Making Basic Adoption Decisions

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Should we adopt internationally or domestically?

There are many differences between international and domestic adoption. While we can describe some of those differences, this is a decision that you must make for yourself. Once you have studied all of your options, weighed the relative advantages, disadvantages, and costs of each option; you will probably know what is right for you and your family.

We chose to adopt internationally for a variety of reasons. Although there are children in need of families in the United States, many of them have special needs that most families are not willing to consider. Bringing a child into your home and heart can be a difficult process, and many families are emotionally best suited to adopting infants with no known medical or psychological challenges. Plus, we feel that children in the orphanages of developing countries need families most of all. It was heartbreaking to leave the other children behind in the orphanages where we adopted our children. With so many children in such desperate need, we chose not to compete with other families for the available children within the US. Even children in foster homes in the US will have a better chance to live up to their full potential than children without families in developing countries.

Domestic and international adoptions have different emotional risks. With an international adoption, families typically have a physically and emotionally challenging journey abroad. Frequently it is difficult to adopt newborns, a high priority for some families. It can be difficult to ethically adopt a child who is less than 3 or 4 months of age. Domestic adoption provides different challenges: more uncertainty about time frames and expenses. Having your family judged by birth families. The possibility that a birth family may change their mind about an adoption plan even after you have emotionally committed to a child. The likelihood of a need for substantial ongoing contact with the birth family, with which many families are uncomfortable.

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Is it hard to adopt internationally?

There is no single step that is particularly difficult, but there are many steps. You start by selecting an agency and gathering documents; things like birth certificates, proof of income, and reference letters. An education process begins with reflection on your desire and readiness to adopt, and time is spent with a social worker demonstrating your preparedness to add a child to your life. US Immigration must review and approve your documents, which are then prepared to be sent to the country of your choice. The foreign government will review your documents and also approve you as adoptive parents. With most countries you will travel to meet and formally adopt your child(ren). Upon your return home, most families choose to readopt their child(ren) in US courts. Foreign governments often ask for periodic updates about how the children are doing in their new homes.

Compared to other agencies Americans Adopting Orphans offers plans that make international adoption much easier and more straightforward for families. You can choose to have us gather routine documents, prepare the documents to be sent internationally, and take care of all of your travel needs.

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Is it expensive to adopt internationally?

You can probably afford an international adoption. While costs vary widely between countries and agencies, families adopting from China through Americans Adopting Orphans can have total adoption expenses under $3,000, including all agency fees, foreign government fees, airfare, orphanage donations, and home study costs. This is due in part to the Adoption Tax Credit which gives most families $10,600 for their adoption expenses. In addition our agency has plans with lower fees and limited services for families on a budget. Finally while we are a 501(c)3 charity and donations made to our agency are tax deductible, we do not add mandatory donations to our adoption fees or ask some families to subsidize the adoption of other families. For more details about our flexible program and the federal Adoption Tax Credit please see our Description of Services and the country specific questions of this document.

If you can care for a child, but find it difficult to meet the initial costs of an adoption, we have several financial assistance options available. In addition to some grants, we also offer our Directed Donation Program. With this program we establish a fund for the child you will adopt. Family, friends and well-wishers can then make tax deductible contributions to the fund. Those donations are then used to reduce or waive adoption fees and expenses. If you would like more information about the Directed Donation Program, please visit our website or request a printed application packet. This program is only available to families using our adoption services.

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How long does it take to adopt internationally?

This varies by country and agency, but in most cases your adoption will take at least a year to complete an international adoption. Most families need several months to gather all of the necessary documents, and obtain approval from US Immigration. Most countries take several months to review and approve documents from the family. Trip planning often takes several months after your family is approved. General time frames for programs offered by Americans Adopting Orphans can be found in the country-specific sections of this document. You will find up to date information in our newsletter The Lantern, available in print and on our website.

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What does an adoption agency do for us?

Adoption agencies provide the knowledge, support, and staff to guide your family through an international adoption. Working with local, federal and foreign governments is difficult, time consuming and tricky. By having experienced professionals on your side, you are very likely to complete your adoption safely and ethically.

