Step One Adoption Service Providers
Navigating the adoption process is not something you should do on your own. You will need to connect with an adoption service provider or other professional who can help guide you through the process.
The adoption professionals you choose to work with will be your guides along your adoption journey. They will answer all your questions, help you make your adoption plan and get financial assistance, assist you with finding the right family for your baby, and make sure all your state requirements are met.
If you haven’t connected with an adoption service provider yet, you can easily search online for an organization or professional that is a good match for you. Adoption service providers offer many helpful services that will make the adoption planning process easier and less stressful for you, and most will offer their services to birthmothers for free.
Questions to Ask
When you first connect with an adoption service provider, you can ask any and all the questions you have to help you decide whether they are a good match for you.
Here are a few important questions you should ask:
- What are my options?
- What services do you provide for birthmothers?
- How can you help me make an adoption plan?
- What types of adoption are available?
- How do I find an adoptive family through your organization?
- How do you screen your adoptive families?
- What sort of financial assistance am I eligible to receive during my pregnancy?
Be Safe: Red Flags to Watch Out For
Unfortunately, unethical adoption organizations and professionals do exist, and they aim to take advantage of women interested in placing their baby for adoption. For the safety of you and your baby, it’s important to be aware of what to watch out for so you can stay away from these types of organizations or professionals.
Here are some red flags to watch out for when choosing an adoption professional or organization:
- They pressure you into placing your baby for adoption.
- They tell you that you need to make a decision right away.
- They offer you money in exchange for your baby.
- They require you to pay for their services.
- They offer to hold your baby after he or she is born while they find a family.
- They do not involve an attorney or lawyer in the adoption process.
- They aren’t easily available to you via phone or email, or they don’t respond to you.
- They do not screen adoptive families, or they do not require adoptive families to have a completed home study.
