Adoption
Agencies have lost their minds: price hikes!
I have contacted agencies that we looked into for our first adoption (our first agency closed) and the fees are through the roof. I am appalled at these fee schedules. One agency that we really liked is 47k. what????? In this economy you are charging 47k to coordinate an adoption? wow.
Is this inflation or greed?
Is this flammable or does everyone think this is the norm?
Anyone know of a work from home job that pays really well?
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Re: Agencies have lost their minds: price hikes!
Fees can vary so widely, I don't think you can say there is a "norm". And you have to look into what those fees are going towards.
We saw ranges anywhere from the low teens to $46K. But the $46K agency had a facility that housed and counseled the pregnant girls/women, which I can imagine is not cheap. The agency we researched with the lowest fees was a one-woman operation who contracted out HSs and legal stuff, and operated on a shoe string. We decided not to go with her in part because we weren't sure the birthmoms would be getting extensive counseling if necessary.
Our agency's fees are not low. But we are very comfortable with them, they have good placement rates, and they provide as much counseling as anyone in the triad wants. That is becoming more and more important to me as I go through this process.
I would keep looking. It does seem to very between agencies.
I think it is inflation and greed. I think that it cost more to keep quality people working for the agency. Greed sometimes also but not all the ttime.
Do not know of any work from home jobs sorry.
In my very limited research I've found that agency fees vary greatly but the ones that we're leaning towards at this point seem to be on the higher end. Which means I'll most likely need to find a part time job (in addition to my full time job) as well.
How's your typing? There's transcription work that you can do from home.
As everyone has said, prices vary greatly, but in addition to all the reasons above, I'm sure some of it has to do with agencies trying to make ends meet. If they are experiencing fewer applications because PAPs are pursuing other alternatives or can't afford to adopt in this economy, there are certain fixed costs they still have to cover. I'm guessing the only way to do this is to charge more to the clients they actually sign.
I have to admit, I think $47K for a domestic adoption is ridonculous! Someone is making serious profit there. Personally, we made a conscious decision to only work with a non-profit entity that we felt truly put the needs of the birthparents ahead of making money.
We also looked at a few agencies with sky-high fees (and promises of placement in 3 months or less), but I just can't wrap my mind around how that is legitimate. I know that legal costs and counseling vary from state-to-state, but these outrageous numbers smack of profiteering. Which, IMO, has no place in the adoption world.
Our agency recently raised their own profit fee for the white newborn grouping to 10k from 7k + legal, advertising, living expenses, administrative fees so it probably works out to be about 35-45k when all is said and done. They also have an average wait time for caucasian newborns of 9-12 months.
I think that the fees for caucasian newborns are stupidly insane but it is a supply/demand situation for the agencies. They are being required to advertise more than ever to get more e'moms to accommodate their client requests and to cover their own costs, it's a time issue too - they can't get away with higher wait averages if they want to attract more adoptive parents so they have to hire more staff in individual states and have SWers on their payroll to try to get wait times decreased, and the licensing fees for them in individual states are also on the rise.
It's a bad cycle. And, it won't stop until there is government/state regulation or adoptive parents stop paying. Neither is likely.
I used to feel this way, and we also limited ourselves to only non-profit agencies, but this process has made me see the value of profit-earning adoption agencies. My agency has some employees that stall and don't respond to clients on a timely basis and/or who are simply not client-oriented. I sometimes think that if there was a "bottom line" for the agency, they wouldn't tolerate such lax behavior from their staff.
I see what you're saying Captain. I agree that profit-making, as a business model, can improve service and efficiency.
I'm just bristling at the philosophical issue of folks making money off of the adoption process. But, then again, I feel that way about healthcare. Don't get me started about profit-motive and its effect on our country's healthcare system.
I don't have an issue with people making a profit. I would much rather work with an agency that has financial incentive to do the job right and in a timely manner than working with a state-orientated system with no profit.
