[amyfk]

Hi to the List,

It looks like we are going to be changing to the China program from the Russia program.

I am not as familiar (of course) with the China program as the Russia program as I was doing the Russia program for 1.5 yr.

Can anybody suggest good questions to use to interview adoption agencies with?

Thanks in advance,
Amy K, NJ

[Teekay74]

The first thing I would do is call or e- mail as many agencys as you can. They are all really good at getting info to you quickly.(if they are not, don't want to use them) Some of these packets are filled w/ tons and tons od information. Many will have dvd's also. A lot also had references. Call them! I actually met a few great people doing that. After you weed thru that call your top ones w/ a few questions. Thr right agency should jump out at you!

[SofiasMom]

off the top of my head:

how long have they been doing China adoptions.
how many per year.
how much of the paperwork do they do - how much do they expect you to do.
who are the facilitators in China
do they have medical staff travel with you
how many families are in a travel group
do they do all of the travel and sight seeing arrangements
do they allow you to bring family members along
how long do they expect it to take to be DTC (dossier to China)?
if they do the homestudy, how long do they turn it around?
how soon would you be able to do the homestudy?
what are their fees and their estimate for the entire adoption
local referrals
what support do they offer pre and post adoption
do they have classes, reading recommendations, mentors
what were some of the issues in the past and how did they handle them
what are some of their requirements (not China, US Immigration or your State's requirements)

[amyfk]

Thansk very much Sofia's mom
Much appreciated.

Amy K, NJ

[cooperbabe]

One thing to keep in mind is to check to see what all the agency fees cover. Some agencies may look pricier because they include the cost of the home study in their fees, whereas some agencies will simply make a note at the bottom that you are on your own for home study fees.

Which isn't necessarily an issue but it can look like other agencies are pricier than they really are

[DaveAndKymm]

How often per year do they send out dossiers to China? Our agency is small and doesn't send dossiers every month while I've heard others send dossier batches to china weekly. This is important because you need to be prepared that if they send dossiers every other month then it may take awhile after completion of your dossier before you are DTC.

If the agency is local to you, what types of post placement activities and support groups are available to bring adoptive families together?

How often do their dossiers get questioned by or rejected by CCAA?

[mic2005]

Hi Amy

One thing that was important to me was how often do they send dossiers to China. It differs from agency to agency.

• Once a week
• Twice a month
• Once a month
• When they get a certain number of dossiers

I went with an agency that sends them once a month. I wanted to be DTC as soon as possible. I didn't want to have my dossier ready and have to wait.

Good Luck, Michelle

[specialk4b]

What is your policy about returning phone calls/emails? ~ My agency has a 24 hour return call policy. I have heard of people who have trouble getting a call back when they need info.

What is your refund policy?

What support do they offer duing the waiting period?

What do they do for you while traveling.

[amyfk]

Dear Everyone

Thanks very much for your letters. There were questions there that I never even thought of.

Much appreciated.
Amy K, NJ

[richard p.]

Contact your local chapter of Families With Children From China. If you attend one of their functions you will get alot of first hand advise and information. The main site has alot of great information: www.fwcc.org.