It’s important that you choose an agency that you can trust completely and rely on to look out for your best interests at all times. Before picking an adoption agency, you must carefully research the available options and ask the right questions to gain vital insights into their procedures and policies.
We’ve put together an outline of vital questions to ask your shortlisted adoption agencies so you can select the one that’s perfect for you and make your dreams of growing your family a reality.
1. What Is Your Availability?
The adoption journey can be quite a challenge for prospective parents. There’s no set time for when you could get a break in your case or when issues come up, so it’s important to have an adoption agency that’s available around the clock.
If an adoption agency is only available strictly during regular business hours, they’re more likely to not meet your needs as efficiently as you’d like. You might find yourself having to wait to hear back from them rather than being able to communicate with them when the need is most pressing. Find an agency that is committed to working with a sense of urgency and putting parents first.
You’ll also want to find out how many adoption cases they’re currently handling and their staff strength. This should give you a good idea of how efficiently your case will be treated.
During your adoption process, there will be times when you won’t hear from anyone for weeks and other times when you’ll need to speak to someone right away.
Knowing the agency’s staff size can help you determine whether they have enough people to cover someone who may be absent when you need them the most.
If the agency only has a few employees, be sure to ask how they deal with work absences in case you need to contact a person who isn’t available.
2. What Is Your Average Wait Time for Adoptions?
Keep in mind that there is no “average” wait time because each case is unique. Your adoption process might take longer or less time than that. As you conduct your research, you need to have clear and realistic expectations.
Some parents have reported frustration with the matching process, particularly knowing that their profile may be selected for the final panel review only to not be accepted. In many cases, the county workers have to evaluate several great candidates. Don’t take it personally if you are not selected.
The honest agency will inform you that it does not control how long it takes to make a match. That is the reality. Many factors are involved, including the prospective parent’s personal characteristics.
The Resource Family Approval Program (RFA)is a child-centered caregiver approval process that many agencies use to create a holistic profile of prospective adoptive parents. It’s streamlined to unify all approval standards for guardians. It’s also helpful in preparing families to meet the child’s needs. Here are the factors involved in building this comprehensive portfolio:
- Psychosocial assessment of the adoptive family
- Home environment check (home study)
- Training for external families
It is a myth that the adoption process depends on whether there is a waiting list. Just like in foster care, 99% of eligible children are referred to all agencies at the same time. That means that agencies do not have preferential treatment and are not assigned adoptions on a rotating basis.
Your chances of being matched do not depend on the agency. Instead, they are entirely dependent on the content of the home study, which is the first document that the adoption workers will review.
Similarly, it is also a myth that the number of previous adoptions predicts how many adoptions the agency will complete in the future. Again, this is because adoption cases are not assigned in rotation to agencies. Generally, agencies have access to the same databases and the same referrals.
Although the number of adoptions previously completed is not a predictor of future success, there are some essential questions to ask when interviewing an adoption agency. For example, who will conduct the searches? Is that the applicant’s responsibility, or is there an agency worker assigned to do this?
3. How Much Do Your Adoptions Typically Cost, and What’s Included in It?
Knowing how much you’re able to spend on adoption is absolutely important before you embark on the journey.
Any reputable California adoption agency will be glad to tell you about the price estimates for their services and adoption programs.
At the Knotts Family Agency, we have a comprehensive breakdown of the typical costs associated with the various types of adoption that we offer. There are no hidden fees or sliding scales to worry about with us.
However, not all agencies are honest about pricing and adoption costs. Ask if the agency has a fixed cost or if its pricing is based on a best-case scenario.
Make sure any agency representative you speak to explains the costs of adopting through each program to you in a way that you understand so that you can have a full picture going in.
Find out exactly what the fees cover regarding home study, post-placement visits, transportation, and medical exams.
Do they use a match fee or just a placement fee? If they use a match fee, does it roll over to another match, or is it refundable?
The adoption agency should also be able to tell you what happens to your investment if there is a disruption. It’s important to ask financial questions when choosing an adoption agency. Will you get a full refund, or will the agency lock the money? It’s important that the establishment has some form of a risk-management or risk-sharing program so you get your funds back should there be any disturbances.
Rollover policies mean you must stay with that particular agency to protect your investment. If you work with another establishment, you will lose all the funds from the initial investment. If you stay with the same agency, those funds will roll over to the subsequent adoption opportunity if there is a disruption.
