Comparing Services
The term open adoption means different things to different people. At Open Adoption & Family Services (OA&FS), open adoption means you will have an ongoing relationship with your child and the adoptive family. There are aso differences in the type and level of service you will receive when placing a child for adoption independently, through an adoption attorney or with the support of an adoption agency.
What You Need to Know
When you are comparing agencies or adoption attorneys, be sure to find answers to the following important questions:
| OA&FS: | Other Agency: | Attorney: | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will I have a large pool of qualified families (45 to 75) to choose from? | Yes | ||
| Can I look at all available families rather than only a few pre-selected families? | Yes | ||
| Can I read the adoptive parents’ homestudies? | Yes | ||
| Will there be a legally enforceable open adoption agreement that outlines the number of ongoing visits and/or contact? | Yes | ||
| What is the average number of visits per year? | 3 to 4 | ||
| Are the visits supervised by the agency/attorney? | No | ||
| Will the visits continue until the child is an adult? | Yes | ||
| Do the adoptive parents genuinely want a lifelong relationship with me that includes ongoing visits? | Yes | ||
| Am I the deciding voice in all the details of my adoption? | Yes | ||
| If I’ve already found an adoptive family, can you work with us? | Yes | ||
| Is free counseling and support available for the life of my adoption? | Yes | ||
| How many open adoptions with lifelong visits have you successfully completed? | Over 1,200 | ||
| How long have you been providing fully open adoption services? | Since 1985 | ||
| Do you have Spanish speaking counselors? | Yes | ||
| Do you have materials in Spanish? | Yes | ||
| Do you have offices throughout Oregon and Washington? | Yes |