International Adoption plan hints
Well, you’ve decided to adopt a child and are planning for an international adoption. Wonderful, what an exciting and challenging time you have ahead. Before you actually sign any contracts, however, you need to ensure your success by choosing just the right International adoption agency. There are hundreds upon hundreds of adoption services out there, so where should you turn? Here are two important tips to ensure you don’t get scammed.
- Hague Accredited. With several national and international adoption frauds recently being reported in the news, make sure you get the right start by choosing a Hague Accredited international adoption agency. The Hague convention establishes rules to prevent abduction, sale of or traffic in children and works for the best interests of the child. A Hague accredited international adoption agency has been approved and recognized by the US government as meeting specific criteria about children, placement, costs, and uniform standards of ethics and professionalism.
- Profit vs. non-profit. A for-profit adoption agency is there to make money–a profit to meet their expenses, provide salaries for staff and at the end of the year to allow owners to receive dividends. This isn’t a bad thing; it’s just one way of doing business. A non-profit organization is required to meet certain federal management guidelines as outlined in their 501(c)(3) charter. Usually non-profit organizations have programs where they are actively engaged in humanitarian work in addition to watching out for the needs of the children they serve.
Here’s hoping your will research even more information about international adoption agencies and how they handle adoptions before you begin your adoption process.
Good luck,
Susan