Look for cost estimates that include all the necessary agency fees, medical expenses, legal fees, living expenses, advertising or matching fees, and other miscellaneous expenses.
Make sure you have a clear idea of how funds are going to be spent and the highest possible expenses you should anticipate for the entire adoption process so you can plan well.
If the agency is reluctant to disclose its adoption fee structure or you sense that it’s hiding something, that’s a glaring red flag. Complete transparency is the standard that every reputable adoption agency aims for.
4. How Do You Handle Complications or Disruptions?
Sometimes, an adoption opportunity just doesn’t work out. This is a painful and undeniable reality of the adoption process that many hopeful adoptive parents have to put up with.
By working with the right agency, you can prevent these disruptions from occurring and ensure that you’re financially protected if they do.
It’s important to know upfront what will happen to your investment in such a situation. Will you be able to get a full or partial refund on the money you’ve already paid, or will that money be automatically rolled over to the next adoption opportunity?
Keep in mind that a rollover policy usually means your money will not be refunded, and you’ll only have the opportunity to explore another adoption opportunity with the agency.
Find out if there is a risk-sharing policy in place to cushion the effect of any potential financial loss in the event of a disruption.
5. How Do You Handle Birth Parent Involvement?
Birth-parent involvement can become complicated if you don’t find the type of relationship that suits your family values and aspirations from the start. Different agencies handle birth-parent involvement in various ways that typically include one or a combination of the following:
- Open: In this adoption process, the birth parents and adoptive families have contact with each other during and after the adoption process. They also share identifying information.
- Semi-open adoption: This process involves non-identifying interactions between birth parents and adoptive families. All communication is facilitated by a third party, like the adoption agency.
- Closed: A closed adoption is where the birth parents and adoptive family share little to no communication and don’t share identifying information.
It’s crucial to ask about how they handle birth parent involvement before choosing an adoption agency. Knowing what to expect can help you set healthy boundaries in advance. Agencies also play a key role in preventing misunderstandings or disruptions from birth parents.
Here are some of the resources agencies can offer to make the transition smoother and reduce confusion and emotional distress in birth parents:
- Pre-placement counseling: The adoption agency should provide counseling resources for birth parents, inform them of any incentives offered and explain each of their options throughout the adoption process.
- Post-placement support: Birth parents should have readily available support from agencies to help them cope with any emotional distress that could affect the relationship with adoptive parents.
- Long-term communication: If birth parents return to the agency years after placement, what services are available to them? How long has the agency been in contact with them? Learning this information beforehand is essential to ensure the post-adoption process is on par with your wishes.
- Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMAD): Are birth mothers assessed and offered support for PMAD? What resources does the agency provide to help birth mothers cope with symptoms and make a clear-headed decision on giving their child up for adoption?
Ensuring the birth parents receive adequate support both before, during, and after the adoption process can help prevent disruptions and ensure smooth communication between families (if desired).
6. What Kind of Support Do You Provide?
Pre- and post-adoption monitoring/counseling/education, support group networks or referrals, medical and logistical support, emotional reinforcement, and legal representation are just as important as physical support. It’s essential to ask the agency questions about support offered and availability.
How regularly will the agency communicate with you during the adoption process? Can you rely on their assistance to help you adjust to the challenges of being an adoptive family even after the adoption has been finalized? Do they provide trauma-related support for vulnerable children and adoptive parents?
Make sure your adoption agency is committed to your welfare, that of your family and child, and the welfare of other parties involved in the adoption.
The best agencies assign a particular adoption professional or specialist to each adoptive family and expectant parents to ensure that you’re not walking alone on your journey.
Make a Difference With Knotts Family Agency
At KFA, we work with a parent-delight model that emphasizes helping parents through continuous support and valuable resources. We offer parents specialized training in behavioral management, trauma-informed care, and around-the-clock support from experienced social workers.
We believe that happy parents help create happy children, so we offer a wide range of resources and support that are focused on children’s development and keeping patients delighted. Some of these resources include self-care packages, date nights, and paid training.
Whenever you’re ready to begin or resume your adoption journey, our specialists are ever-happy to walk you through the application process and stay with you every step of the way. Don’t hesitate to contact Knotts Family Agency.
