Agency?

Many agencies refuse to work in Ukraine, because they disapprove of the "choose your own child" requirement. As you probably know, Ukraine does not allow referrals. A parent has to travel to the country, look at profiles in a book, select a few children to visit, visit the children, and then decide on a child to adopt. An agency cannot be officially involved, though some agencies can be helpful in the background. Many families report being pressured to take an older child or a child with special needs, even though they were not prepared to deal with the issues of older child or special needs adoptions. Some families report being concerned about having to make a decision on a child without input from family, doctors, etc. Yes, a person can call his/her relatives or an adoption medicine physician while in Ukraine. But a short transoceanic phone call may not be the best way to arrive at a good decision. Some families are concerned that, not knowing the language, they have to rely on interpreters who may or may not present ALL relevant medical information on a child from records or orphanage director comments. Some families, figuring that an agency won't really be helping them much, decide to go the truly independent route. Unfortunately, they sometimes discover that it would have been a good idea to have an agency that could help them deal with a sticky in-country situation. If you decide to go with Ukraine, make sure you understand the process fully and are comfortable with it. Some people are and some people aren't. Then ask agencies what they can do for you to make your process go more smoothly, and check references to be sure that the agencies truly have added value to families' adoptions. Sharon

Everything the above poster said is absolutely true. I guess part of it matters is to how open you are to a child. We adopted from Ukraine, but had a very wide age range and were not gender specific, but did wanted two siblings. For us, it worked beautifully, we adopted a sister & brother, age 7 & 5 and are now trying to return for their sister. If you'd like, PM me and I'll tell you the agency we used. We felt so comfortable and we were so pleased with their efficiency and honesty that we are using them again.

Thank you both for responding. That is pretty much what the agency I spoke with told me so I'm at least hearing the truth. Unfortunately I don't think Ukraine is for me, what a bummer. Best wishes.