What is an Adoption agency?
There are approximately 3,000 adoption agencies in the United States and around 100,000 children put up for adoption. At this great number, hundreds of thousands of prospective adoptive parents are still thinking of adopting a child. If you have an unplanned pregnancy and considering of placing your baby for adoption, finding an adoption agency is the surest your baby will find a home as soon as he/she is born.
Types of adoption agencies
There are two types of adoption agencies: public and private. A public adoption agency usually works with the foster care system to assist children who were given up for adoption. Public adoption agencies receive full funding from and are run by the federal government or the state in which they operate in.
A private adoption agency operates in a certain area under a state license although it is privately run. Private adoption agencies may include churches, charity institutions, and the like that actively assists many forms of adoption.
If you don't know where to begin with, seeking help in an adoption agency often offers many benefits. For instance, a public adoption agency provides more support services to birthmothers, including pre-adoption education, homestudies, counseling, post-adoption services, and referrals. A private adoption agency may not provide the same services as government-run but it may typically require lesser adoption costs.
Types of adoption
Many children are put up for adoption each year. Some adoptive parents prefer newborns while others would like older children. Adoption agency can vary in the type of adoption they specialize in, such as placement of international children, children with special needs, bi-racial children, or children of another ethnicity. Other agencies may purely specialize in assisting the adoption of infants while others are especially selective in the type of adoptive parents and birthparents with whom they work with.
It's best to ask for assistance from an adoption agency that can specifically entertain your adoption needs and allows you to actively participate in the process. This is important for many birthparents who want to ensure the qualifications of their child's adoptive parents.
A good adoption agency should not only assist birthmothers in the adoption process. Rather, they must provide all types of support needed to alleviate the tension and effects of adoption on the child and both parents. Counseling can immensely help a birthmother get through the emotional ordeal of giving up her child, even though it might not seem to be the best choice.
Placing a child for adoption is a heart-wrenching experience that can change a woman's life forever. However, if you're bent on the decision then finding an adoption agency who can assist you is the first step towards it.
