If you are pregnant and considering adoption for your baby, it’s likely you have many different questions. One of the most common questions we are asked has to do with local and national adoption agencies and how to choose the best one.

If you find yourself asking this question, you have come to the right place. This guide will define what national and local adoption agencies are, explore the differences, and list some of the pros and cons of choosing either one for your adoption.

Anytime you have any questions about your pregnancy or the adoption process, you can always contact an adoption professional. In the meantime, continue reading this guide to learn more about local and national adoption agencies.

Local Adoption Agencies

When you work with an adoption agency, you have the option of working with local or national agency. Local adoption agencies are smaller than national adoption agencies and offer adoption services to pregnant mothers in a specific state or region. When you choose an agency, they will be involved throughout the entire adoption process and impact the overall experience of your adoption, so it’s important to choose the best one for you.

Agencies and the adoption professionals that work with them will help coordinate with you every step of the way, to make sure your adoption is on track for success. The adoption process can be long and difficult at times. Working with one adoption professional from beginning to end can help simplify the process and make the transition smoother for you.

When you search for a local adoption agency, you will want to work with one that offers the right amount of services to take care of your adoption needs and wants. You will want to find an agency offering services such as:

• counseling and support
• financial assistance
• adoption and hospital plan development
• screening and matching adoptive families
• much more

These are just a few of the services you should look for when researching a local adoption agency. The decision to work with a local agency is up to you. Oftentimes, prospective birth mothers simply search for “child adoption agencies near me,” but it’s important to base your decision not just on location, but on which type of agency can best meet your needs. It is important to weigh the pros and cons.

Here are few of the pros and cons of choosing a local adoption agency:

Pros of Local Adoption Agencies

• With local adoption agencies, you may be able to meet your adoption social worker in person to decide if that particular regional adoption agency is best for your adoption plan. This can add a more personal connection to the agency you choose, as some national agencies may not be able to offer face-to-face adoption counseling services given their location.
• Because local adoption agencies have an index of local hopeful adoptive families, odds are, the adoptive family you choose for your baby will usually live in the same state or region as you. In open adoption situations, living near your child’s adoptive family may help strengthen the relationship between you and your child, as well as with the adoptive family. However, remember that you can choose an open adoption no matter where the adoptive family lives. It’s also worth noting that your adoption agency will not be able to guarantee that the adoptive family will always live near you, as they could decide to move to another city or state any time after the adoption.
• Like national adoption agencies, Local agencies will be involved in your adoption process every step of the way. From pregnancy advice, to post-placement support, adoption agencies are able to provide a variety of services to pregnant mothers.
• When you choose a local agency, you know you are working with trained, licensed professionals. These agencies have experience in completing adoptions in your state or region and are often experts on local adoption laws. Because they are licensed by the state in which they are located, annual reviews ensure these agencies are not only complying with state adoption laws, but are also up to date on any changes that may occur.

Cons of Local Adoption Agencies

• Because local adoption agencies are just that, local, they will not be able to offer as many adoption opportunities as a national adoption agency can. This can sometimes make finding the best family for your baby more difficult.
• Local agencies have fewer resources and a smaller staff. This can limit the number of adoptions they can handle, as well as the services they are able to provide. With fewer employees, they have to spend more time on each adoption, which may mean they aren’t as readily available when you need them at a moment’s notice.
• The adoptive family living in the same state as you was mentioned as pro, but it can also be a con. Because they are local, you may have less privacy with a smaller adoption agency than you would have with a national agency. If you chose a closed adoption, but live in the same town as your child’s adoptive family, there are chances you may see each other by accident. This can be a good thing for some birth parents, but for others, it may make moving forward after the adoption more difficult.
• Local adoption agencies have less stability than large, national agencies. Because they operate in a smaller geographic area, they are more susceptible to things like changing local adoption trends and laws, staff turnover and financial hardship. This can sometimes mean a sudden closure or shutdown, which leaves clients who are working with that agency without the support and services they need. Additionally, if you move during the adoption process, a local adoption agency often won’t be able to continue helping you after your relocation, whereas a national adoption agency could. These and other factors can make the adoption process less smooth with a local agency than it would be with a national one.

