Birth Parents Blog, First Parents Blog - Questions to Ask an Adoption Agency

07/24/07

Questions to Ask an Adoption Agency

Posted by : Jan Baker in Birth-First Parent Blog at 08:27 am , 420 words, 249 views
Categories: Choosing an Agency

Lately, I have come across a few questionnaires/checklists designed to help prospective adoptive parents choose an adoption agency. Few offer any suggestions that might help determine the ethical nature of an agency (or lack of it).

Here are some questions that might help locate an agency that is highly ethical and concerned about facilitating adoptions that are necessary.

1. What percentage of the women who begin an adoption plan at your agency back out and decide to keep their babies?

2. Do you offer pregnant women considering parenting and adoption any parenting resources? If not, what do you tell them about finding resources?

3. Do you actively recruit birth mothers? If so, where do you locate most of them?

4. Are young women advised of their legal rights regarding the time period to change their minds, or do you believe it is their responsibility to access this information?

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5. Do you offer any mediation services for open adoption situations after an adoption? If not, do you have resources to help someone locate a mediator?

6. Could you provide me with the kinds of literature that you offer pregnant women considering adoption?

7. Why do you use the term “birthmother” for a woman who has not yet placed a baby for adoption?

8. Do you believe that it benefits children to have contact and/or information about birth families?

Although it may not always the case, if an adoption agency has elaborate offices and/or luxury quarters to house pregnant women considering adoption, be suspicious. Fancy offices and maternity homes with swimming pools and extra amenities cost a great deal of money. Ask yourself why an agency can afford these features. Are they "recruiting" women to place their babies for adoption? Do they charge adoptive parents exorbitant fees?

Many of these questions are ones that I imagine that most of you have already considered. I am not insinuating otherwise. Some posts by adoption.com bloggers include ethics and cover the topic well. I have included links to some of blogger posts on this subject below. One of my favorites is How to Determine if an Agency is Ethical written by Faith.

Adoption is complex, and no one can be expected to know everything about adoption. By listing these, I am not aiming to offend anyone, but merely offer some items that might be helpful.

Further Reading:

Choosing an Adoption Professional

http://ethiopia.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/how-do-we-choose-a-good-agency

http://birthparents.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/ethics-in-adoption-part-1

http://transracial.adoptionblogs.com/weblogs/adoption-abcs-ethics-and-extended-family

Photo by Jan Baker 2007

6 comments

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: Heather [Member]

· http://unproductivereproduction.blogspot.com

Good list. I would add, "Do any staff members receive bonuses or have their compensation tied in any way to the number of completed placements?" When a counselor is working on commission, so to speak, it makes it impossible to equally support all available options.

Permalink 07/24/07 @ 09:51

Comment from: Jenna Hatfield [Member]

· http://birthparents.adoptionblogs.com/

Not sure I like the term of "back out" in the first one. In fact, I'm sure I don't like it. Deciding to parent a child instead of placing a child isn't "backing out" of anything, even if a match with a potential family has been made. Deciding to parent falls within the realm of what can or should be expected until the Termination of Parental Rights has been signed.

A better wording would have been, "How many mothers who have matched with a potential adoptive family go on to parent their child instead of placing?"

I don't want mothers AND families left thinking that they are doing something wrong by deciding to parent which the negative terminology of "back out" alludes to.

Permalink 07/24/07 @ 10:32

Comment from: miriam [Member]

· http://www.growingjwards.blogspot.com

I would also like to know how many birthmoms they have available as references.

If there was a way to also ask more about the mediation you mention in #5, something about the average length of time the birthmoms use their services post placement, I think that would be good to know. One agency we checked out has been accused of setting up facilitation and counseling but then flaking out after placement and generally not being available.

Permalink 07/24/07 @ 13:18

Comment from: Jan Baker [Member]

· http://birthparents.adoptionblogs.com/

Good one Heather! It does make perfect sense.

Jenna, this list is not for birth parents, but adoptive parents to give them ideas of questions to ask an agency.

I do agree with your reasoning though and if I were composing a list to be printed up and distributed, I might have chosen my words more carefully.

Miriam, your points are good ones too. Some agencies do promise more than they deliver in after adoption services. I think the post-adoption services are lacking or not necessarily that great in many agencies.

Permalink 07/24/07 @ 18:49

Comment from: Jenna Hatfield [Member]

· http://birthparents.adoptionblogs.com/

Jenna, this list is not for birth parents, but adoptive parents to give them ideas of questions to ask an agency.

Adoptive parents need to be schooled in proper thought and language as well. Sorry, I feel strongly on this one. :) You know. :)

Permalink 07/24/07 @ 19:51

Comment from: davidk [Member]

Jan,

You omitted my checklist at www.adoptionagencychecklist.com. While I focus on the international adoption playing field, I do include this as part of my checklist:

16. In cases and countries where the biological mother is identified, ask the agency what kind of counseling and support their program offers to biological mothers. The answer may help reveal the agency's commitment to fair and ethical practices. Additionally, the level of service provided a biological mother, along with the level of service provided a child in an orphanage or foster care, should be a reflection of the level of service provided an adoptive family.

Keep up the good work,
David K

Permalink 08/01/07 @ 09:51

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