How to select the right Child Adoption Agency?

We can make sure your child is placed with the perfect loving family and that you receive all the financial, medical, legal and other types of help allowed by law. There is never any cost or obligation fee to you for our help.

Our not-for-profit Agency has helped over 9000 birth parents and families over the past 40+ years and we can help you. Click this link if you are thinking of placing your child for adoption, or contact us or call 1-800-943-0400.

Find a child adoption agency whose staff will be available to help you 7-days a week since you never know when you will want and/or need their help.  Next, you want to make sure the child adoption agency meets your needs and will allow you to be as involved or uninvolved as you desire in making an open adoption or closed adoption and in selecting just the right loving adopting family. Please visit the link "Ways we can help you".

Want more information about selecting a Child Adoption Agency?

Child adoption agencies come in a variety of forms. They can be for-profit or non-profit. They can be public or private. But the most important fact for you to remember is that child adoption agencies are licensed to make sure you and your baby have options and protections that are not available when you deal directly with an adopting family.

Ask any child adoption agency you call for their adoption licensing authority and a phone number you can call to check that they are legitimate. If they say they don't have one, then they are not a licensed child adoption agency. Forget them and call someone else. The primary licensing authority for our agency, Adoption Services, is the Office of Children and Youth, phone # (717) 772-7702.

Next, you want to make sure the child adoption agency meets your needs. Take some time to develop a list of questions that are important to you and make sure they are able to address your concerns.

1. Confirm that it is a licensed child adoption agency you are dealing with and not just a referral service or child adoption facilitator. A referral service or child adoption facilitator simply takes information from an adopting family, packages it in a way that will appeal to you, and then refers you directly to the family or their attorney. And you are right back to the risky private child adoption route.
2. Will they cover all of your medical, legal and other expenses?
3. Do they only do open adoptions or only closed adoptions or are they able to do both an open or closed child adoption so that you have a choice?
4. Do they use direct placement or do they use foster care instead?
5. Can they help you regardless of the stage of your pregnancy? If you are one month or 8 months pregnant can they still help you? If your child has been born and is now 1, 2, or 3 months old, or even 24 or 36 months old, can they still help you find a loving family?
6. Ask about their process for screening and evaluating adoptive families. Find out how many visits they have with the family and what they review during these visits. Ask the child adoption agency if they check with state police, child abuse, and FBI authorities.
7. Ask about the qualifications and experience of the person who interviews the family and visits their home. And ask what type of verification they get about the adoptive family's health, employment, and income.
8. Ask the agency what role you, the birth parent can have in selecting the adopting family. Ask if you have the choice of meeting and selecting the family. And ask if you have a choice about getting pictures and updates regarding your baby.
9. Make sure the agency goes over all your options and not just what they offer.
10. Finally, eliminate anyone who pressures you to work with them or pushes you to see family profiles or meet a family before you have had time to think through the process.

What to do if you need more Help?

Adoption Services is a fully licensed non-profit adoption agency that helps birth mothers living in any state in the U.S. The Agency can also help a U.S. citizen living in any foreign country. Adoption Services has helped over 9000 birth parents and families. Feel free to contact us or call (toll-free 1(800)943-0400) if you have any questions or if you want our guidance or help. All calls are confidential and there is never any obligation or cost to you for our help.