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Posted by Joanna Karpasea-Jones May 12, 2007 |
There has been some bad press about unscrupulous agencies taking thousands of dollars from hopeful prospective parents, only to have the adoption fall through, internet advertising babies for sale and birth mothers being threatened that if they change their minds and choose to keep their babies, they will be liable for fees. There have even been some cases of pro-life groups pressuring a woman to give up her baby for adoption.
So how do you know if you've picked a good agency? Here are some warning flags to look out for:
- The agency does not specify it deals specifically with open adoption.
- The agency fees are not presented upfront, or extra fees are added on later.
- If in the USA, the agency is not a member of the Child Welfare League of America (there are some agencies which are reputable who are not members, but it would be wise to choose one that is).
- Adoptive parent training is not offered or insisted upon.
- Pre-adoption counselling is not offered or insisted upon.
- The birth mother is not offered counselling or informed of her options to keep the baby.
- The birth mother is misinformed that she has to give up the baby once she has selected a couple to be the adoptive parents - legally, she has the right to choose to parent the baby until the adoption has been finalised, even if she has got to know the couple who want to adopt the baby.
- The birth mother is threatened that if she changes her mind, she will be liable for the adoption fees. This isn't the case, it isn't legal and if an agency does this, they are extremely unprofessional.