National Adoption Agencies

• Shorter waiting times than most adoption professionals.
• National exposure allows national agencies to avoid a drop off in total adoptions and insulate themselves from state or regional downturns. For example, in 2001 Florida passed new adoption laws, which resulted in a 50 percent drop off in adoptions from Florida, causing many local agencies to cease operations. Because of adoptions in 49 other states, national agencies were largely unaffected.
• Large qualified and trained social service department with vast adoption experience allows for better evaluation, education and guidance of birth mothers. This typically results in better matches between the adoptive family and the birth parents.
• National agencies are not as susceptible to disastrous effects of staff turnover. Small agencies often only employ one or two staff members and if one leaves, the agency may suffer significantly from a loss of expertise.
• Large advertising and networking contacts offers shorter waiting times than most adoption professionals.
• There is usually less financial risk on adoptions where birth mothers change their minds.
• Agency files are reviewed by state governments to ensure legal and regulatory compliance, providing greater reliability and safety for the clients they serve.
• Most national agencies coordinate and/or are involved in all parts of the adoption process, which ensure better service for their clients.
• National agencies submit their documentation through all 50 ICPC offices, which also reviews case files for necessary documentation.
• Vast number of adoptions makes their fee estimates more accurate than most organizations.
• Complete after hour and weekend coverage for clients 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Handle and coordinate the entire adoption process from A to Z.
• Larger agencies tend to have great resources, networking connections and marketing capabilities.
• Larger staff means that a team of staff work on your adoption plan, thus leading to more efficient workloads and faster turn around times on projects.

• Upfront fees can be higher due to national exposure (advertising efforts on the family’s behalf) and overhead.
• Total fees can be higher than other professionals due to better services and reduction of financial losses on adoptions that don’t work out. If an adoption doesn’t work out, a few national agencies cover this financial loss.
• Families must be open to adopting from all 50 states.
• Families typically don’t meet national agencies face to face unless they travel to various office locations across the U.S.
• Families must usually travel across the United State on short notice to adopt their baby.

• Families who want to adopt in a timely manner.
• Families who have a slightly higher adoption budget but don’t want to risk money on adoptions that don’t work out.
• Families who want the dependability of a large and carefully monitored organization.
• Families who want the freedom of choices a national organization offers.
• Families who want the flexibility to choose international adoption, if after learning about the domestic process, they want to switch.
• Families who want to trust their adoption process to some of the most respected adoption organizations in America.
• Families that want a reliable organization with a proven track record, who invests their savings in essential areas to have a reliable adoption process.
• Families that would like quick turnaround time for their questions or concerns.

1. Are your agency fees fixed or charged on an hourly basis? Are any of your agency fees at risk if the birth mother changes her mind?
2. What percentage of your agency's practice is locating birth mothers?
3. How many birth mothers did your agency locate last year who placed their child through your agency?
4. Does your agency find all the birth mothers or do you have your clients advertise on their own?
5. Do you have clients advertise in other states in which you are not licensed? Do you then use other agencies/attorneys handle the process in that state? Do they charge an hourly rate? Is that hourly rate at risk if the birth mother changes her mind?
6. How many families do you have on your waiting list?
7. How many adoptions did you complete last year? How many where you located the birth mother? How many where your clients advertised to locate a birth mother?
8. How much of your adoption practice is comprised of home study services?
9. How much do you suggest spending a month on advertising? Is that at risk if an adoption doesn’t work out? 
10. How many clients in the past year simply quit advertising because it didn’t work out?
11. How much money can I lose in living and medical expenses if a birth mother changes her mind?
12. Do their quoted fees include living, medical and legal expenses?
13. What are typical amount of living expenses your birth mother’s need?
14. Is your agency licensed in more than one state?
15. How many adoptions (where you have located the birth mother) have you completed in the past five years? This will give you an idea if their placement numbers are inconsistent.
16. Annually, how many of your adoptions are completed in other states?
17. Does the state you are licensed in come to your offices and review your files, personnel records and make sure your organization is complying with state law and regulations?  
18. How many full-time staff members do you have on staff that will work on our adoption?
19. Do you have a Social Service Department on staff? How many are on staff? Can you provide me their credentials? Are they licensed by the state? 
20. If they only have one or two staff members, then ask, what happens if they retire, quit, become seriously ill, etc.
21. If you don’t have a Social Service Department, then who evaluates your birth mothers? How are they qualified to do so?
22. How many adoptions (not home studies) has your social work department been involved in where they have evaluated and worked with the birth parents? 
23. What is the estimated cost to join your organization? Does that include only successful adoption cost estimates? 
24. Do you have any pending lawsuits?
25. Are there any cases where you fear a lawsuit is forthcoming?
26. Have you ever had a client lose more than $20,000 in failed adoption expenses? How about $15,000? How about $10,000? Will you put that in writing and send it to me?
27. Will I have to interact directly with the birth mother providing my contact information to her?
28. What percentage of families adopt within your estimated wait time?
29. If I adopt from a different state than that I live in, will I have to get my own attorney? What about ICPC for us travel home? Is that included in my cost estimates you provided for me?
30. Do you answer your phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week for potential birth mothers?
31. Pick up the phone and call them on Saturday or Sunday evening. This shows whether they are doing everything they can with your advertising dollar.
32. Do their upfront advertising fees expire?
33. Do they maintain and regulate pictures and letters correspondence with birth parents after the adoptive placement? 
34. Do they handle their entire process from A to Z?