Adoption seems like one of those industries that, by nature, would only be populated by good people. However, adoption is not just good business, its also big business that is loosely regulated. Hopeful, prospective adoptive parents can be easy targets if theyre not careful.

In an article entitled "Ten Things Adoption Agencies Won't Say," on the website SmartMoney, writer Michelle Marchetti offered the following tips:

• Avoid searching the Web blindly. The Internet is replete with agencies that lack a physical location, which should be a major red flag.
• Instead, check out the National Foster Care & Adoption Directory, a database funded by the Department of Health and Human Services that lists licensed agencies by state.
• When agencies estimate time frames, they typically dont include the duration of a home study in their estimates, so be sure to factor in the four months it often takes.
• Ask prospective agencies for an itemized list of charges, and consider dropping any firm that wont cooperate
• To weed out the lesser agencies, ask for the names and phone numbers of three clients whose adoptions were completed at least three years ago. Contact those adoptive parents and inquire about how the agency handled both post-adoption services and the adoption process itself.

Marchetti's article also lists licensing specialists for each state, which can tell you how many complaints, if any, have been filed against an adoption agency.

Labels: tips, agencies

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

For most people, the decision to adopt simply opens the door on a whole of world of other decisions that have to be made. Which adoption agency/program is best? Should we adopt domestically or internationally? A boy or girl? An infant, or an older child? By sharing some of her story, Erin hopes to provide some guidance to others who are considering adoption.

"...here are some tips on finding the right adoption program for your family. Decide what age and gender child you are hoping for. Determine what your 'adoption budget' will be, and what you can and cannot afford in regards to adoption fees. Determine how long you can manage to travel..."

Answering basic questions like these will help narrow down the almost overwhelming number of adoption choices that are available. Read more online.

For general parenting tips, visit ByParents-forParents.com. Get news and advice for parents of troubled teens.

Labels: international, tips, domestic_adoptions

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Lauren Marshal never intended to write a book. Her foray into the publishing world was the result of her creative attempt to talk with her youngest daughter about being adopted.

“What started out as a gift for her daughter became a delightful book that her older daughter, Hannah, illustrated and Lauren had published so that other families can use the story as a way to encourage that ongoing dialog.” - Source: Seattle Post Intelligencer

Abby was adopted from China by Lauren and her husband when she was just a year old. Though Lauren and her husband had been open with Abby about her adoption from the beginning, something clicked when Abby was 2 ½, and she suddenly understand what “adoption” meant. That conversation became the catalyst for Lauren’s book, “My Beautiful Bow,” which is now available through Amazon.

Labels: adoptive parents, communication, adopted children, tips

Posted By: Adoption Issues 1 Comment