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It's my understanding that since we live in Maryland, we cannot use a [font=Verdana]Facilitator. I've come across a few Referral Services that say that they will work with us. We would pay the agency and the agency would then pay the referral fee; but the referral fee actually would be paid by us, since the agencies fees will be increased a certain amount to cover the referral fee. Has anyone in MD worked with a Referral Service? If so, I'd love to hear your experience. Also, any information on Aspen Grove Referral would be helpful as well.[/font][font=Verdana][/font] [font=Verdana]Thanks[/font]
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We are in MD and went this route; however, we are finalizing in state where our daughter was born so it was not an issue. Might want to see if that is a potential in states you are considering. Believe if referral fee not listed as such, but just included as Agency fee in declaration of expenses for court that might still also be okay to finalize in Maryland, but probably best to talk to adoption attorney in MD.
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A referral service is another name for a facilitator - someone you pay to connect you with expectant parents making an adoption plan. If a facilitator is illegal to use in your state, so will a referral service. Other typical euphanisms are networking service or marketing service.
Beware of anyone who counsels you on ways to 'get around' the law in your state as this is not ethical and could very well jeopardize your adoption. Courts may and have reversed adoptions based on illegal practices during the process.
I've seen it happen in VA - a no-facilitator state - where a biological parent used the fact that the paparents had paid a 'networking service' a 'donation', after which the 'service' connected them. The court did indeed reverse and custody reverted to the biological parent.
JMHO
Regina
I will agree with some of the other posters.. if you finalize in MD you might have to provide a statement of your expenses and who thery were paid to.. if you are actually paying the agency (and they in turn pay a referral service) that is ok since who YOU paid is the agency. But if you pay the referral or facilitator directly that is not allowed.
If you can finalize in the other state that might be best, but I know in our case we were not able to so we had to finalize in MD and adhere to MD law.
Mandy