Adoptions With Love Blog

Agency Adoption vs. Identified Adoption

Many mothers that are considering adoption believe that an identified adoption is the only way that they are truly able to choose a family for their baby. This is not the case. When working with a private, licensed adoption agency like Adoptions With Love, expectant parents like you are in the driver’s seat. Your adoption plan is one hundred percent your own, and only you can make the best choice for you and your baby. As an agency, our mission is to help you choose a family that is well equipped, fully able and completely prepared to raise your child. Adoptions With Love works with prospective adoptive families that are waiting to lovingly adopt.

When you are exploring the positive choice to place your baby for adoption, you will have to decide how you would like to design your adoption plan. As an expectant/birth mother, you have choices. In many states, you have the option to find a family for your baby independently, and go through the adoption process on your own without any further guidance or assistance. You also have the option to work alongside licensed and experienced professionals at an adoption agency to find the perfect home for your baby. Through a private agency like Adoptions With Love, an entire team of compassionate adoption experts will support you as you select a family for your baby and navigate the entire process together. No matter which path you choose, know that there will be many loving families wanting and waiting to adopt your child. Before you make this decision, consider how each plan will affect you and which will be best for your baby in the long run.

An identified adoption is typically arranged directly by expectant/birth parents and prospective adoptive parents. Expectant families are often attracted to an identified adoption because it appears to be a quick, flexible alternative to working with an adoption agency.  Many choose this method because they want complete control over their adoption plan.

The majority of these identified adoption searches begin on the Internet. Couples looking to adopt a baby often place online advertisements, post in online databases, or create their own websites marketing themselves to expectant/birth parents. Expectant/birth parents can similarly use online resources to find prospective adoptive families. Some simply “google” families for their babies, but may not be aware of the potential dangers of this online search.

If you are considering an identified adoption, take precautions. What waiting adoptive families say about themselves on the Internet is not always true. There is really no way to verify the accuracy of the information they provide in their profiles. Most online services do not validate or meet with these families at all before the adoption takes place.

Before going ahead and choosing a family on your own, ask yourself how comfortable you are entrusting your baby to a family that may not have been verified or screened.  While there are laws that regulate all adoptions, they are not always followed. Adoption laws are in place to protect everyone involved in an adoption plan and to keep the child in a safe and secure environment. There is a process of receiving approval from the government, and a home study must be performed to verify that an adoptive family is emotionally, physically and financially prepared to adopt a baby.  Background criminal checks and child abuse checks are completed and reviews of the family’s medical and financial history are conducted by social workers before a family is approved to adopt a child. The problem is that many of the people adopting independently do not follow these laws, and therefore put the entire adoption in jeopardy. For this reason, identified adoptions are illegal in some states. For state-specific information regarding your local adoption laws, call Adoptions With Love today.

In some cases, “facilitators” will advertise their services to assist in these sort of identified arrangements. These facilitators could be compared to online dating services. For a seemingly small fee, they will connect expectant/birth parents with potential adoptive families and—that is it. They do not offer further counseling or emotional support for any of the parties involved in the adoption. They will not be there for you in the future, should you have questions or need to talk to someone.

Adoption is a life-changing decision. As an expectant mother, you should be fully informed of all your options, and all non-biased details of the adoption process so that you can make the best decision for you and your baby. Waiting families or online facilitators may try to pressure you into a quick decision, while a reputable, experienced private adoption agency will offer you guidance and support all the way through the adoption process. With Adoptions With Love, there is time to make a decision, every part of the process will be legal, and the choice will be yours.

At Adoptions With Love, your wishes will always be a priority. Our goal is to find the best family for your baby, and to make your perfect adoption plan come to life. Call 1-800-722-7731 or text us confidentially at 1-617-777-0072 to get started today.