The choice of working with a local agency is yours to make. If you feel that it is the best opportunity during your adoption, you may be searching for “adoption agencies near me”. This website is a great place to start, as it provides you with agencies in your area as well as national agencies, if you are still on the fence about which one to choose.

With such an important, life-changing decision, you will want to take your time and complete plenty of research. The right local adoption agency should be able to provide most of the same resources and services as a large national agency, but you will want to make sure. Speak to an adoption professional for more information.

National Adoption Agencies

When you make the brave decision to pursue adoption for you baby, you want to make sure you have the right resources and are working with the best agency possible.  National adoption agencies are here to ensure you are getting both.

Much like local adoption agencies, national agencies are licensed and regulated by state governments. Unlike local agencies, national agencies are often licensed in multiple states, which means they are reviewed multiple times annually by several different state authorities. This means national adoption agencies in the U.S. are held to the highest possible standards, creating an added layer of protection for prospective birth parents and adoptive families. These agencies have the ability to work with pregnant mothers and adoptive families across all 50 states.

The purpose of an agency is to take as much stress and confusion out of the adoption process, while providing the necessary services prospective birth mothers need to ensure they have a successful adoption. These agencies have the expertise, resources and staff to complete adoptions from start to finish. Some of the services they are able to provide include:

• screening and matching adoptive families
• 24/7 counseling and support
• financial assistance
• adoption and hospital plan development
• and more

These are just some of the beneficial services you should look for when choosing a national agency. To learn more, speak with an adoption professional from a national agency. They will be able to answer any questions you may have, as well as provide you with resources to help you during your decision-making process.

Much like local adoption agencies, there are many different pros and cons to choosing a national agency. These pros and cons are important to consider when determining which type of agency matches your needs the best. Some of the pros  include:

• National adoption agencies are able to complete adoptions across all 50 states. By having this ability, they often have a larger index of resources and employees to help ensure your adoption is completed at the highest level possible. Because of their greater access to resources, they can also offer services you won’t always find at local adoption agencies, like 24/7 availability.
• National agencies will provide support from the first phone call, to years after placement. By providing pre- and post-placement support services, you can trust you will have a trained professional by your side for anything and everything you need. 24/7 support, financial assistance, counseling and education services are all useful tools to help you during your pregnancy and beyond.
• Just as they work with expectant mothers from across the country, national adoption agencies also work with adoptive families from most, if not all, 50 states. This means you will have your choice of a larger pool of families, and you will be matched based on more specific criteria that you are looking for in an adoptive family.
• Like local agencies, national adoption agencies are reviewed by state governments every year to ensure they are complying with state adoption laws and completing adoption legally and ethically. These regulations provide you with the peace of mind that you can trust that all requirements are being met throughout the adoption process.

These are just some of the pros you may find when you choose a national adoption agency. The cons of national adoption agencies are fairly limited. The biggest con is described below:

• Because of their size and location, there is a chance that you may not meet with your adoption specialists face-to-face, as it could require travel. This is not the case for all adoptions, but it is something to consider. However, most national adoption agencies will provide you with your own dedicated adoption specialist, and you will be able to reach them any time by phone, text, email, etc.
• Because of the national opportunities these agencies receive, there is a chance your specialist will also be working with multiple prospective birth mothers at the same time. They are trained professionals and are used to this workload, but it could potentially take away from the attention you receive during your adoption process.

The decision of which adoption agency you choose is not one to take lightly. It will impact your overall outcome and experience of your adoption. If you feel working with a national agency best meets your needs, we suggest contacting a national agency professional to get any questions or concerns you may have answered.

Making Your Decision

You are in complete control of choosing the adoption agency you feel will be best during your adoption. As mentioned, there are pros and cons to both. National adoption agencies tend to be the most successful option, but there are countless numbers of success stories from birth mothers who chose a local agency as well.

All in all, research thoroughly, speak with professionals, and when it comes time to make a decision, trust your gut and choose the agency you felt the best connection with. If you need any guidance or opinions, you can always contact an adoption specialist to help answer any questions you may have.