Warning: Gross generalizations are being made. Proceed with caution.
- Private adoption agencies usually provide better services. (Prompter return of phone calls and emails, more personalized attention, etc.)
- Home studies are often completed faster at private adoption agencies.
- Placements usually happen faster with a private adoption agency.
- Private adoption agencies usually provide better post adoption support and support after the adoption.
- Public agencies cost less that private adoption agencies.
- Depending on your county, private agencies may work with the easier to place children. (Check with your county, since this is not true across the board.)
My husband and I are wanting to look into fostering going into possible adoption. We have been researching for the past couple of months, but cannot seem to find a website that provides information on going from foster care into adoption, or adopting a child from foster care? can we get some further assistance with this.
Hi Lovett,
I’m glad you asked that question. Creating a Family has a lot of great resources on foster care adoption. Here’s a couple links to get you started with educating yourself about the process:
http://ow.ly/32vo30gYg5P – 1 hour course on Adopting from Foster Care
http://ow.ly/kR6M30gYg9K – regularly updated Resource Page on the most popular content on foster care
We also have a very active online community that is full of experienced parents, birth families, adoptees and even adoption professionals to help you learn on the “been there done that” level. Find us at this site: http://ow.ly/pPql30gYgdB
Best wishes to you as you seek to build your family. Let us know if we can help you with other information!
The title of the article doesn’t seem to fit with the content of the list, as the title is about FOSTER CARE agencies but all the references in the article are to ADOPTION agencies, and I don’t think the two are always the same. Adoption agencies are not necessarily even dealing with children who are in foster care, although they may. I think the title should better fit the article. As is, it’s not very informative, may as well just say “private adoption agencies are better than public adoption agencies”. I was hoping for some more detailed and nuanced information, for example differences in populations of available children, differences in ability to discriminate against certain kinds of potential adoptive or foster parents (e.g., single, non-Christian, gay, etc.), differences in whom prospective parents work with (attorney? case worker? social worker? adoption/foster care agency owner? religious institution staff?) and differences in what kinds of rules and regulations and processes there may be between them. This article does not address any of this.
Cathy, many states have contracts with private adoption agencies to help find either foster or adoptive families for children in foster care. People wanting to foster or adopt a child often have the choice between using the county foster care agency or a private agency with a contract with the state. This article is to help those families decide which is the better choice. Sorry if the title confused you. We’ve added an introductory paragraph to more fully explain what we are talking about. Thanks for pointing out the confusion.
Wanting to adopt a child in foster care the foster parents have quite a number already I am looking to talk with a lawyer