Adoption With or Without an Agency: What’s Best for Me?
When you choose to complete an adoption in Iowa, you have two paths to consider: an agency-assisted adoption and an independent, private adoption. Which path you pursue will depend upon your personal adoption goals and preferences and what kind of professional assistance you desire along the way.
Adoption is certainly a possibility whichever route you choose, and attorney Ken Nelson can provide legal assistance to clients who choose either adoption process. Both are successful ways of bringing a child into a family but come with varying degrees of personal responsibility, costs and provided services.
Ken Nelson is always available to discuss how an agency-assisted adoption and an adoption without an agency can be completed with his legal guidance. He can also discuss your personal adoption goals and help you determine which path is best for your family. Contact him today to learn more about adoption in Iowa.
As you decide between agency-assisted and independent adoption in Iowa, there are few things to consider:
The Difference Between Agency Adoption and Private Adoption
In general, the largest difference between agency adoption and independent adoption is one that affects the rest of each adoption process. Just as the names suggest, one adoption process involves the use of an adoption agency, while the other (independent adoption) does not.
An adoption agency is an adoption professional that provides most (if not all) of the services needed to complete an adoption process. Adoptive parents who work with an adoption agency will have the guidance of an experienced professional through every step of the process, while those who complete a private independent adoption may need to complete some of those services on their own or outsource them to additional professionals.
Whether you complete an adoption with or an adoption without an agency, your choice will influence several aspects of your adoption journey, like:
Finding an Adoption Opportunity
One of the main services that adoption agencies offer is the ability to match prospective adoptive parents with the perfect adoption opportunity, whether that’s a prospective birth mother or a child waiting to be adopted. Adoption agencies often have large advertising outreaches, which usually makes for a shorter wait time and takes pressure off of adoptive parents to do the searching themselves. With an agency, adoption opportunities are always screened before being presented to parents and are only presented if they match the adoptive parents’ desires.
In an independent adoption, however, adoptive parents are responsible for finding the appropriate adoption opportunity for themselves. This can be an involved and tricky process, especially when adoptive parents are looking for adoption opportunities online and are subject to adoption fraud from unscreened matches. Finding a match independently can often result in a longer wait time.
If you wondering how to find a baby to adopt without an agency, attorney Ken Nelson can explain how the process works with his firm. He will retain your adoptive family profile on file and present it to any prospective birth mothers who approach him.
If you instead wish to find a match with an adoption agency, Ken can also refer you to appropriate local professionals.
The Costs of Adoption
As mentioned, an adoption agency will provide almost all of the services necessary to complete your Iowa adoption. Usually, these professionals will charge a flat agency fee that covers all of these services, and they will detail any additional costs you may expect.
In a private independent adoption, however, the costs are varied and are often broken down into payments for several different professionals. Adoptive parents who complete an adoption without an agency can typically expect to pay a home study provider, the birth mother’s living expenses, both the birth mother’s and their own attorney fees, counseling fees and more.
Whichever adoption path you choose, make sure you fully understand the costs of your adoption before committing to a certain professional.
Counseling and Case Management
Adoption can be a difficult and stressful journey for adoptive parents. There are many screenings and several different steps of the process they have to undergo before they can finally bring home the child they have always wanted. When you complete a domestic private adoption of an infant, your prospective birth mother is also going through the same process.
An adoption agency can typically provide trained counselors for both adoptive families and prospective birth parents, guiding them through the practical and emotional difficulties of this journey. When you complete an agency-assisted adoption, you have the reassurance of this counseling and case management.
However, in the private adoption process, adoptive parents are responsible for managing their own adoption case and providing counseling to a prospective birth mother. Prospective parents who want that kind of hands-on experience with their own adoption will likely thrive in an independent adoption. Those who will become overwhelmed by that responsibility will likely have a negative private adoption experience.
If you are looking for someone to professionally guide you through every step of the adoption process, an adoption agency may be the best professional to work with from the beginning.
Why An Adoption Lawyer is Necessary in Both Processes
While an agency-assisted adoption provides almost all of the adoption services a prospective adoptive family needs, the services of an adoption lawyer are not always included with an agency. Only an adoption lawyer can complete all of the legal steps necessary in an adoption, and those completing both agency-assisted and private independent adoptions in Iowa will need the legal guidance of an experienced adoption attorney like Ken Nelson.
Ken frequently works with clients who complete both agency-assisted and independent adoptions in Iowa. When you contact his offices, he can explain the services he will offer for your particular adoption situation, as well as provide any referrals to local adoption professionals that you may need. He can also answer whatever questions you may have as you are deciding which adoption process is right for you.
To start your adoption in Iowa today, please contact the Nelson Law Firm.