[cstewme]

My husband and I selected a private agency because we loved their mission,fell in love with the warm hearts of the staff members and how they faciliated the relationships with birthmom's. Also their fee was 0% less than other agencies. Months later we found out that they have only placed 8 babies this year.

This is a very small number and now I am wondering should we look for another agency who has exposure to more birthmom's.

Curious & Confused

[sbaglio]

I would be upset. This is information that they should have shared with you at the beginning. If it were me, I would be looking for another agency. There are many that have the characteristics that attracted you to this agency, who place more infants per year.

Good luck!

[cstewme]

thank you that is how I am feeling but my husband doesn't want to go through all the paperwork.

[waitingforanangel]

Definitely go with other agencies!! We went with 3 agencies, and there wasn't much paperwork (compared to all of the mounds of paperwork involved in the adoption process). Some of the agencies we worked with had no fee until a match, so we didn't feel that we had anything to lose. The agencies we went with placed around 50-60 babies a year.

If you would like any recommendations, feel free to PM me and I'll be happy to give you the names of some of the agencies. We worked with a facilitator, and this was so helpful to find out which agencies to go with.

I wish you the best of luck and a speedy placement!

[Sammy101]

Originally Posted by cstewme

My husband and I selected a private agency because we loved their mission,fell in love with the warm hearts of the staff members and how they faciliated the relationships with birthmom's. Also their fee was 0% less than other agencies. Months later we found out that they have only placed 8 babies this year.

This is a very small number and now I am wondering should we look for another agency who has exposure to more birthmom's.

Curious & Confused

I am in basically the same boat. The agency I went through to get my home study done now wants me to sign a contract stating that I will not work with other agencies and they want to charge me a pretty hefty fee prior to locating a child.
Can anyone tell me my options at this point? Like if I go with another agency, do they have to re-do my home study or will the current one be honored?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

-Also Confused

[loveajax]

Our agency only charged post placement and in fact "encouraged" clients to work with other agencies (they had low rates of placement...not sure why exactly). In any event, I then signed up with a facilitator and an agency that did not require any upfront fees and just needed copies of our Homestudy and profile books. (unfortunately, both this facilitator and agency now have upfront fees, I believe).

I don't think I would sign a contract/give money to an agency upfront without at least "looking around" a bit.

Ironically, we placed thru our initial agency but it made me "feel better" knowing that more of our profiles were being submitted, etc.

good luck to you!

[aclee]

We worked only with agencies that charged at placement. Not only does it ensure you won't lose a bunch of money, but they also work harder for you when they are still trying to earn your business I think. We were placed very quickly because we were not stuck with one agency.

I also want to add though that "8 babies this year" is not that bad. That amounts to maybe 100 babies a year?? That is pretty good. If you meant 8 babies a year and not "this" year...that's different. Unless they only have a very small pool of PAP's then I would really look around. But if they place 8 babies and only have 3 in the waiting pool, I would stay with them.

If you are open in race, you should be able to work with more than one agency at a time. If you are looking for a full CC baby, it is harder.

Good Luck!

[cstewme]

No I was right when I said 8 placements in 2008. Is that good?

Well we decided to look into other agencies, we are really getting frustrated as many people have told us it was going to be quick since we would like an AA baby.

We live in Richmond,Texas (outside of Houston) feel free to PM me if you know of any agencies.

[PersianMama]

Our non-profit agency made us sign a contract saying that we would not work with anyone else on the adoption. They said it was to protect biomoms from choosing a family, only to find that the family had already accepted another placement. I know that it is going to make our wait longer (open to any race), but I understand their position. We have issues with working with for-profit agencies, so I guess this is something we have to deal with to stick to our principles

[sugarmuffin]

My agency encouraged working with more than one placing agency at a time...that way one would increase their odds of placement. 8 a year doesn't sound like a bunch to me.

Goodluck

[Linny]

This time around, I couldn't even tell you how many agencies/attorneys we've applied with!!! Some, who charge fees up front or those lovely 'matching fees' which I find totally ridiculous, have agreed to take our name/phone number/email, etc...in case they have a situation they don't have any families for. Putting $$ up front is a practice we've been tempted to do; but just can't risk the money for.

If you'll search around, you'll find several agencies who'll work with you. It takes some real searching sometimes, but it's do-able. And truly, the more you're signed up with, the better your chances. And if you spend very little (or nothing) to leave your name, have your homestudy sent to, etc......you're only helping yourself.
Good luck in your endeavor!

Sincerely,

Linny