International Family Services - the good, the bad, the ugly?

Mrs.R2D2

 Hi everyone,  hopefully I'll be more of a regular here.  We're currently researching homestudy agencies and adoption agencies, to see whether adoption is an option for us. 

 The agency we are looking at is International Family Services - so far, they're the only one to step up to the plate and try to help us find someone to write us a positive homestudy.  While practically everyone who knows us thinks we'd be wonderful parents, my husband had a child out of wedlock 9 years ago, and we have had NINE social workers refuse to work with us due to that fact.

Jumping the gun of course, but if the tenth time is the charm with getting a homestudy, we're going to have to move to contract with an adoption agency.  Has anyone used International Family Services, and would you reccommend them to me?

PS - so why the F is an adoption board on "the bump"? I know a couple who is adopting just so the wife won't get fat!   I have an abdominal bump of course, but it's from "carbohydrates".  

BurkeJax

Refusing because of a child out of wedlock 9 yrs. ago...that is a little extreme...I would not want to work with an agency that saw that as an issue anyway.

No advice on International Family Services, Just wanted to say good luck and welcome to the board. 

Mrs.R2D2

Thanks!  Your puppy's cute.

 IFS is very understanding of our situation, and I feel like they're really gunning for us. Unfortunately, they are not licenesd for homestudy in VA.

The problem is these freaking homestudy agencies here in VA - maybe I'm just running into exclusively social workers who still haven't gotten over their parents' divorce during the Reagan Administration and/or their Daddy issues, but I am having the nastiest things said to me when they learn our family situation.

jacksjerseygirl

wow I have not heard of this during my experience with our adoption journey. All I have ever heard from both those who have had home studies and those SWs that perform home studies is that they never look to scrutinize mistakes you have made as long as you are open about them and can reflect on them - their main goal is to ensure that you have a safe, healthy environment for a child and that if you have issues in your past that it wont cause a danger to the child in the future.

Very curious.

Good luck on your journey.

MyColonyNJ

Wow - I have never heard of that.  I had a baby out of wedlock 14 years ago - I guess that would make me not eligible.

The only thing I can think of is if the Agencies are Catholic agencies, maybe that is why they have a problem with that.  But, I am just speculating

Good Luck on your journey