Agency Adoption versus Private Child Adoption

Keep you and your baby safe. Licensed child adoption agencies are regulated by the state and fully investigate families who want to adopt. All to often, some individuals involved in a private adoption do not conduct the same type of in-depth investigation, thus exposing a child to risk.

With an agency adoption you and your baby are matched with an adopting family through the help of the adoption agency and then the agency helps you and the family through the whole process and adjustment period. With a private adoption the placement of the child is arranged through an attorney, physician, friend, or referral service and after the placement takes place you must fend for yourself.

There are several reasons why a private adoption can be very risky for you and the child you are placing for adoption.  First, the attorney, the family, and/or the referral source are working to get your child placed with the family and they may understandably be more interested in helping the adopting family than in helping you or your baby.  Additionally, in a private adoption you may not really know much about the family except what they allow you to be told. The adopting family is interested in presenting the best picture possible and they will do everything possible to keep anything negative about them from you. They may have gone through very little if any screening, so you can not be sure if their marriage is truly stable or if they have a healthy mental outlook and a truly positive way of handling children, etc.

Additionally, in a private adoption the family may promise you things like pictures and updates but they do not have to follow through. Without a licensed adoption agency supervising the process, adoption can be a nightmare. When you read horror stories in the news, these are most likely private adoptions.

While your attorney, counselor, doctor, or friend probably has your best interest at heart, based on almost 40 years of experience and after helping hundreds of birth mothers and birth fathers get out of horrible situations, we very strongly recommend you proceed only with a licensed adoption agency.

In an agency adoption you have all the choices and options available to you that you would have in a private adoption and you will have added protections as well. 

An adoption agency has a license from the state and the state has made sure the agency has programs to help birth parents like you, programs to carefully and thoroughly screen adopting families, to supervise and monitor the placement, and to provide follow-up services. The agency can also help coordinate your prenatal care with the hospital and help make sure you get follow-up care.  They have a license and the responsibility to watch out for you and your child. 

The agency will carefully screen all families, they will verify state police, child abuse, and FBI clearances, they will carefully evaluate mental health histories, income tax records, references, marriage stability, child rearing attitudes, etc.  And the agency is in the position to enforce the promises the family has made regarding pictures, updates, seeing the child, etc. 

We at Adoption Services truly care about you and your baby and about other women in your situation.  We want to do everything possible to help you and your child.  There are many kinds assistance programs available to help you and other pregnant women, birth mothers and children free of charge.  These include financial, medical, nutritional and health assistance programs as well as a variety of support and information groups. If you need help you can click this link to find all kinds of assistance programs. And the following links will help you find pregnancy support groups as well as parenting and adoption support groups.  If you want our help you can call us anytime and from any place in the U.S. (toll free # 1-800-943-0400). You can get our help whether you are pregnant or have already delivered and are raising your child yourself or want to place your child for adoption. We are here to help you and there is never any cost or obligation on your part. 

If you are considering placing your child for adoption we are also here to help.  We would be happy to help find a safe and loving home with a family that has been very carefully and thoroughly screened. We can help you regardless of what state you are in.  Our services to you are free, your medical and legal expenses will be provided for and we will make sure that you receive whatever reimbursement for housing, lost wages and living expenses that state laws allow.  You may reach me, Dr Vince Berger, or my staff by calling our toll free number at 1-800-943-0400 or you can contact me by email.  If there is anything we can do to help you and your baby, please contact me.