African American Adoption

lillinzlou · August 2012

Hello ladies!

DH and I have recently started discussing adoption. We want to look into African American domestic adoption. I'm having a hard time finding info about this subject. I just need a jumping off point.

Also, I've heard from an adoptive parent vet that you can receive financial assistance for adopting an AA child. Does anyone have any info on this?

I appreciate any guidance you ladies could give. We are VERY new to this and have gone back and forth over the past year. I'd like to start researching more deeply to be absolutely sure it is something we want to commit to. TIA, everyone!

jillianmb · August 2012

We are doing international adoption but before we made the decision we looked seriously into doing AA adoption. In my research I found that it varies agency to agency. Some agencies would cut their matching fee in half, for example. Others gave no financial break.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it just depends on your agency. GL!

lillinzlou · August 2012

jillianmb:

We are doing international adoption but before we made the decision we looked seriously into doing AA adoption. In my research I found that it varies agency to agency. Some agencies would cut their matching fee in half, for example. Others gave no financial break.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it just depends on your agency. GL!

Can I ask why you decided to go with international? That is the first thing that seemed right to us, but it seems like it is so much harder. Any thoughts?

Dr.Loretta · August 2012

one thing to do may be looking into info sessions for agencies around you. Or some out of your area that have phone seminars or webinars. Some even have AA specific info sessions.

Some agencies, in an effort to place more AA or biracial children, will have a separate track for adopting AA kids. This may include lowering the fees. There is some controversy about this, but that is the policy for some agencies.

There is also information in the FAQ at the top of the board.

Keep posting!

slndr042305 · August 2012

My husband and I are a bi-racial couple so we are hoping to adopt a bi-racial or AA infant. From what we've seen it just varies from agency's, attorney's and state to state. In some cases they lower fee's for AA or bi-racial adoptions and in some cases it is the same fee regardless.

Go to some info sessions at different agencies and see what they each say, and more importantly who you feel most comfortable with...Good Luck!

DaisyZH · August 2012

We had sent away for information to about 10 different agencies and I think of these 3 had a completely different track that waived some of the fees for AA adoption. The others stated clearly that fees did not differ based on race, and each of them had that as a "Pro" (vs. Con) to adopting from that particular agency. As a PP said, it's pretty contraversial.

jillianmb · August 2012

lillinzlou:
jillianmb:

We are doing international adoption but before we made the decision we looked seriously into doing AA adoption. In my research I found that it varies agency to agency. Some agencies would cut their matching fee in half, for example. Others gave no financial break.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it just depends on your agency. GL!

Can I ask why you decided to go with international? That is the first thing that seemed right to us, but it seems like it is so much harder. Any thoughts?

We fell in love with a waiting child and wanted to pursue his adoption. I truly believe we would have pursued him no matter where he was from, but he just happened to be in Russia. So we went with international adoption. You are right- it is more expensive and require more travel (3 trips) and the headache of doing legal paperwork across international borders.

However, when you are convicted about something you will do whatever it takes. We just recently met our son for the first time and he is worth every single ounce of effort and dime we put into the adoption. :-) GL to you.

lillinzlou · August 2012

jillianmb:
lillinzlou:
jillianmb:

We are doing international adoption but before we made the decision we looked seriously into doing AA adoption. In my research I found that it varies agency to agency. Some agencies would cut their matching fee in half, for example. Others gave no financial break.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it just depends on your agency. GL!

Can I ask why you decided to go with international? That is the first thing that seemed right to us, but it seems like it is so much harder. Any thoughts?

We fell in love with a waiting child and wanted to pursue his adoption. I truly believe we would have pursued him no matter where he was from, but he just happened to be in Russia. So we went with international adoption. You are right- it is more expensive and require more travel (3 trips) and the headache of doing legal paperwork across international borders.

However, when you are convicted about something you will do whatever it takes. We just recently met our son for the first time and he is worth every single ounce of effort and dime we put into the adoption. :-) GL to you.

That is amazing. I'll pray that you are reunited soon.

ellekae · August 2012

Welcome!

We're also in the process of transracial DIA. Our agency doesn't have a different fee structure for different races, but the "benefit" (if you choose to see it that way) of being open to adopting a child of a different race is that your profile is in a much smaller queue. Right now, there are 40+ families in the Caucasian-only program and only 14 (including us) in the transracial program.

There are grants available to adoptive families that are adopting a child of a different race, and, in some states, children of color (their terminology) are considered to have "special placement needs" (once again, their terminology), which makes adoptive parents eligible for certain governmental and/or private financial aid. You'll have to do some Googling to see what it's like for your state.

lillinzlou:
That is amazing. I'll pray that you are reunited soon.

Also, if you haven't already, check out Jillian's blog (in her siggy). It is awesome.

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