How to Choose an Adoption Agency in Kansas [Questions to Ask]

Few decisions made by prospective adoptive parents are more important to the adoption journey than the choice of an adoption professional. The adoption agency you select will play a significant role in your experience and your satisfaction with the adoption process.

Knowing how to choose an adoption agency in Kansas is critical; therefore, you’ll need good information to make the right decision and knowing what questions to ask an adoption agency in Kansas can prepare you to make the best choice for your situation.

At American Adoptions, we can help by providing the services and support you deserve. You can speak to one of our adoption specialists about what questions to ask an adoption agency in KS free of charge and with no obligation. Simply call 1-800-ADOPTION or fill out our free online form today to connect.

For now, please keep reading below, as we’ve listed five steps for finding the right adoption agency for you and included a few questions to ask adoption agencies in KS that you can use to guide your agency choice. 

How to Choose an Adoption Agency in Kansas [5 Steps]

Learning how to find an adoption agency in Kansas begins with understanding the steps that go into this important decision. Every adoption situation is different, and every hopeful adoptive family has its own priorities and concerns. However, most families seeking to adopt will go through these 5 steps when selecting an adoption agency.

Step 1: Choose the Type of Adoption You Want

Determining how to choose an adoption agency in KS begins with deciding which type of adoption you want to pursue. For families opting for domestic infant adoption, a local or national private domestic adoption agency will be the top choice. But, there are certain pros and cons of both local and national agencies to bear in mind. If you’re pursuing international adoption, you’ll work with a Hague-accredited international adoption agency, for example.

Step 2: Research Agencies That Handle Your Type of Adoption

After deciding which type of adoption you’re pursuing, the next step in how to find an adoption agency in KS is to narrow the field by researching those agencies. A good place to start is to sift through information online, including the websites of various agencies and their online reviews posted by people who have used them before.

Step 3: Contact Agencies and Ask Questions

Most agencies will have a wealth of information available online. But for a decision this important, you’ll need to speak with a professional and be ready with questions to ask adoption agency staff. After selecting your top agencies, contact them and ask as many questions as you want so you’ll know whether the agency is a good fit for you.

Step 4: Choose Your Adoption Agency

You alone get to decide what agency will best suit your needs. After doing your research and posing plenty of questions to ask adoption agencies in KS, it’s time to make your choice. Based on the type of adoption you’re pursuing and your research, you can move forward by picking an adoption agency that meets your specific needs and preferences.

Step 5: Start the Adoption Process

After learning how to find an adoption agency in Kansas, you can move on to beginning the adoption process. It’s an exciting step, but it also may bring some unforeseen stresses. Fortunately, with the help of the adoption agency you’ve chosen, you’ll have the guidance and support you need to navigate the process.

Important Questions to Ask Adoption Agencies in Kansas

We’ve identified the steps in the process, but now we want to focus more on a few specific questions to ask adoption agencies in Kansas in Step 3 above. These questions are meant to highlight specific qualities and services offered by the agencies you’re considering, and the answers can help you decide which agency is truly best for you.

When contacting prospective agencies with these questions to ask adoption agencies in KS, you should consider the answers diligently. You’re looking for qualities such as:

• Transparency: An adoption agency should be honest and transparent about the cost of adoption and what that cost covers.
• Clarity: Some adoption agencies provide short wait time estimates but don’t offer any verification or documentation. Look for an agency that carefully tracks numbers and gives you accurate, clear answers.
• Professionalism: The best adoption agencies are fully licensed with staff members who are certified experts with degrees in social work or counseling.

Below are a few of the questions to ask adoption professionals in Kansas when seeking an agency that fits your circumstances.

• What’s the average wait time? Like some other questions to ask adoption agencies in KS, the answer will vary according to the type of agency you’re adopting from. However, it’s worth noting that large national adoption agencies like American Adoptions usually have shorter wait times because they work with more expectant birth mothers from all over the country.
• What adoption disruption protections do you offer? Adoption disruptions are difficult both emotionally and financially. However, the best agencies offer protection from the financial portion of disruption. For example, American Adoptions takes steps to prevent disruptions through birth mother counseling, and we offer a risk‐sharing program that provides a refund if adoption disruption occurs.
• How do you help prospective parents find a match? Adoption matches are usually the result of robust advertising and matching services, so it’s important to find out what agencies do to accomplish this step. Again, large national adoption agencies like American Adoptions have large advertising budgets that allow them to identify potential matches across the U.S.
• How much does the average adoption cost with your agency? One reason to pose these questions to ask adoption professionals is to find an adoption agency that’s honest and transparent about their costs. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with every agency. It’s especially important to be wary of agencies that charge recurring or hidden fees beyond the price you were initially quoted.
• Will the cost of my adoption rise due to additional fees? Some agencies advertise low costs to draw in hopeful adoptive families, but the cost isn’t inclusive of needed services (like 24/7 counseling for potential birth parents.) Others offer a “best-case-scenario” price that doesn’t account for adoption disruptions or legal complications. It’s important to research and compare the services you receive alongside the cost.
• How is your agency licensed? Working with a licensed agency is of the utmost importance in adoption. Licensing ensures your adoption will meet the legal and ethical standards in Kansas. You may even want to work with a national adoption agency like American Adoptions that is licensed in multiple states, so you’ll know they’re reviewed by several states each year and are held to a higher standard.
• Does your agency have standards above the state requirements for adoptive families? Some agencies have standards that exceed those imposed by the state. For example, some adoption agencies have age and marriage requirements for potential families that aren’t mandated by Kansas law. If you don’t meet the requirements of a particular agency, you can always ask if they make exceptions.

How to Find an Adoption Agency in Kansas [Look No Further than American Adoptions]

At American Adoptions, we pride ourselves on being the best in the business. Our compassionate, experienced professionals are dedicated to serving birth mothers, adoptive families, and adoptees throughout the process, and you can depend on our agency to provide ethical, professional service.

Here are a few of the benefits that American Adoptions can offer:

• Accurate wait time estimates: American Adoptions strives to provide prospective adoptive parents with shorter wait times by balancing the number of completed adoptions with the number of families we accept at one time.
• Shorter wait times: American Adoptions has a nationwide reach, which means we work with more expectant birth mothers than the average agency. We also aggressively promote our agency and the hopeful adoptive families we serve through a variety of advertising means.
• Fair, accurate cost estimates: With American Adoptions, you don’t have to worry about rising costs and additional fees if you don’t find an adoption match immediately. We offer cost estimates that are as accurate as possible, and you won’t incur burdensome and unpredictable additional fees during the adoption process.
• Full licensure: Our staff is fully licensed to complete adoptions and adoption home studies in Kansas, and our agency is reviewed annually to ensure compliance with adoption agency standards. And because we’re a national agency, we are held to a higher standard than local agencies because we are reviewed annually in all 50 states.

How to Find an Adoption Agency in Kansas [Final Thoughts]

Finding out how to choose an adoption agency in Kansas isn’t hard when you know what questions to ask adoption professionals. There’s also something to be said for trusting your intuition. If you feel comfortable with an agency and they can answer the questions above, you’re probably well on your way to starting your adoption journey.

To speak with someone about choosing the best adoption agency for your situation, simply call 1-800-ADOPTION or complete our free online form. We’d be happy to help whenever you’re ready to begin.

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