[mande47977]

We are looking at adopting from Taiwan using Adoption Society International, the problem is I cannot find any information on this agency and just want to make sure they are above board. Any information would be appreciated!
Thanks

[sak9645]

To check out an agency, there are some things you can do:

1. Call the licensing authorities in the state or states where it is based. Determine whether the agency is licensed; if it is not, it is a facilitator, and there will be much less oversight of its operations. See what information is available about complaints against the agency -- some states do maintain a complaint registry -- and look for a PATTERN of complaints about serious matters, such as ethical or financial matters; remember that nearly every agency gets a complaint occasionally, if only because a person has chosen an agency that isn't right for him/her. Determine whether the agency has ever been closed down because of problems.

2. Also check with the Better Business Bureau about agency complaints, again looking for a pattern of significant financial or ethical problems.

3. Contact the U.S. Embassy serving your country of interest, to see whether families using the agency have had any problems, such as inability to get a visa for their child because the agency has condoned unsavory practices or has referred a child who does not qualify because he/she is not an "eligible orphan" under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

4. Check to see if the agency belongs to highly respected professional organizations, such as the Joint Council on International Children's Services. Agency members of such organizations emphasize adherence to high ethical standards and educate adoption professionals about good adoption practices and various U.S. and foreign requirements.

5. Beyond just membership in professional organizations, look for leadership in such organizations. Remember that an agency director or staffer who is elected to the Board of Directors of an organization such as JCICS, or who speaks at an organization's seminars for professionals, is likely to be respected by his/her peers in the international adoption field.

6. Ask the agency for references, and contact them, asking good, specific questions to see if the agency is likely to meet your needs, and to behave in an ethical and lawful way.

7. Go beyond references given by the agency -- they are likely to be the people who are most positive about its services -- and find people in the adoption community who have used the agency for the same country, and in the recent past. Find out what they think of the agency. You can find these people in local adoption support groups or on line.

8. Become an expert on your country of interest. That way, you will quickly recognize any falsehoods in the information presented on an agency website, in its literature, or in discussions with you. Remember that if an agency is saying things that sound too good to be true -- they probably AREN'T true. Keep up to date on what is going on with your country of interest by reading RELIABLE websites, like the website of the U.S. State Department and other unbiased sources of information.

Sharon

[sak9645]

Just another comment. Remember that Taiwan does not have a centralized adoption system, like China. American agencies link up with one or more orphanages or social welfare organizations in the country, and those foreign organizations will have their own rules, which may be more strict than those of the country.

Be sure that you know which foreign orphanage or social welfare organization your agency partners with in Taiwan, what rules that organization has, how long adoptions via that organization are taking, and so on. I would be leery of an agency that does not tell you, up front, the names of the Taiwanese organizations with which it works. The well known foreign organizations know and respect U.S. laws and ethical standards, but they may differ in such things as whether birthparents are involved in choosing the adoptive families, whether there is a long wait for referral, fees, and so on.

Sharon

[mande47977]

thanks for the info Sharon!