What to ask an agency or attorney

Remember, education is your most valuable tool. These are some of the questions that families tend to ask. This is not a complete list, there is never a complete list of what you should know. Use your best judgment and add and take away items as the need fits. Your instincts will actually guide you to the right people to work with more than anything else. Also, remember that Families Like Ours is always here to help.

• Itemized list of costs
• Schedule of all parts of process
• How long placements have been taking in last year or so
• Is there anything that can hurt chances
• Is there anything that can help chances
• What is the home study process
• How long does the home study process take
• Have you worked with other families that look like us (same sex, bi-racial, etc)?
• What do you expect from us and what should we expect from you?
• Have there been problems with others in this county/state with placing children with our family structure?
• Have there been problems with adoption finalization in the courts with families that look like us?
• How often does your agency do home visits while we are waiting for finalization?
• We are planning to adopt from the foster system, are you licensed for those types of placements?
• What would you say are the types of issues we can expect from kids we would be considered for?
• Do you have a sliding scale for payment?
• When are the entire fees due?
• Can you help with negotiating our adoption subsidy agreement with the state (only if adopting a foster child)?
• Do you have income requirements we need to meet?
• What type of post-placement and post-finalization programs do you offer?