3 Things To Know Before Choosing An Adoption Agency

3 Things To Know Before Choosing An Adoption Agency

Have you decided to use an adoption agency to adopt your baby but struggling with how to pick the right agency for you? Or even worse, you picked an agency, paid them a ton of money, and worried that you made the wrong decision? Well, if that is you, don’t worry; I have your back. In this blog, I will walk you through the step-by-step process of evaluating your adoption agency and give you a plan of action if you feel like you have picked the wrong one.

Deciding what adoption agency to work with is a big deal. In fact, you are likely feeling pretty stressed and overwhelmed at the thought of picking the right one. I know that when I went through that step in the process, I was so worried I would pick the wrong one and wanted everyone’s opinion about who would be the right fit for me. So, that is exactly what I will share with you the 7 things to know about an adoption agency before choosing them.

What is their process?

Every agency has a different process, and their process could make them a fit or not a fit based on the way you like to work. Also, a clue into whether or not they have a process will tell you whether or not they are a professional agency and whether or not honestly that you should work with them.

What is their cost?

You need to understand what the cost is to work with them. I know you may think that you don't want to talk about costs and always try to sweep that under the rug, but it's very real and important to discuss because it can be incredibly limiting. This is because there are some agencies out there that cost $15,000 and some that are $50,000. So understanding the cost is important. 

What is their communication style, and how often do you get updates?

The third thing to consider before choosing an adoption agency is their communication style and how often you get updates. There are some agencies that my clients work with that give zero updates. While others say they have weekly zoom calls with them or monthly zoom calls with them to get updates on how things are going along in the process. Some people like to connect on Zoom, others like to connect over the phone, and some agencies won't tell you anything. So understanding what their communication process is and how often you get updates is important because when you're thinking through what matches you and your own level of desired communication, and honestly, your anxiety level, that understanding how often you're going to get an update and how it's going to come is really important. If you haven't checked out that getting started guide, please do grab that because I go into a lot more detail there.

Do they allow you to also self-match? And how does that impact the costs?

The next thing I would ask you to know before choosing an adoption agency is whether or not they allow self-matching. You want an agency that will enable you to put yourself in the driver's seat and who will be right there alongside you, zooming down this adoption journey process. You don't want to have an agency say it’s matched with them or else and then you're stuck waiting with them, because if all of a sudden they have a huge fall off of expectant parents coming into their doors, then you're stuck, and your money is tied up for an indefinite period of time. So you want an agency that will support you in the self-matching process. You don't want an agency that tells you that they know how to self-match because they don't. I can teach you if you need to learn the process. Just hit me up on Messenger over on Facebook. 

How do they share your profile?

Next, you want to understand how they share your profile. This can have a big impact on whether or not they're successful as an agency and you are successful in matching through them. So if they are sending out a PDF or hardcopy book, but she doesn't want a hardcopy book, that could have an impact. Understand if they are sending something over the phone, and if so, is your profile built and ready for mobile consumption for people to look at it on their phone? It's important to understand how they share your profile so it’s in the proper format for the expectant mother.

Do they let you create your own profile?

You also want to know what type of profile you're creating with them. In particular, I would suggest that you look for an adoption agency that will allow you to create your own profile. Then, we can work together on creating your profile backed by my process and the roadmap I use with my one-on-one clients. It doesn't matter if you're working with an agency; we can still work on getting clear on what your story is and then putting it into their template if that is what is required.

How many opportunities do they see on a monthly basis, and what is the average wait time?

The last thing to know before choosing an adoption agency is how many opportunities they have on a monthly basis and what their average wait time is. Understanding how many expectant families come in and match with hopeful adoptive families will give you a better sense of what you're looking at. They might tell you that it's an average wait time of the year when you sign up. But then, if something happens, and there are fewer opportunities to adopt, it will take you longer. So no agency or anyone will ever promise you that that's what happens. You will frequently get an on-average response. But you can't control that, right? It's an average for a reason. But understanding their average number of opportunities in a month and the average wait time for a family helps you set your expectations.

What you can do if you've picked the wrong agency.

If you've picked the wrong agency, I suggest you go through and look and see what the fine print is in your contract. Nine times out of 10, there's not any contract exit clause, but a couple of agencies out there have it, so it’s important to check. I suggest that you find an adoption attorney and talk to them. You can also use your agency to facilitate the support and finalization of your adoption. In this instance, again, you would need to do a self-matching adoption. Once you have a potential match, you would connect them with the agency to walk through the typical process. This is helping one of my clients speed up their adoption journey because they're putting themselves in the driver's seat of their adoption and taking small, consistent actions each and every day to achieve their dreams of adopting, which is making a big difference. 

There you have it, friend, the 7 things you need to know before choosing an adoption agency. I trust that today’s content has been beneficial for you. Remember, anything is possible with the right plan and support, and I am only a Facebook message away! 

Hi, I Am Amanda

I am an adoption profile expert on a mission to help you create and share your family's story more affordably!