Poland is not a country that first springs to mind when it comes to international adoption. In 2008, 77 adoptions took place from Poland to the United States, compared to nearly 4,000 adoptions from China. Because of the low number of adoptions from Poland, finding a Polish adoption agency can be difficult. It will take a little research to find an agency for a Polish adoption.
Identification
Identifying a Polish adoption agency can be a difficult task. Very few adoption agencies work with Poland. A good place to start is simply typing "Polish Adoption Agencies" in a search engine. The results can be written down for further research. Another good research site is the website Adoption.com. In its forums there is a section dedicated to Polish adoption. While specific agencies cannot be discussed openly, members can contact one another privately to discuss Polish adoption agencies.
The most important aspect to identifying an adoption agency for international adoption is Hague accreditation. Poland is a Hague Convention member country, and the Convention standards must be followed for an adoption from Poland. Hague-accredited adoption agencies can be identified on adoption page of the Department of State's website.
Considerations
When selecting an adoption agency there are some important factors to consider. Once Hague-accredited agencies have been identified, the list can be narrowed down by other factors. One of the first questions to ask a potential agency is how many Polish adoptions it has completed. It is important for an adoption agency to be familiar with Polish adoption law.
The more adoptions the agency has handled, the better experience it will have in navigating through the Polish adoption process. It is not necessary to select a Polish adoption agency from your own state. However, if the agency is located in a different state you will likely have to use a different agency for the home study process. Only an agency licensed for your state of residence can perform a home study.
Hague Convention
The Hague Convention is an agreement that established international standards for inter-country adoptions. The convention was signed by the United states in 1994 and was entered into force in 2008. The standards apply to all adoptions that take place between the United States and any other Hague Convention country. Poland is also a Hague Convention country.
All adoptions that take place between the United States and Poland must follow convention guidelines. The convention was set in place to make sure inter-country adoptions are in the best interest of the child and to ensure against child trafficking and black market adoptions. Adoption agencies must be accredited for the Hague Convention on a federal level to offer international adoption services.
Function
The function of the Polish adoption agency is to facilitate the adoption process between the adoptive parents and Poland. The agency guides the adoptive parents through all the steps of the international adoption process. It will provide the necessary instructions, forms and guidance to the completion of the adoption. It should also provide pre-adoption preparation. Most agencies will also provide follow-up support for adoptive parents.
Warning
No adoption agency should guarantee an adoption will take place or a specific time frame. A red flag should be raised if a prospective agency demands a large amount of money up front. An agency should not guarantee a child will be placed within a certain amount of time, say 6 months. There is no way to determine when placement will take place because all kinds of variables can affect placement time: the child's age and gender, availability of children, the speed the paperwork is processed, etc. Another red flag would be if the agency has never completed an adoption from Poland.
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