Your agency has researched the adoption rules and paperwork requirements of the country from which you wish to adopt, and help you prepare and gather the documents that you need. Assistance in the foreign country will help you work with the local courts, childcare providers, government bureaucracies, and documentation requirements. Frequently agencies with experienced teams can make the process much quicker and more predictable for their families, when compared to families who adopt independently or with the help of friends or relatives.

Perhaps most important, your adoption agency is there to provide you with the training and support you will need to add to your family. Your adoption is not complete when you return home with your child. It is the start of a lifelong process, and your agency can help you start that process. Post placement training, support, classes and resources are an important piece of the adoption process.

Each adoption agency will have different policies, fees, and ways in which they help families. Americans Adopting Orphans can help your family with a wide range of service options that make us a perfect fit for almost all families. With our low fees and very high levels of support and service, we believe we are the best value available for your family.

In most states, including Washington State and Missouri, any person or organization that assists families or accepts fees or donations for assisting families with an adoption must have an adoption agency license (attorneys are usually exempt from the requirement). While parents may complete some kinds of adoptions without the assistance of an agency or attorney, in most states "facilitators" may not be acting legally. We consider it very risky for any parent to use or hire such an unlicensed person or business to represent them in an international adoption, even if that person does not charge any fees. The overwhelming majority of licensed adoption agencies are ethical practitioners who are monitored and regulated by their state government. When we hear horror stories of parents' trust and finances being abused, the laws of nations violated, or the rights of children and birthparents ignored, all too often there is an unlicensed facilitator involved. Frequently they appear to be acting with the best of intentions, but are still the source of many problems in international adoption.

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Do we have to use an adoption agency?

Some families (including ours for our second adoption) choose to complete as much of the adoption process as possible by themselves. In an international adoption this is frequently called a "Parent Initiated" adoption. With some countries it is even possible for the adoptive family to compile all of their documents and submit their application directly to the foreign government. While this is no longer possible with many countries, including the People's Republic of China, Americans Adopting Orphans has kept the spirit of parent initiated adoption alive with our Technical Review process. For a small fee we will review your documents, offer suggestions and recommendations to ensure that your application complies with all US and foreign government regulations, submit it to the foreign government, and represent you as your adoption agency. We call this a parent initiated, agency approved adoption.

This gives you the best of both worlds. You can act completely on your own, but still have an agency that is ready to assist you and back you up, if and when you decide you need it. Our biggest concern when we completed our parent initiated adoption was in not being sure we had done everything right. You can complete your adoption without that feeling of insecurity. We give you the freedom you want and the support you need.

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How do we choose an adoption agency?

Contact a variety of agencies and ask them to send you information about their adoption programs. Compare them with your lifestyle, philosophy, and comfort levels. Once you have learned as much as you can about adoption and the adoption process, your choice will probably be easy.

There are many ways of comparing agencies, some of them are obvious: Length of time in business, number of children placed, lists of references, etc. Here are a few other things to consider that may not be so obvious:

Americans Adopting Orphans can proudly answer "Yes" to all of these questions. We wish that we had known to ask them when we adopted for the first time. We established our agency to provide you with services and options that we wanted when we adopted our children, but didn't know would be important to us. We want you to be able to make a fully informed decision, and encourage you to ask these questions and learn all you can.

You should also speak with references, people who have actually used the agency you are considering. In addition to the obvious questions - Did you like the agency, and would you use them again, there are other questions you can ask that should give you a deeper understanding of how the agency works. It can even help you determine if the agency has ethical adoption practices and standards.

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Why choose Americans Adopting Orphans?

Established in 1994, we currently help around 100 families a year complete their adoptions. As a medium-sized adoption agency, we are experienced and large enough to help families with unusual circumstances or difficulties in their adoption process. We are also small enough to give your family all of the time and attention that you want and need. We are both a licensed adoption agency (with offices in Washington and Missouri, but able to help US citizens anywhere in the world), and a 501(c)3 charitable organization. This means that both our adoption practices and our finances are reviewed and approved by State and Federal authorities, and any donation you choose to give to our agency is Tax Deductible.

