[redhedded]

Geegee,
We were approved and waiting with the Gladney agency in Ft. Worth then found A TLC Adoption in Salt Lake City. While you must get your homestudy in the state where you reside, being open to travel to any state provides many more opportunities to become a parent, i.e. less wait time. We do not reside in Utah and traveled two thousand miles to our daughter's birth state. We carefully researched each state and their adoption laws, as they vary greatly. A TLC is a small licensed agency, which specializes in African American and biracial placements. We were so pleased with them and will use them again. Best of luck. Enclosed is a link to their website.

http://www.tlcadoption.com

[Cortonagirl]

I see you're from CA and adopted in Utah. Didn't you have problems with CA accepting the Utah law? I heard Utah is very lax with their laws.

[redhedded]

We were in one state, our agency in another and our daughter was born in a third. You can adopt from any state if you are working with a knowledgeable and reputable agency. The termination of parental rights must comply with the rules of both the sending and the receiving state. I understand that ICPC becomes very difficult when attempting a private adoption. Utah laws are favorable to adoptive parents, as a birthfather is presumed to have no rights without the financial and emotional support of the mother during pregnancy. There is no putative father registry, as one should assume that pregnancy could occur if engaging in a sexual relationship. There were many states in which we were uncomfortable adopting, including but not limited to California due to the lengthy revocation period. Like many states, Utah does not have a revocation period following the termination of parental rights.

[geegee]

Thank you for this information.
How did you deal with two agencies? My husband and I would love to do that but we are concerned with the costs of investing in multiple agencies.

Where you able to find agencies that do not require up front costs? Did you have to negotiate any special deals?

Thanks,
Ginny