[tracenix]

Does anyone have any feedback on the pro/cons of working with an agency vs. a facilitator? I live in Texas and not sure if there are State requirements that might make one better than the other.

Any feedback based on your experience or research would be greatly appreciated.

[WizardofOz]

Facilitators are not allowed in Texas.
Texas Adoption Laws, Page 8
I also PMed you.

[Sohmakun]

An adoption agency is more like a "one stop shop". It can help you find a placement, terminate the birth parents rights and finalize your adoption in court. A faciliator can only find a birth mother who wants to place her child for adoption. They cannot complete the "legal stuff" (ex. terminating the birth parents rights) for your adoption and therefore you would have to hire an agency or attorney. I don't recommend using faciliators if you want to save money because they are expensive to use and most of the work they do you can complete yourself by advertising and networking.

[minibus]

We used a facilitator. PM me if you want more info, but it sounds like you may not have that choice. Best of luck to you in your search!

[leenie71]

We are using a facilitator in CA. We live in PA, where facilitators are not allowed to work from, but we can use them. If you're possibly interested in using a facilitator, you would have to check your state laws first.

Facilitators are not necessarily more expensive. We decided on the facilitator route because the 2 large popular agencies in our area would cost us about 10K more than using a facilitator.

[srusse24]

Facilitators are not legal to use in several states... that right there should put up a red flag.

[leenie71]

There are many people on this board who have successfully used facilitators. It's about EDUCATION when using them and not making assumptions and generalizations. There are both unethical agencies and facilitators out there...

[Sohmakun]

Originally Posted by leenie71

We are using a facilitator in CA. We live in PA, where facilitators are not allowed to work from, but we can use them. If you're possibly interested in using a facilitator, you would have to check your state laws first.

Facilitators are not necessarily more expensive. We decided on the facilitator route because the 2 large popular agencies in our area would cost us about 10K more than using a facilitator.

Lennie, are you complete a non-resident adoption in California?

[leenie71]

Originally Posted by Sohmakun

Lennie, are you complete a non-resident adoption in California?

Hi Sohmakun,
No, we have not completed an adoption in CA. But a friend of mine who lives near me in PA and using the same facilitator brought home their baby last week from CA.