You are offered a uniquely flexible program that provides you with freedom and choice, and involves you in the process of your adoption. We have divided the adoption process into six steps. At each step you may choose from multiple levels of support and service. This allows you to have more control over your adoption, and even over the cost of your adoption.

You may choose as much assistance as you want in the adoption process. We can provide lists of documents for you to gather, along with consultation, review, form letters, and organizers to help you compile them into a dossier. You can even decide to have us gather these documents (including reference letters, employer letters, etc.) for you! You will have transportation and interpretive services ready for you when you travel to adopt your child(ren), or you can make your own arrangements. We can help you find the social work services you need. Optional classes, seminars, and support groups through our Education Center are available. You only pay for what you use, and do as much as you care to yourself. No other agency gives you so much service, support, choice, and control. For more information on how we let you design your own adoption program, please read our "Introduction to Americans Adopting Orphans and Description of Services."

Dedicated to the highest standards, we will inform you about both the joys and the tough issues of international adoption. This includes a discussion of ethical adoption procedures, and some of the choices made by different countries, orphanages, birth families, agencies, and facilitators; the different health and care practices and challenges faced by different children of different regions; and how we have worked to safeguard the interests of parents and children through our staffing and program choices, as well as the additional medical information we make available to parents in all our countries. Only with full information can you make the important decisions that will impact your family.

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How can the Americans Adopting Orphans program work for my family?

With Americans Adopting Orphans you design the adoption program that is right for your family. You can choose how much of the routine paperwork and adoption preparation you do for yourself, and how much is done by your adoption agency. In doing this you retain a lot of personal control over the process. This can affect the pace of your adoption. Parent initiated adoption using our Technical Review and Instruction Pack levels of services can be faster than adoption through a traditional agency. While an agency must divide its time among many adoptive families, parent-initiated adoption allows you to take control of your own adoption and devote all of your attention to the needs of your family. In the case of our parent initiated adoption we found that there was also a great deal of personal satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment in doing the work ourselves. A parent initiated adoption can also be significantly less expensive than a traditional agency adoption. By working on your own adoption, you don't have to pay for clerical work to be done by an agency.

Most families choose our Instruction Pack level of service through the different steps of their adoption. Our Instruction Packs are far more than mere lists of documents to gather and things you have to do. You learn what you need, why you need it, and receive useful forms and tools to make gathering your documents faster, easier, and less prone to error. For example, we don't just tell you that you need to get a statement from your doctor about your health. You get a letter to give to your doctor that explains what you need and why you need it, as well as a form that doctors only have to fill out, rather than composing a letter on their own. Also provided are hints on how to make it easier for your doctor to have their signature notarized, even if they don't have a notary in their office. You will also receive an organizer to help you keep track of which documents have been gathered, and which you still need. We then review the documents to be sure that everything was done correctly. Along the way, you get unlimited consultation, review, and advice.

For families with busy schedules, who live overseas, or who just don't like paperwork, our Full Service options are a great help. You give us information about you, such as where you were born and the name of your doctor, and we do the rest, including gathering documents, filing Immigration Forms, and arranging for adoption professionals to act as guides and interpreters in other countries. Even though this is far more service than is offered by most agencies, your final adoption expenses are still very affordable.

True Do-It-Yourselfers love our Technical Review services. You do all the research, and decide what you need and want to do for your adoption. At each Step you submit your completed documents to us, and we review them to be sure that they are in compliance with State, Federal, and International laws and standards. This can be a great money saver for independent families with budget concerns, or families who have already started their adoption process independently, or with another agency, and now want to use our services.

This increase in personal control over the adoption process can also mean that adoptive parents become responsible for their own emotional support and educational processes. Again, Americans Adopting Orphans helps you help yourself by offering classes, educational resources, and support groups, letting you decide what is important for the needs of your family.

You need to look into your wants, needs, personalities, and preferences to determine if our agency is right for you. We know that we are one of the best agencies in the country for providing top notch service and keeping our clients happy, informed, and successful in their adoptions, but we also know that our services are unusual and not for everyone. If we are a fit with your family, you will not find a better agency, anywhere.

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