[n8tivetxn]

We need information!!
We are interested in adopting from Eastern Europe, but we don't know where to begin. How do you find an agency and how do you know if it's a good one? Any info. would be helpful both positive and negative. Please pm me.

[sak9645]

Even within Eastern Europe, not all agencies work with all countries. So make a list of the countries in Eastern Europe, and find out as much as you can about their adoption systems, ruling out those that would not meet your needs.

Then, when you have chosen your country, and perhaps a "backup" country in case the first one closes or changes its requirements, you can do the following.

1. Go to the website of the Joint Council on International Children's Services, at www.jcics.org. It has a list of countries, with the names of the member agencies that place, or have placed, children from each. JCICS is the world's oldest and largest membership association of international adoption agencies. It advocates for ethical practices in intercountry adoption, and provides continuing education for adoption professionals. Most of the leading licensed, not-for-profit adoption agencies belong to it.

2. You can also enter a phrase like "adoption agencies placing children from Russia" into your browser, and you'll come up with names. This list may include some organizations that are actually facilitators, not agencies, if that is your preference.

3. Go to the websites of the various agencies, and read about them. If any sound interesting, use their e-mail address to request literature on the programs of interest to you. (You can phone, if you wish.)

4. Read all the agency literature carefully.

5. If any of the agencies are holding informational sessions in the state where you live, try to go to them. There is no obligation, and it's a good way to meet the staff and families who have used them. However, it's not absolutely necessary.

6. Focus in on three to five agencies that you'd like to check out carefully. These will probably be agencies that have programs in your country of choice and, if you have designated one, your backup country.

7. Make sure that the agency is authorized to place children from the particular country. With some countries, any agency can place children with Americans. With others, however, the foreign government may accredit only certain agencies. Be aware that, with Russia, you don't have to use an accredited agency, but there are some benefits.

8. Contact the licensing authorities in the states where the agencies are located. Check that the agencies are in good standing, and see what you can find out about complaints that have been lodged against them. (This won't work if you are looking at facilitators, which are not licensed.)

9. Also contact the Better Business Bureau in those states. They may have some information about complaints.

10. Consider the professional affiliations of the agencies. As an example, are they members of JCICS? The National Council for Adoption? Are they accredited by the Council on Accreditation? (Not all good agencies are just yet, but if you find one that meets your criteria AND is COA-accredited, that would be great.)

11. Above all, check references. Look for people who have used the agency RECENTLY, and for the SAME COUNTRY. An agency may have lost -- or gained -- a good program coordinator for a given country in the past few years, affecting the quality of the program. And some agencies have great programs in one country, but mediocre ones in others.

12. START with the names of families given to you by an agency, but DON'T END THERE. Remember that those families are likely to be among the most satisfied clients of the agency.

13. Contact your local adoption support group, especially one focused on your country or countries of interest (e.g., FRUA -- Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption, which also has families who have adopted from other Eastern European countries.) Get yourself invited to a function and see if you can find families who have used the agencies you are considering.

14. Also, go out onto the Internet, to bulletin boards like this one and to the country-focused listservs (such as A-Parents-Russia). Post a question about whether anyone has used the agencies you are considering. Always ask that people respond by private message or private e-mail. People may not want to share negative information in a public forum, and listserv/board moderators generally do not allow agency-bashing, for fear of a lawsuit.

15. When you talk to families, wherever you have met them, be very specific about your concerns. As an example, if you have never traveled overseas before, and are scared about this aspect of international adoption, you're going to want an agency that really holds your hand every step of the way, when you are in-country. So be sure to ask detailed questions about the level of support the family received during travel. It is not helpful just to ask if an agency is honest and ethical, although you will surely want to know if there were any unpleasant financial surprises that the agency should have known about in advance. Remember that, even if an agency is honest and ethical in every way, it may still be wrong for you, based on your specific needs.

16. Don't hesitate to call the agency and arrange a phone conversation with either the Exec. Dir. (if it's a smaller agency) or the program manager. You may have questions that pertain to your eligibility, something confusing in the literature, something a parent said to you, etc.

***

The decision to adopt a child is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. So do your homework well. While you will have a lot of paperwork and such to do once you actually start the adoption process, the homework you do before you even send one cent to an agency is probably the single most significant thing you do, to ensure that you have a good outcome.

Sharon

Sharon

[n8tivetxn]

Thankyou so much. I am still feeling a bit overwhelmed but at least now I have some direction. We have decided on Russia.