides the services you desire, then don’t let distance stop you from using an agency that you are comfortable with which is located in another state. In these days of Internet and email connection, most families are quite comfortable working with an agency in any state.
Some families find agencies to work with by looking on the Internet; talking to other adoptive families; or calling local adoption agencies. All of these avenues are helpful. It can be quite dangerous to first locate a child on a photolisting and then automatically sign up with the agency that is placing the child for adoption. Falling in love with the picture of a child may cause the family to be less than careful about checking an agency’s reputation or credentials; or could cause the family to overlook obvious red flags because they don’t want to pass up the chance to adopt a particular child. While many reputable agencies use photolistings to place children for adoption, it is wise to choose an agency (or several agencies) that you are comfortable with first–and then look at children that your agency has available for adoption.
When speaking with an agency, parents should be sure to ask as many questions as possible. If you find that the agency doesn’t respond to your call or inquiry in a timely manner or doesn’t have the time to answer your questions on the first call, then you may want to question whether they will have time to speak with you during the adoption process.
In addition, be wary of agencies which decline to answer specific questions. You should expect straight answers to straight questions. If an agency has nothing to hide, they should not be concerned about giving you the names of their employees, facilitators, or agents. If an agency feels like their fee structure is appropriate and within the normal range of fees, they shouldn’t be afraid to reveal it to you on your initial contact. Agencies should also be willing to send you copies of the contracts you will be asked to sign.
You should ask how long the agency has been in business; what the time frame is for the country you are considering adopting from; how long the agency has had a program in that country; whether the agency has its own staff overseas or employs facilitators; how the overseas agents find the children available for adoption; and whether the agency has ever been investigated or sanctioned by a government or legal entity.
There are good, ethical agencies of all sizes. Some families prefer working with large agencies that have multiple staff members for each program, and offer a wide variety of services. Others prefer the more personalized service that is often available from smaller agencies. Other factors are more important than the size of the staff. Ultimately, each family chooses an agency on the basis of a combination of factors. You will likely find more than one agency that seems reputable and is a good fit for you. When you do, make sure to thoroughly check the reputation of the agency through outside sources. Agencies may give you a list of previous clients, but it should be obvious that they will not give you the names of the clients that they know to be unhappy.
How can families find information about an agency’s reputation?
The first thing you should do when considering an agency is to call the state licensing office for each state in which the agency is licensed. Many agencies carry multiple state licenses. It is vital that you call each state. Ask the state licensing office if the agency has a current license; how long they have been licensed; if any complaints have been filed against them; and if they have ever been sanctioned or disciplined by the licensing office. You can find the numbers for the state licensing offices on the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse Website.
If an agency is not licensed, it is considered a facilitator, and families should carefully consider whether the facilitator has the staff, knowledge and expertise to arrange adoptions.
The next step is to contact the Better Business Bureau in the area the agency is located in to see if any complaints have been filed. It is also a good idea to do an Internet search on the agency. See if there are any complaints against the agency listed on family pages; pages that contain adoption agency ratings, or in the media. When checking websites which contain agency ratings, it is a good idea to see who runs the agency and if the website is connected to any particular agency, consortium of agencies, or other group which may be less than unbiased.
Third, families should seek out online email discussion groups for the countries they are interested in adopting from. There are groups for virtually every country, and multiple groups for some countries. One listing of groups is available at Yahoo Groups. More can be found at Comeunity.com Families should ask the group for their experiences, both positive and negative, with a certain agency. It is also VITAL to ask for experiences with the facilitator or in-country staff. Facilitators often work for many different agencies; and experiences of those who worked with the same facilitator, even if with a different agency, can be helpful. In addition, if an agency has had major problems in any country, not just the one you are interested in, be cautious. Such problems could be the sign of a program that is not well managed. However, it is possible to have problems with a particular in-country facilitator that would not necessarily be the fault of the agency itself.
While it is true that virtually any agency could have a complaint or two that was filed by a disgruntled client, one should be concerned if a pattern exists. Consider the severity of the complaint; the number of complaints; and perhaps most importantly, the agency’s response when you inquire about the complaint. Some agencies strictly warn against posting to Internet listservs for references. If an agency has nothing to hide, they shouldn’t be concerned if you ask questions.
Too, some families discount the stories they hear from other clients because they have talked to the agency and feel comfortable with them. Agencies may tell families that the other clients were difficult; or that there is no truth to the rumors about their facilitators. All of that may be true, but if there is a lot of smoke, perhaps there is a fire there somewhere. Families often spend much more time deciding what kind of car to buy than in deciding whom to use for an adoption. Take the time to choose carefully. Any agency can experience a problem or two; and agencies are sometimes involved in difficult situations through no fault of their own. The true test of an agency is not that they’ve never been involved in a conflict; it’s in how they handled the conflict. If they handled a previous difficult situation well, their previous clients will likely acknowledge that. Every family wants to think well of the agency that brought them their child. When they don’t it should be cause for concern. Ignoring red flags that arise in your search for an agency could be a recipe for disaster.
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