In this installment of our series, we’ll be looking at other domestic adoption options available to LDS families.

The first, and that most like the type of adoption facilitated by LDS Family Services, is Agency Adoption, or private adoption. In an agency adoption, a couple contracts with an adoption agency of their choosing to provide a package of services necessary for the adoption of a child. These services can include completion of a homestudy (although this can also be accomplished through the use of a homestudy agency or cooperating adoption agency), pre-adoptive and parenting education, birthparent counseling, child placement, and post-placement services.

In a forthcoming post, I’ll offer specific suggestions about how to find a domestic adoption agency, but it’s important to note here that while much of the adoption process is similar to that of LDSFS, there are many more variables to consider when using an adoption agency.

First, be aware that fees vary widely depending on the type of child you hope to adopt. While the majority (but certainly not all!) of babies placed through LDSFS are Caucasian, your options open up considerably when adopting through another agency. Most allow you to specify a racial background, and in many cases, gender, but you must be aware that these choices can have a direct impact on wait times and expenses. As a mother of beautiful children of various races, it pains me to know that the unspoken rule is “the darker the skin, the less expensive the adoption,” but that’s the general reality. Many agencies have separate African American and/or Latino infant adoption programs, and wait times and costs as substantially smaller. Knowing ahead of time what racial backgrounds you’re “open to,” (another phrase that makes me cringe a bit) will help you weigh your agency options.

Second, realize that agencies search for families meeting the first parents’ stated criteria, and the level of “openness” the adoptive parents desire and how it meshes with the birthparents’ desires is one such criterion. As mentioned in the last installment, placements made through LDSFS are generally moving in the direction of more openness compared with times past, but compared with other private adoption agencies, most placements are more on the “closed/semi-open” end of the spectrum. Couples using other agencies should be prepared for everything from birthparents who want a completely closed adoption to those who want letters, pictures, phone contact and even regular visits.

A third consideration is that adoptions outside LDSFS don’t typically have fixed costs. Generally speaking, the “set” costs are agency fees (consisting of application fee, homestudy preparation or review fee, post-placement fees, and sometimes, medical/psychological testing costs). While other costs can be estimated by the agency, attorney/legal costs, advertising fees, and birthparent expenses (legal, living expenses, and medical costs) are typically open-ended. (Note that adoptive families’ medical insurance often covers costs associated with the birth of the baby). Most agencies allow and encourage families to create a budget cap for themselves before getting started, which means that they don’t present couples with situations that have the potential to exceed their budget, but families must also be prepared for the unexpected. Most adoption professionals encourage adoptive families to count on the adoption costing more than expected. Agency adoptions can run from $10,000 to over $30,000, depending on the type of child adopted and the complexity of the case.

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