Adoption

new here with questions

I'm new to the board and new to adoption.

My husband and I are planning to adopt and we're looking at all our options.  We initially decided on adopting directly from foster care (not foster-to-adopt) because we're okay with and older-ish child (maybe up to age 7) or a sibling group.  But, the fact that there is no charge to do that was also a major reason.  We've recently learned of a local agency that is trying to recruit more families for domestic infant adoption of AA babies.  We had not even considered domestic infant adoption, mainly because of the price.  I'm working and my husband is a full-time student. When we have children, we are planning on him lowering his school load and taking  a full time job so I can stay home with our children.

I'm not sure which way we should go.  I certainly know more about foster care adoption because that is where we thought we were going.  Can anyone give me some info about fees for domestic infant adoption?  I can't find that info on agency sites.  It's odd because they all have fees for international adoptions.  Also, any ideas about realistic time frames for domestic infant adoptions?

 

Thanks! 

Re: new here with questions

  • Welcome.  I also adopted from foster care. It was a long drawn out process but so worth the weight.  My son's adoption was finalized last June.  I am not well versed in fees of private adoptions, but the agency that you are referring to should be able to give you this information. When I was looking into adoption the fees ranged from 10,000 upwards of 40,000 depending on circumstances.  Good Luck to you.
  • Hi and welcome.

    Fees vary widely for domestic infant adoption. Some agencies charge on a sliding scale based on income, while others have fixed fees across the board. Some states have requirements to pay birthmother expenses, which can increase the total cost of the adoption. Some people opt to go with adoption attorneys or facilitators (if allowed in their state), as those tend to have lower fees than the "one stop shopping" seen at most agencies, who take care of everything from homestudies to post-adoption legal matters. As you have found, some agencies lower their fees for couples interested in adopting AA or mixed race children. Some prospective adoptive parents have issues with this approach.

    I would suggest the following:

    1. Check the FAQs and focus on resources for domestic adoption. They should give you at least a broad overview of how it works and where to find specific information

    2. Talk to some agencies you're interested in, remembering that you don't have to work with an agency in your state. Also look into adoption attorneys and facilitators (if allowed in your state) and see if any of those approaches are something that would work for you.

    I would be leery of any agency site that doesn't lay out their fee schedule upfront. One of the things that impressed us about our agency is that you could find the entire fee schedule in a click or 2. You may have to call them, but they should be transparent about their fees so you know what you're dealing with.

    Timeframes, like fees, range all over the place. A rule of thumb is to ask how many placements they've had in the last year vs how many families are waiting. If there are 100 waiting families and only 30 placements/year, you're looking at a longer wait. If it's more of a 1:1 ratio, your wait could be a year or less. Add in the fact that birthparents pick the adoptive families, and an "average" wait time goes out the window. It could be days or years, as each birthparent is looking for different things in an adoptive family.

    GL and keep posting.  

  • Loading the player...
  • Very helpful.

    Thanks so much! 

  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
  • My husband and I were looking at domestic infant adoption and researched everything. Now we are looking at foster to adopt (any advice on that?)

     I suggest looking for a company called Bethany Chrisitan Services they have locations all over the country and are very good. We are meeting with them next week.

    Alot of private agencies charge you big fees including paying some of the expenses of the birthmother. Bethany pays those fees of the birthmother for you so you don't incur that charge. They help pay around 1/2 the costs of a private adoption (so if the total cost of the adoption is $20,000 with birthmother expenses, they pay around $10,000 so you only pay $10,000)

    The price of an infant domestic adoption can be very high but it's good to know there are ways of offsetting that cost.  

     There are lots of grants as well as intrest free loans out there. Check out a place called the Abba Fund that provides intrest free loans to adoptive parents and you pay them back at what is comfortable for you.

This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"