Adoption agencies help children find families and families find children. Whatever the reason for putting a child up for adoption or considering adoption, the agency that is chosen should be professional, considerate and compassionate. The adoption process could take several years, so it is important that the agency is licensed, has all its credentials and is effective.
History
Adoption is the process whereby parents are supplied for parentless children or for those children whose parents are unable to provide for their care. The concept of adoption was not legally recognized in the United States until the 1850s, with the inception of the first adoption statutes.
Minnesota
The Adoption Directory lists all adoption agencies within a specified state. Minnesota has three listings for adoption agencies. Adoption Minnesota is Minnesota's largest American infant program. It provides services for birth parents, adoptive parents and adoption professionals. All services are free for birth parents.
Bethany Christian Services was founded in 1944 and has more than 75 locations in 32 states. Bethany Christian Services is a Christ-centered agency. It is the largest adoption agency in the country with 1,874 placements (international and domestic) in 2005. Bethany Christian Services is in Plymouth and Willmar, Minnesota.
Types
There are two types of adoption agencies. Private agencies are usually where couples or birth mothers actually place their children for potential adoptive parents.These private agencies select adoptive parents based on marital status, health, income, age, sexual orientation, religion, family size and personal history. These background criteria are not necessarily in this order of importance. Private adoption agencies also provide counseling and other services for the adoptive families and the families giving children up for adoption.
Public agencies get many children ready to be adopted. Many of the children come from the state, or were abandoned. Often they are older or special-needs children. Public adoption agencies come at a much lower cost than public agencies because of the lack of counseling and other services the private agencies provide.
Considerations
Adopting a child can be expensive. Adoptions can range from $1,000 to $35,000 or more depending on whether a public or private agency is chosen. Consider having fundraisers to help get money for the new addition. If the family trying to adopt a child has low income, or is trying to adopt a child with special needs, it can apply for low-interest loans or grants through foundations that help fund adoptions. Children with special needs may also have reduced fees to help families adopt them. Some employers have an adoption assistance program. If they do not, then an adoption assistance program may be an idea to bring to the company's attention.
Misconceptions
Just because an adoption agency is conducting business does not mean it has all the credentials necessary. Contact the state licensing specialist once an adoption agency is chosen to ensure that the agency you're interested in is licensed. Contact your state's office of the attorney general to find out whether any complaints have been lodged against the agency.
A very common misconception about adoption is how long a birth mother has to withdraw her desire to give a child up for adoption. In the state of Minnesota, legal proceedings cannot begin until 72 hours after the birth of the child at the earliest and not later than 60 days after the child's placement in a prospective adoptive home; a person whose consent is required under this section shall execute consent. The birth mother is under no legal obligation to surrender her child for adoption before the legal consent papers are signed. If the birth mother does sign the legal papers for adoption, she then will have 10 working days, called the revocation period, during which she has the absolute right to revoke the surrender.
Benefits
Adoptions can be beneficial to the adopting family, the adopted child and the family giving the child up for adoption. Children receive the benefit of a two-parent home and the love and support of an adoptive family that is emotionally and financially ready to parent. The adopting family benefits by receiving the blessings and joys of adding a child to the family. The birth mother and/or father can also benefit from adoption through the opportunity to make dreams for the child come true, and by getting to choose a family the child would like best, and then getting to know the family members personally.
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