Hi, I've spoken to a bunch of agencies with Taiwan adoption programs and the ones that seem promising are Wide Horizons for Children, Heartsent, and All God's Children. Does anybody have experience with these agencies that they could share? Or does anybody have any other agency recommendations? If so, please PM me. I would prefer an agency that would allow me to specify gender preference (ie, a girl). Any help is appreciated!
Unfortunately, few American agencies are accepting applications for Taiwan at this time, and even fewer will allow gender choice.
The reason is that Taiwan is a small and relatively prosperous country. It has very few children available for adoption, and even fewer healthy infants.
In the past, because few Westerners knew about the program, it was easy for a family to get a quick referral of a healthy baby. Now, however, there are far more people applying than there are healthy infants to adopt. Not wanting long waiting lists to develop, as with China, many agencies are closing their programs to new applicants until current clients can all be accommodated.
Of course, one of the big reasons for the increase in applications was the new situation regarding China. With China's new rules making many more people ineligible, and with so many applicants that people currently wait four years to adopt and there's an assumption that waits will continue to increase, many Americans have turned to Taiwan, where they can also adopt babies of Chinese heritage.
As to gender choice, agencies are beginning to move away from allowing it, especially for first time parents, not just with Taiwan, but also with other countries. The reason is simple. Americans almost invariably want to adopt girls. If agencies allow gender choice, a long waiting list will develop for girls, while boys will languish in orphanages and foster homes for years.
So most agencies are beginning to require families to be open to either gender. A family with other children may be allowed to specify gender, either to balance their families or to let two children of the same gender share a bedroom. Obviously, gender preference has not been a problem with China and India, which actually have had far more girls than boys available.
All in all, you should probably contact most of the agencies that have had Taiwan programs, to see if they are still accepting applicants, whether gender choice is still allowed, and what the current time frame is. Only then will you be able to make a choice among agencies.
When evaluating agencies, experience counts. Look for an agency that has been in business for a long time, and that has worked in youir country of interest a long time (unless it has only recently opened to adoption, in which case, the program is actually a pilot program, and should be considered somewhat riskier.)
Look for licensure by one or more states, and remember that some licensure bureaus have a complaint registry, where you can determine whether an agency has had any substantial complaints against it. All agencies will have some complaints, but repeated complaints of a serious nature -- for example, about improper financial practices -- are a big red flag.
Accreditation by the Council on Accreditation, either for Hague adoption or for all adoptions, is desirable, though not mandatory. Even though Taiwan is non-Hague, an agency that has been accredited for Hague adoptions is likely to have high standards. If an agency is non-Hague, check the State Department website to see if it ever applied for Hague accreditation and was denied. Some of the reasons for denial may be rather trivial, but others could be more serious.
Contact the U.S. Embassy in the country of choice, to see whether an agency has had any problems with such things as clients denied visas because of irregularities in their paperwork or process. You may also want to check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there have been complaints against the agency.
Determine whether the agency is a member of highly regarded adoption organizations that provide professional education and that advocate for ethical adoption. The main organization for international adoption agencies is the Joint Council on International Children's Services, but some agencies may also belong to the National Council for Adoption and other organizations. Also look to see if some of the agency's staff serve on the Board of these organizations or speak at their conferences, because this suggests that the staff are highly respected within their field.
Talk to the agencies after thoroughly informing yourself about the foreign country's rules. If you hear things that seem too good to be true, they probably are NOT true. Be suspicious if you see time frames, costs, eligibility rules, etc. that seem wildly inconsistent with what other agencies are promising.
Contact other people who have used the agency, to ask about their experiences. This is really important. Look for people who used the agency for the same country and the same time frame, since an agency may have one program that is excellent and one that is mediocre, and since additions or departures of highly qualified staff can affect the quality of the program.
When you talk to people, you may certainly contact clients referred to you by the agency. But always go beyond those clients, since they are likely to be the agency's most satisfied people. Go out onto the Internet, or to an adoption support group in your area.
When you talk to people, be as specific as possible in your questions. Don't ask only, "Was the agency ethical?" or "Did you feel comfortable with the agency?" Ask about things that are important to you. As an example, if you have never traveled abroad before, and are a bit scared of that part of the adoption process, you will want to ask about the agency's in-country support, to be sure that someone from the agency was "holding your hand" every step of the way while you were overseas.
All in all, there are many things you can do to check out an agency. DO THEM, and also get a sense of whether you feel comfortable with the agency's religious orientation, if any, with the communication style of the agency, etc. Your adoption agency holds your heart, as well as your money, in its hands. You really need to feel confident that the agency will not abuse your trust, and that it will be a good partner during your adoption process.
Sharon