May 16, 2018
Questions to Ask Throughout Your Adoption Process
You can NEVER ask too many questions during your adoption process — no question is too big or too small. Adoption is a giant undertaking, filled with a world of unknowns, and your adoption agency, social worker, and lawyer are available to help you through the process in whatever way you need.
And you should be asking questions! The more questions you ask, the more tailored to your life and needs your adoption will be. Every adoption is completely different and yours should reflect the process and relationships you desire.
Don’t know where to begin? That’s okay! We’ll help you out. Here are 20 important questions to ask throughout your adoption process.
MATCHING
What is your process for matching birth mothers and prospective adoptive parents?
What happens if a match falls through?
What kind of adoptive parent profile should we create?
How do you present adoptive parent profiles to birth mothers?
What kind of communication should we expect from you throughout the process?
FEES
How do you handle birth mother expenses?
What happens if our match fails?
What is the total fee, and how is it allocated?
Do you have a match fee or a placement fee?
What is included in our agency fee? Does that include legal and home study fees?
OPEN VS. CLOSED ADOPTION
What is the difference between an open and closed adoption?
How do you orchestrate closed adoptions?
How do you orchestrate open adoptions?
What if we want a semi-open adoption?
What kind of communication should we expect from our birth mother?
THE BIRTH
Once the child is born, how do we retain parental rights?
If we have to travel to meet our child, who arranges/pays for travel?
When can we see the child?
Can we be at the hospital when the child is born?
When do we officially get to take the child into our care?
No matter what your question is, be assertive, be strong, and don’t compromise until you have the answers that best meet your needs.
Here are some additional resources for questions to ask — covering everything from logistics to communication, counseling, eligibility and more.