Who Are All These People?

Your Guide to Who's Who During Adoption

By Teri Brown

The adoption process can be a long and confusing one. There are many types of adoption: international, domestic or through the foster care system, to name just a few. Each has its own set of rules and policies, as well as a vast array of officials to carry out those regulations.

Anita Lavine from Seattle, Wash., adopted a baby girl from China. Lavine believes the confusion of wading through all the red tape can be decreased if you use a reputable agency. "Our agency prepared us in advance for most of the things that were going to happen and the people we would encounter," she says. "We had a Chinese guide/attorney that traveled with us to all the meetings and translated for us. It would have been pretty confusing and much more nerve-racking if he had not been there, as we really did meet with quite a few officials and nobody spoke much English at all. He told us the purpose for each document, who we would be meeting with and what was expected of us."

George Adams is a regional manager of foster care and family services for KidsPeace, a 125-year-old national children's crisis charity. He says entering into the adoption process for the first time can be very challenging due in part to the very different types of adoption available.

"Regulatory and legal requirements can vary considerably from state to state, and even from county to county," he says. "However, reputable agencies will always have trained, knowledgeable staff who can help families negotiate these challenges. Families should be knowledgeable consumers in entering the process by carefully checking out different agencies. Asking for an opportunity to talk to a family who has completed an adoption with the agency is always a good idea."

Because there are so many different people involved in an adoption, the adopting party, whether a couple or a single person, is assigned an adoption worker, familiar with all aspects of the process. They will be able to guide you through the process and let you know what each person's function is as they are introduced.

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