I also am not sure that agencies are making all that much profit. You have to keep in mind that a good agency has:
- highly educated people on their staff (social workers, therapists/counselors, lawyers, accounting/payroll/HR and insurance experts for both e-moms/b-moms and adoptive parents, marketing and advertising experts, technology and graphic design experts, and so forth),
- state licensing/permit fees,
- advertising fees (e-moms don't usually 'just' show up at the agency's door step - they usually come to them based on some pointed advertising campaigns) and of course they have advertising campaigns to attract adoptive parents too,
- costs for free seminars/fairs that they put on,
- not to mention they have location fees (mortgage or rent, insurance, etc)
- and on ...
I'm probably beating this thing and I am in NO WAY defending some of the agencies that provide crap services. I do think that if you look at what agencies are being required to do in this day and age that the fees they charge don't give them much for profit always.
It was a lot more simple both paperwork wise and financially for adoptive parents back 'in the day' where there were only a few places you would go in a state (religious organizations, hospitals/orphanages) to adopt. But today, it has become a whole other ball game with lots of competition
I am very disheartened at this point.
Can I write that check and feel comfortable about raising that child the way we want to raise that child....that is the question.
I can't believe that these agencies are not making any money...someone is making gobs and gobs of money off of these girls. This agency does pay living expenses for BM, but youch!
I am going to keep looking. I really need someone who has a similar type A personality as we do....we dont' want to sit and wait. We had an agency that had a "don't call us, we'll call you" concept and that about drove me nuts.
I am very sorry you are disheartened, and I urge you to keep looking. I'm not sure where you are located, but I know that there is definitely a range of prices when it comes to adoption. I also know there are grants available in some instances.
I can only imagine how tough it must be to search for an agency you trust after your first one closed, but I'm sure you will find one that you feel more comfortable or at peace about working with if you keep looking.
I wish you the best of luck.
I don't mind flogging this subject, Jacks - I think it's a great topic for all of us to discuss. I understand quite well that agencies, facilitators, etc., provide extensive services for the available adoption dollars. But I will argue that there are agencies making significant profit in the industry and with little regard to the human beings in question.
My concern is that by allowing profit motive to exist in the system, when there is little fair, consistent, and cohesive legal oversight in the US and amongst the 50 states, the possibility for fraud and harm is significant. My state is a terrible example of how allowing private, for-profit agencies to serve the needs of kids in the foster care system has put these kids in dangerous and harmful situations. (Sally J provided this article link.) To think that these same risks are not inherent or possible with adoption agencies would be short-sighted.
I think this, like all choices we make in the matter of adoption, is one of personal choice and integrity. I have no issue with folks who use a for-profit agency and I make no blanket statements about the quality of services they provide. I know there are LOTS of families and birthparents who have been faithfully and adequately served by for-profit institutions. I do, however, think all PAP should think about the philosophical ramifications of the choices they make as they move through this process. And when the dollar amount ratchets up near $50K, one has to ask themselves what all parties are getting for that amount of money.
YES.. what you said! This industry (and it is surely an industry- supply and demand and a viable product) is the largest unregulated system generating many millions of dollars each year. At some point you do have to suspect it is more a money making scheme than a public service or baby buying if you will.
Maybe it's just me because domestic and international adoptions are subject to a different set of laws and regulations, but outside of the fee schedules, I don't think you can fairly say that adoption is unregulated. In fact, I tend to believe that, while the laws are necessary to help ensure that adoptions are processed ethically, compliance with the vast regulatory requirements is part of what makes the costs so high.
Adoptions are expensive for agencies - they do have to pay attorneys, pay a HUGE amount for their own insurance, pay for social workers, in lots of cases pay expectant mom expenses up front and for their housing, etc. BUT having said that, 47K is much more than any of the agencies we've ever worked with. I'm not an expert on all agencies, but I do work with lots of them now and I did do lots of research before adopting Lily - seems the average is between 25 and 30, which is still a huge sum of money - don't get me wrong.
Adoption is definitely regulated - especially if you work with a non-profit agency, although I'm sure we can all agree more regulations might be a good thing...I know I'd love to pay less for our next adoption than we paid for our first!
Certain facilitators aren't well regulated, though, which is someting to be careful of.
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