The scenarios
that could affect whether an adoption ends successfully or
with heartbreak are endless. It is key, when contacting and
visiting adoption agencies, to ask important questions in
order to logically select the right company to work with.
What
are the costs?
Although,
not important in the scheme of the emotions surrounding the
adoption of an infant, different families have different resources
and some agencies have different fees for different situations.
The one caveat to be ware of is hidden fees; some adoption
agencies tack on at the end or during the process of adoption.
Ask up
front a detailed list of every possible fee the agency might
charge or will charge. This way you are aware of what the
final agency bill might be, or what adoption options you may
want to or not want to choose. Also, obtain information from
the agency representative as to when certain fees are expected
to be paid. During the process of the adoption, many agencies
expect funds at certain stages of the procedure.
It is
also important to inquire about refunds. Some adoption agencies
have a no refund policy; others will refund monies depending
on what stage the adoption is at and others refund most or
all of the costs paid.
What
is their experience?
The number
of adoptions they perform will also prove to be critical to
the success of the adoption process. If the adoption agency
handles a mind boggling number of adoptions each year they
may not be able to provide the quality of support and service
one would expect from an agency. Of course, if this is the
case and they employ an equally high number of competent associates.
On the
flip side of over extending themselves, some adoption agencies
do not perform enough adoptions per annum to accrue the kind
of experience needed to be able to offer the proper advisement
when out of the ordinary circumstances occur. It should be
realized, however, that some agencies pride themselves on
the fact that even if they do not perform large numbers of
adoptions, they provide a higher quality of support.
When discussing
the experience of a particular agency, ask for references.
Even though privacy is a major concern with most adoptions,
there will be a handful of people willing to discuss their
experiences with the agency.
What
is the average wait time?
For most
parents looking to adopt an infant, this is the most important
question to ask. Adoptive parents have already made the decision
to adopt and sometimes the wait can seem like the most difficult
aspect of the entire process.
Most adoption
agencies will have this information directly in hand and often
take pride in the fact that their wait times are shorter than
those of other agencies. However, simply because an agency
purports a short waiting period does not mean they are the
best adoption agency to deal with.
It is
important to not solely base the decision of what adoption
agency to choose simply because their wait period is shorter
than their competitors. Take into account what steps and procedures
each uses, it could be the one agency has a shorter wait time
than another because they skip over valuable aspects of the
adoption process.
About
The Author
Matt
Ryan is the creator of www.infantadoptioninfo.com.
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