Choosing an Adoption Professional
“Which adoption professional is right for me?” Answering that question is one of the first and most important decisions to be made in the adoption process, and it can feel kind of overwhelming. We are here to help prospective adoptive parents understand the legal requirements, what to look for and what to avoid, and how to decide which agency or attorney to select.
The Adoptive Parent's Guide to Choosing an Adoption Professional
Find an Agency or Attorney
Search NCFA's Member Directory to find an adoption professional to assist you with a range of services including homestudies, placement services, expectant parent counseling, birthparent support, legal services, search and reunion guidance, post adoption support, and much more.
Pursuing International Adoption? Agency requirements are different than domestic adoptions. Before searching the Directory, learn more by clicking here.
Searching for an international adoption agency?
It is important to understand that you will need both a home study/post placement agency and a placing agency. Sometimes it works out that one agency can provide both, but in many international adoption cases, families need to work with two agencies.
First, you will need a Hague accredited agency for placement services. This agency may be located in any state. Therefore, you do not have to use the "State of Operation" field when looking for an agency for these services. Instead you can simply search by "Country Program" and the "Hague accredited" filter.
Second, you will need an agency licensed in your state of residence for the home study and post placement services portion of the adoption process. Using the search above, select your state of residence in the "State of Operation" field. Then select "Homestudy-International Adoption" in the "Type of Service" field. This will give you a list of any NCFA member agencies licensed for those services in your state.
Example: Dave and Rhonda live in California and want to adopt from Bulgaria. They should select California from the "State of Operation" dropdown and "Homestudy-International Adoption" from the "Type of Service" dropdown to find a list of agencies in California that can provide homestudy and post placement services. Then, they should do a separate search for a placing agency. They should choose "Bulgaria" from the Country Program dropdown and select the "Hague accredited" checkbox. They should not make a selection under "State of Operation." This will give them a list of NCFA member agencies anywhere in the U.S. who can provide placement services from Bulgaria.
