Where can I find reviews or ratings for adoption agencies?

Question

There are sites that come up in the search engine but they don't give you ratings, reviews or anything close. This process is difficult enough. All I want is to find an agency that respects and protects the adoptive family's rights.

Answer 1

ABC Adoptions has links  to many adoptions boards, including adoption scams, agency forums to discuss specific agencies, etc.  Email me and I can also recommend specific agencies which are highly ethical.

Answer 2

The best place to find information on an agency is by asking others you know who they have used (recently). I loved my agency when I adopted my daughter but have met a number of adopting parents that have used them since who were less than happy with them. Not that they hated them and would not use them again but that the experience I had was much better than theirs.

I am assuming that because you stated you want an agency who "respects and protects the adoptive families rights" that you are looking at domestic adoption as the adoptions in most foreign countries are final in the foreign country (this is not true for all countries) and most birth parents do not have the means to come looking for their birth children in other countries. Unfortunately, I do not have any experience with private domestic adoptions. I was not interested in an open adoption when I wanted to be a parent. I did not want a birth family interfering in the way I raised MY child. So I opted for international.

You are correct though, it is a very complicated process and finding the agency that you are comfortable is very important. Interview lots of them.

Oh and by the way Non-profit is a little decieving. Non-profit agencies can make a profit and very large profits at that and it is all a matter of public record if you know where to look for the information.

Answer 3

We found a local, faith-based agency in our area by asking other adoptive families who they chose.  We interviewed two agencies before deciding to go with the one we did.

What we loved about our agency so much was how much they had the best interest of the children in mind and how well they counseled the birthparents before, during, and after placement.

Our needs as an adoptive couple were third on the list of priorities.

Try looking through your local yellow pages for an agency near you and set up a meeting with them.  Meeting face-to-face is the best way to determine if an agency is ethical or not.

Answer 4

I have not seen a rating system on adoption agencies. There are lists on the net that list agencies, the business type (non-profit, LLC, Inc, private, etc.) and their standings in foreign countries. However, that only applies to international adoption agencies.

If you cannot find such a ratings list, and even if you can, look at several agencies and ask them for referrals of families who have used them in the past. Of course, they will only give you families who have had positive experiences, but this can give you some indication of how the agency works.

Be very careful of any non-accredited adoption agency in their state! Good luck!

Answer 5

Many people are careful not to critcize agencies online, as some have been threatened with defamation and libel suits (scare tactics as it's legal to criticize businesses). It's a multi-billion dollar mostly unregulated industry, so there is a lot of room for corruption.

I would only consider a non-profit, and perhaps faith based agency in your area, so you can meet with them in person and get a feel for their methods and thought processes.

Answer 6

Children's Home Society