[Pbear]

We are interested in adoption. Is there a better way to pick an agency besides visiting their website? We're interested in China, Korea, taken, and open to other suggestions. We have a 3 year old so more than one trip would be hard. Ant advice is appreciated!

[sak9645]

Do not pick an agency until you have decided on a country and, perhaps, a backup country. Most agencies work only in a limited number of countries. You want to choose one that works in the country that interests you the most and, perhaps, a backup country in case that country closes or changes its rules.

Picking an agency is a very important step, since the agency will be your partner and helper throughout the adoption. As a result, do as much homework as you can. For example:

1. Contact the licensing authorities in the states where it is located to make sure it has valid licensure and no persistent history of complaints. If an agency is not licensed, then it isn't an agency; it's a facilitator, and many countries (like China) do not allow the use of facilitators.

2. Contact the Better Business Bureau as well.

3. Contact the U.S. Embassy in the foreign country of your choice, to see if the agency has chronic problems getting visas for kids -- for example, because there are problems with unsavory facilitators, kids who don't meet the orphan definition, etc.

4. Contact the adoption authorities in the foreign country, to make sure that the agency is accredited by that country, if accreditation is required (as it is for Russia).

5. Check with JCICS to see if the agency is a member. Virtually all of the good agencies belong to this adoption advocacy and ethics organization. If an agency says it does not, because it's "too expensive", forget it. JCICS membership dues are based on agency size. Small agencies pay very low fees.

6. Check to see if the agency staff have been Board members of JCICS or have presented workshops there. This often suggests that they are highly respected by their peers in the field. Also look for presentations at NACAC, the National Council for Adoption (NCFA), etc.

7. Get recommendations from people in your local adoption support groups, as well as on-line. Ask lots of detailed questions, focusing on topics that are of the greatest interest to you. Remember that, even if an agency is honest and ethical, it still may not be right for you. As an example, if you hate paperwork and find it mind-boggling, ask what helps the agency gives; some will help a lot with things like certifying and authenticating documents, either for an additional fee or as part of the base costs. If you have never traveled abroad, look for an agency that really "holds your hand" every step of the way. And so on.

8. Become an expert on your country of choice, by looking at authoritative sources such as the website of the U.S. State Department. Then, you will be able to tell whether some statements on an agency website are "too good to be true" and raise a lot of red flags.

Sharon