After months of deciding when it is a good time to adopt, you’ve finally decided that you’re ready to welcome a child into your home and heart. Where and how to start the adoption process can be confusing, so it helps to find the right adoption professionals to help you along your adoption journey. Choosing a trusted adoption professional takes some time and research, all while taking precautions to avoid falling victim to adoption scams. An adoption professional’s overall goal is to educate and support you during the adoption process and to give the children a good life with an amazing adoptive family. So, who are the adoption professionals you can trust to make the adoption process go as smoothly as possible?
Adoption Social Workers and Counselors
If you’re looking to adopt through an adoption agency near you, one of the first professionals you’ll talk with is an adoption social worker or counselor. Adoption social workers, also known as adoption counselors, are professionals who can help you with adopting a child. They offer services such as assisting you with the adoption paperwork, counseling you on any issues you’re facing with the adoption process, and even helping you complete the home study. I’m sure there are quite a few questions you’ll have when meeting with an adoption social worker; here are some thoughtful questions to ask:
- How long is the waiting process for adopting a child?
- What are the costs and fees for the services your agency provides?
- Are there sibling groups waiting to be adopted?
- What are the closed, semi-open, and open adoption processes like?
- Are there any children with special needs who are waiting to be adopted?
- How will you help me with the adoption process?
- How can I prepare my home for an adoption placement?
- What is visitation and contact with the birth parents like?
- How many older children are waiting to be placed?
- Do I need to keep a school-aged child in the same school district?
- What do we need to do to have a successful home study?
- What is the court process like?
- Will we be able to meet the birth parents?
These are just a handful of questions adoption social workers and counselors can happily answer and provide resources to help your adoption process go as smoothly as possible. Your social worker or counselor should be pleasant, courteous, family-oriented, flexible, resourceful, educated, honest, and open-minded. If they meet all of these qualifications, you’ve found a trustworthy adoption professional.
Adoption Attorneys
Another trusted adoption professional is an adoption attorney. Adoption attorneys are resourceful guides for both birth parents and adoptive parents and follow the laws and regulations in adoption. If you’re looking into private adoption with a birth mother, an adoption attorney can assist and work with adoption agencies and adoption social workers. Different states have different requirements on what services they can offer, so research the adoption attorneys in your state. Adoption attorneys also work alongside adoption social workers to coordinate counseling services and follow up with home studies. Adoption attorneys provide legal advice, coordinate visits with potential birth parents, and write up and approve adoption contracts. The costs of an adoption attorney vary by state and depend on each service they provide.
Adoption Facilitators
Adoption facilitators are unlicensed and unregulated professionals who are a for-profit business. Facilitators aren’t lawyers or adoption agency workers, and they find expecting mothers who wish to place their babies for adoption. Facilitators offer marketing and advertising services for adoptive parents to birth mothers, and once a match is made, facilitators are no longer involved in the adoption process. Adoption facilitators can charge $5,000 to 25,000 dollars and are only licensed in the state of California.
How Can You Avoid Being Scammed?
Unfortunately with the adoption industry, even professionals can try to scam vulnerable birth parents, and hopeful adoptive parents out of thousands of dollars. With all the different types of professionals, how can you be sure that you won’t become a victim of an adoption scam?
Screen for Faked Pregnancies
If someone reaches out to you or multiple potential adoptive parents asking for money, you are probably being scammed. Unfortunately, adoption scammers are known to pose as pregnant women and target hopeful adoptive parents on social media. Work closely with your chosen adoption professionals to screen any inquiries or requests you receive. Do not send any money to anyone without confirming identity or screening through your adoption professionals. If anyone reaches out to you directly about adopting their baby, tell them to contact your agency or attorney to start the process and receive the support they need.
Avoid Extra Fees from Agencies or Facilitators
If an agency isn’t properly staffed and facilitators aren’t upfront about the costs of adoption fees, it may be a scam. There are agencies and facilitators out there who will take advantage of first-time adoptive parents, so be wary of the agency or facilitators who charge hidden fees. When you are searching for an adoption agency, be sure your chosen agency is accredited and has a positive reputation. Research your state’s adoption laws to be sure that whichever adoption professional you choose is following the rules and regulations.
Meet Adoption Professionals Face to Face
While the internet is great and has come a long way, meeting adoption professionals face to face is the best way to make sure they are legitimate.
Ask Questions
The adoption professional shouldn’t dodge questions; rather, they should be open to any questions you have. Whether it’s about the waiting list at an adoption agency, how the adoption attorneys communicate with the expectant mothers, or how the adoption social workers can help you with emotional support, the adoption professionals should be more than willing to answer any questions you have.
Choosing an Adoption Professional
No matter which adoption professional you choose, be sure to fully research the adoption professionals by reading reviews, looking at the Better Business Bureau, asking questions that you feel the adoption professional answers with confidence, and trusting when something seems off. Adoption professionals are there to help you with adopting a child. They should be confident, helpful, resourceful, respectful, timely, communicative, educated, supportive, and want what’s best for everyone involved in the adoption placing process.
