Pros and Cons of Different Adoption Professionals

Considering adoption for my baby can be a difficult decision. But, through adoption, you are giving your baby an opportunity for a bright future with a loving family.

To begin your adoption journey, you want to work with the most reliable adoption professional because they can help you complete your adoption ethically and legally. For more information about which adoption professional to work with when you’re “considering putting my baby up for adoption,” contact one today.

This guide will show you the pros and cons of the various adoption professionals you could work with, such as:

• Adoption agencies
• Adoption law centers
• Adoption facilitators

Using Adoption Agencies When Considering Adoption for My Baby

Adoption agencies are licensed professionals that help expectant birth parents and hopeful parents complete the adoption process from start to finish.

An adoption agency’s staff includes trained professionals who are regulated by the state. They will make sure your needs come first during your challenging yet life-changing adoption journey.

Pros of Working with Adoption Agencies When Considering Adoption for My Baby

Adoption agencies provide an extensive range of pre and post-placement services for prospective birth parents, including:

• Family matching
• Adoption and hospital planning services
• Free prenatal and medical care
• 24/7 guidance and support
• Scholarship programs after placement
• Legal adoption services
• And more

The two most commonly used adoption agencies are national adoption agencies and local adoption agencies.

A national adoption agency is almost always recommended because of its larger staff and better adoption opportunities. But, you should pick the type of adoption agency that you feel most confident with when you are “considering putting my baby up for adoption.” You are always the one in charge.

Some reliable national adoption agencies you can explore today include:

• American Adoptions
• Bethany Christian Services
• Gladney Center for Adoption

Using an Adoption Law Center When Considering Adoption for My Baby

In short, adoption law centers are corporations that a licensed attorney owns.

Unlike local attorneys, who are limited to finding birth parents and adoptive families within the state where they are licensed, national adoption law centers are able to advertise across the country, offering a much larger and more diverse group of hopeful parents to choose from.

They work with attorneys and adoption agencies in other states to ensure the laws of both the birth parent’s state and the adoptive family’s state are followed.

Pros of Working with an Adoption Law Center When Considering Adoption for My Baby

Matching services is the main goal of an adoption law center. They should have many hopeful adoptive families for you to select from, making it easy for you to find a family that fits your adoption plan.

Also, adoption centers are known for shorter wait times. Often, adoptive families want to adopt quickly. But, that all depends on whether you find the right family for your baby with that professional.

Cons of Working with an Adoption Law Center When Considering Adoption for My Baby

When it comes to the disadvantages of adoption law centers, many expectant birth parents find there are too many to work with one. Some reasons include:

• Greater potential for disruptions: Most adoption law centers are involved in the early stages of the adoption process but will pass off further responsibilities to other adoption professionals later on. This inconsistency creates circumstances that can lead to more failed adoptions and emotional disappointments.
• Lack of counseling and support: Adoption law centers do not have a social service department trained in evaluating, educating and guiding you through the adoption process. Although adoption law centers can be experts in legal matters, they often miss the mark when it comes to social work.
• No regulation or oversight: Adoption law centers are not regulated by a third party. This means that an adoption law center’s files are not annually or periodically reviewed by the government or an organization.

It’s worth noting that you can have the same advantages and more with a full-service, licensed national adoption agency.

Using an Adoption Facilitator When Considering Adoption for My Baby

Depending on the state, many adoption facilitators are not licensed. Some states even outlaw them. Facilitators offer minimal to no support other than matching you with a hopeful adoptive family.

From there, the adoption facilitator will refer you and the hopeful family to a licensed adoption professional to finish the adoption process. Adoption facilitators are unlicensed and unregulated, so they cannot legally complete your adoption.

Pros of Working with an Adoption Facilitator When Considering Adoption for My Baby

Working with an adoption facilitator is also known as independent adoption. This means you are responsible for finding all resources and service providers.

During an agency adoption, your agency will facilitate services you need and provide helpful resources throughout the process. This is incredibly useful, but, if you are looking to have more control over each service, working with an adoption facilitator gives you that opportunity.

Also, there are fewer people involved. So, once you find the right family for your baby, you can hire an adoption attorney to complete the legal steps of the adoption.

Cons of Working with an Adoption Facilitator When Considering Adoption for My Baby

You may find that there are more negatives to adoption facilitators than there are positive. That’s because they cannot provide legal services or counseling. In fact, adoption facilitators are illegal in nearly all states. Other cons include:

• No regulation: State governments do not regularly review most adoption facilitators. This means they may not be totally up-to-date on state policies or properly regulated.
• Facilitators only provide matching services: All adoption services, except matching, are not handled by facilitators, meaning you will have to find a local (and licensed) provider who can perform the necessary services for the rest of the process.

Choosing an adoption facilitator or adoption law center will likely exclude you from many valuable adoption services that agencies are ready to provide for you.

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When you are “considering adoption for my baby” and ready to take the next steps, you can contact an adoption professional today to learn more about what services and resources they can offer you.

This will help you determine if they are the right professional for you and your baby.