Choosing a Placement Agency 1/13 - 1/17

This is a very difficult thing to do. But had to be done before I could mail the I600A - and should be done ASAP so I could collect appropriate documentation for the dossier as I collected my homestudy documents. Each placement agency requires a little something different.

I joined a couple/few groups, read a few blogs, and did lots of internet research. Joining the groups were a bit overwhelming at first because so much that's discussed is not applicable to you. Also, your hear stories of adoption (and international adoption) gone wrong...with unscrupulous agencies, and unstable programs. Almost paralyzing. How do I find a *licenced* agency, who is also *licenced* in Ethiopia? What are the pros-cons and considerations?

Well, I found a fairly reliable site with a group of agencies said to be legit and licenced in Ethiopia. The list was very reproducible, and member of the message boards were familiar with most. I wrote/called the final two, spoke with the program directors...and contacted references.

The Process of Choosing:
Well, first I wanted to make sure the Agency was licensed in Ethiopia. Some Agencies contract out their "Ethiopian Program" to one of the licensed agencies...and I wanted to be with a primary agency. At the time I sought information there were 15 agencies commonly known to be legit in Ethiopia.

We wanted the option of choosing gender - that eliminated Wide Horizons.

We wanted the option of escorting home - that eliminated many of the religious Christian ones, and Gladney.

We heard bad things about the operation of Christian World Adoption - so they were eliminated.

We want customer service and hand-holding - and heard the AFAA is not good in this area, so we eliminated them. For thousands of dollars, I want my hand held nice and tight. Besides, the wait was too long.

Some agencies have very long wait times - so we actually eliminated them. 18-24 months is too long. If the waits are long, lots of the paperwork (therefore time and money) is wasted.

In the end, there were a few left:

Better Futures Adoption Services - a brand new agency with only 4 kids home so far. But, very quick referral times, and the director is Ethiopian with strong relationships both here and there. She had good references, but they admitted to some snags secondary to the novelty of the organization. She was very hand-holding. Ultimately we decided against them because Ethiopia is the only country they represent, and if the situation change and we have to switch countries, we'd just be SOL with this agency. Also, when I did contact the agency, much of what they do is "form letter" format. I hate form letters. I asked 2-3 specific questions, and I get a 'form letter' informing of everything but the answers to my specific questions. When I called another agency for clarification...things were much clearer. So I went with them.

Adoption Advocates International - seemed okay, but the wait was much longer. They offered escort, got good reviews, love their website...and price is reasonable. More than one program, and established, licensed, with many happy clients. Again, the wait times (plus anticipated snags) could make it a 2 year process. Versus other agencies who've gotten kids home in 6 months. If all else is equal, I'd prefer *not* to wait 2 years.

Adoption Avenues and Dove
-both on the West Coast, which is a plus. Wait times are short, and escort is an option. You can pick the age/gender, and good customer service. The orphanage they use is in Addis Ababa (the major city), and the kids are well cared for. The price is reasonable.

In the end, Adoption Avenues' director is a physician...and he went out of his way to explain the process, answer questions and emails, and he had a great reputation on the message boards. He understood my situation as a physician (the debt, the financial situation in general). He's knowledgeable, and so far, I've appreciated his no-nonsense, 'just get your kid home safely' attitude. A local family who just completed the process and is home with their daughter had good and bad things to say about both agencies (since they work out of the same orphanage, many of the affiliated American families meet and share experiences). The bad things she said about AA seems to be related to logistics of the Ethiopian visit (the guest house...the guide...). But nothing unethical surfaced...or egregious activity that would black-list them in their minds.

Dove stated a slightly longer wait time...but overall was in our top 3. They were a bit sluggish getting information to us...and by the time we received it, we'd already made a decision - and sent our I600A. And, as stated above, there were some concerns expressed over the efficiency of the agency with regard to the United States paperwork portion of the process (eventhough the Ethiopian travel aspect was awesome).

Even still, we went back and forth (between our top 3-4), but the accessibility we felt with Radu at Adoption Avenues, and the physician thing, the West Coast thing, his ability to expedite the process on the front end, and the references we spoke with...

....helped push us towards Adoption Avenues.




Update: I've recently heard some "less than stellar" (understatement, bigtime) things about Dove...which makes me happy we didn't choose them.

Many of the references we spoke with regarding Adoption Avenues are home with their children...and their children are healthy and well-adjusted. Although maybe not perfect, I do hope that our agency likewise allows us to graduate to 'international adoptive parent' of a healthy, well-adjusted, Ethiopian baby girl.

Note: I would have joined the yahoo group adoption agency research (earlier) so I would have access to more information regarding choosing an agency.

Also, it would have been way less stressful to know that I didn't have to choose a Placement Agency at the time I sent the I600A form. I would have taken a bit more time, I think, to choose an agency (or maybe I wouldn't have, I don't know).

Finally, the book I recommended would have been awesome to have at this stage in the game.