Adoption Agency or Private Agency

A private adoption takes place when you work with the birth mother and birth father directly or with the assistance of only an attorney. Private adoptions can be very risky. An adoption through a licensed child adoption agency is generally much safer.

Adoption Agencies versus Private Adoption

While a private child adoption is arranged through an individual, often an attorney, physician, friend, or referral service, an agency child adoption is arranged through an adoption agency that has been carefully screened by the state to assure that a full range of services is available to the birth parents and you as the adopting family.

More problems typically arise in a private adoption than in a licensed agency adoption. By way of example, in a private adoption the adopting family may give the birth mother some financial help which can invalidate the adoption process or the birth mother may end up keeping the child and the family will loose any money expended. An adoption agency like ours and many others handles these issues differently by escrowing funds so that you are better protected.

Without a licensed adoption agency supervising the process, adoption can be a nightmare. When you read horror stories in the news, these are most likely private adoptions. While your attorney, counselor, doctor, or friend probably has your best interest at heart, their help and advice can be far from helpful.

We recommend you proceed only with a licensed child adoption agency. The adoption agency will carefully screen all birth parents, will get for you a complete medical history and the agency will help coordinate the birth mother's prenatal and hospital care to help make sure the birth mother and the baby receive only the best of care and make sure all medical expenses are appropriate. They can also keep in touch with the birth mother and birth father and, by providing needed counseling, reduce the chances of a birth parent changing his or her mind. Finally, the agency can make sure that you and the birth parents have met the requirements of the states involved and that they are in the position to provide are a full range of professional services as they are needed.

To check if an agency or organization is licensed, contact them and ask for their license number and the phone number of the licensing authority. For additional help click on the link selecting an adoption agency. For a list of agencies visit the links domestic child adoption agencies and international child adoption agencies.