Adoption Agencies?

[URL="http://findingfernanda.com/2011/09/lawsuit-saint-mary-international-adoptions-v-the-council-on-accreditation/"]Here's a link[/URL] from the story last year. It's a blog, but there is a LOT of information in it.

Zenoria,I am not saying an agency wouldn't be compliant. I am just saying that when it came to researching my adoption, I didn't and wouldn't rely on an agency being compliant in informing me they were suspended. I'd research and find out first.I would not want to start my process with an agency currently in suspension. And I don't know many people that would.I find it strange that you would be so defensive of me informing people about the suspension. As an adoptive mother, who is in the process of adopting again, I find a suspension serious. I believe the importance of ethical adoptions requires us to take suspensions seriously. The state department's website states "the suspension will begin on March 6, 2012 and conclude when the accrediting entity has determined that the adoption service provider has completed the corrective action." No mention of thirty days. You can find the details of the allegations here: [url=http://pear-now.blogspot.com/2012/03/update-on-temporary-suspension-of.html]Parents for Ethical Adoption Reform (PEAR): UPDATE on Temporary Suspension of Huminska's Anioly[/url]I would think prospective adoptive families prefer would want to wait until the required "corrective action" as the state department says has been made before considering working with an agency CURRENTLY under a suspension. I also know that when the decision has been made to adopt and you are ready to start-- a wait to begin the process of 30 days or more (until "completion of corrective action") is not really acceptable.And as you said there are 3-odd agencies that haven't been suspended and 4 that are not CURRENTLY suspended.

Wow. those are some good debates. thanks for the insight. I read this article that one of you posted about St Mary's lawsuit. Reading that copy of the lawsuit, it seems like the agency was pretty confident that it was unjustly suspended if they were going to federal court with it. Any ways thanks for all your input and healthy objections. What about Children's House International (I think thats what they are called) Has any one adopted through them? Please PM me.

Newtoadotpionmom,Sorry! I think I double PM'd you on CHI. Then, I tried to PM you with more info on our experience but your mailbox is full. Clear some space and I'll send you our experience.

Yes, i didn't realize that we are only allowed 10 emails, so I emptied it now. Thanks again.

LoveBeingAMom,I'm not being defensive. But, I do think you're presenting this as an extremely serious issue that is black and white and not recognizing that there are degrees of seriousness. No one has said anyone should try to start with any particular agency now or ever or that anyone shouldn't. If you believe that a suspension is gravely serious, no matter what, then you shouldn't work with either agency that has been suspended. Period. There are three other agencies out there. However. The other three don't do nearly as many adoptions as the two who have run afoul of COA. Neither agency which was or is suspended has been accused of child trafficking or any such thing that would be of that level. On a different Polish Adoptions board, there have been many discussions of policies and procedures, and it's pretty clear that the US agencies use the same attorneys and staff in Poland. There are only 2 law firms in Poland which deal with International Adoption and which are well known for it. So, if there's a problem with the in-country staff, you need to be sure using a different agency will ensure you do not run into the same issues (how you do that, I have no idea) but will enable you to avail yourself of the best people in the country to help you. Some agencies in the US will promise younger children, or shorter timeframes or other things which are fairly difficult, if you read enough about Polish adoptions. And it's easy to be caught up in empty promises. I think if you do enough research, you can find horror stories about all of them, the one in NY, the one in Chicago, the Carolinas, the one in Georgia, and the one out west. Frankly, there will be and should be expected to be more issues and problems with those who do a higher volume of adoptions. If an agency does 3-4 placements a year versus 1-2 a month, you'll have fewer complaints (likely) from the lower-volume one. Also if the agency has only had a Poland program for a few years. That said, Poland is a country which does business on relationships, and long-standing presence in the country (and many contacts) will likely only benefit US couples trying to adopt.

Hi - my husband and i just signed up with an agency for the home study and were planning to enlist the currently suspended agency for assistance with our Polish adoption. We are heartbroken to hear the news, and don't know where to turn for answers. I haven't seen any more info then the suspension info. Does anyone know what's going on, why this occurred, or when it will (or can it) be resolved? Anyone with experience good or bad - please PM me... I appreciate it.

Update on the recently suspended agency. The suspension was officially lifted last week and the agency is in compliance with DoS requirements.[URL="http://adoption.state.gov/about_us/suspension_of_huminska_anioly_lifted.php"]Department of State notice[/URL]

I'm intrigued by the above post. Is there a way to find out who the in-country staff are prior to signing up with the agency?

Hello everyone, my husband and I are hoping to adopt a sibling group of 3 or more from Poland. We are Catholic, my father was born in Poland and emigrated to the USA shortly after WWII (he fought for Poland in the war) and my mother was born in Ukraine and also came to the USA after WWII. My husband is a citizen of Ireland and I am a citizen of the USA. We live in the USA. Please let me know if any of you can recommend an agency.

Anna -- you could ask your agency if their staff works with or has worked with other agencies in the past. You should ask if their attorneys and in-country staff have. Kasia -- the agencies have recently shifted around and there has been a dramatic slowdown of adoptions to the US. You should ask any agency how many in process families they have currently, how many children they expect to place this year, how many they've placed per month last year, and how long they expect your wait to be. Do not, under any circumstances, expect to adopt a healthy singleton or a young child quickly.

Thank you for your response! Does any one know the reason things have slowed down with adoption from Poland? Is it because they are doing a better job of placing children within Poland or are there other reasons?

I don't think there has been much of a slowdown, at least not in the past 5 years. Last year there were 49 kids adopted to the US from Poland, including one of mine :). In 2009 when we adopted our first child there were 50 kids adopted from Poland to the US. Here is the state dept. page on Poland: [url=http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_info.php?country-select=poland]POLAND | Intercountry Adoption[/url] I guess compared with 100 kids adopted in 2004 it has slowed down. I think that is across the board internationally, though. I don't think there is any particular slowdown in the 5 or so year recent past in Poland.

We were repeatedly told, in country in 2012, that Poland is not adopting as many children to the US as previously. Adoptions to Italy have risen significantly, and there is a definite preference to adopt to EU countries over the US.Adoption to the US from Poland has been declining over the last 10 years; when one accounts for sibling groups, which are more common than singletons, a year where 35 children came to the US, there was one recently, maybe 2013, that means 17 or fewer families adopted the entire year, in the entire US, as many sibling groups are 3+.Also anecdotally, there has been tremendous chatter about the slowdown on boards such as this.

We were repeatedly told, in country in 2012, that Poland is not adopting as many children to the US as previously. Adoptions to Italy have risen significantly, and there is a definite preference to adopt to EU countries over the US. Adoption to the US from Poland has been declining over the last 10 years; when one accounts for sibling groups, which are more common than singletons, a year where 35 children came to the US, there was one recently, maybe 2013, that means 17 or fewer families adopted the entire year, in the entire US, as many sibling groups are 3+. Also anecdotally, there has been tremendous chatter about the slowdown on boards such as this.