Ethical Adoption Agencies

Ethical adoption agencies are ones who...

1. Value expectant mothers for the people they are not just for the baby inside them.

When a woman finds herself pregnant and is considering adoption, an agency who is ethical will explain all of the options. A counselor should be offered and available to assess needs and talk through the emotions of an unplanned pregnancy. Often times an unplanned pregnancy is one where the expectant mother does not have stable housing, income, and/or is battling an addiction. These needs all fall under "expectant mother expenses" to assist with finding an apartment, providing food, and adequate health care. The expectant mother should be offered with separate legal representation to ensure that she understands her rights. If the expectant mother chooses adoption, post-placement counseling should be offered to allow for her to process all the emotions and be available free of charge. If the expectant mother chooses to parent, community services should be offered and full support given instead of being frowned upon. 

How a consultant can help: CAC only recommends agencies who prioritize expectant mothers and their care. 

2. View biological fathers as a vital part of the adoption process.

In the best case scenarios, agencies do all they can to not only identify the biological father and explain to him his rights plus what actions need to be taken if he does not consent (except for in extreme circumstances). It's very possible in an unplanned pregnancy that the expectant mother may not know the name of the biological father. However, the agency needs to take steps to at least identify who he is and communicate with him about the possible child he may have. I can speak to this personally that this will also benefit the adoptee to know at the very least the name of their biological father, if at all possible.

How a consultant can help: As part of CAC services, consultants help with assessing risk. We will equip you with questions to ask and help you assess if an unknown biological father is an increased risk for that particular situation. 

3. Have open communication with hopeful adoptive parents that is both honest and done in a timely manner. 

Before sending a situation of an expectant mother, the agency will have a thorough history written up and sent to the hopeful adoptive parents with identifying information of the expectant mother redacted. Within the history there are most often medical, criminal, and social information, as well as a report from an OB appointment if the expectant mother has seen one. If the expectant mother has not seen an OB, then that is often noted and if the expectant mother is open to it in the near future. 

Along with these histories, there is a breakdown of the fees including legal fees, living expenses, and social services. If this is not given in the beginning, the hopeful adoptive parents can ask for a breakdown and an ethical agency will be able to give that to them in a timely manner. 

How a consultant can help: CAC can assist with communication with the agency if you are having trouble getting questions answered. 


Are you feeling overwhelmed? I know this can seem so daunting! How are hopeful adoptive parents suppose to complete all the paperwork and maneuver through the steps while also ensuring the agencies are being ethical? This is where an adoption consultant can be extremely helpful! At Christian Adoption Consultants we carefully vet agencies to make sure they are ethical. The only agencies that make it to our list are the ones that we have carefully researched and who have proven to be ethical over a long period of time.

+ If you are interested in learning more about adoption and the services we provide at Christian Adoption Consultants, I would love to chat! Feel free to email me at meg@christianadoptionconsultant.com. +