Hague Convention Country Adoption: Services provided by agencies...

The Hague Convention on International Adoption has had great impact in terms of International adoption rules and regulations.  One area that the convention has greatly impacted is the services that are provided by international adoption agencies.

Agencies accredited to place children from Convention countries provide six specific services necessary for successful adoption.  These are:

1. Identifying a child and arranging an adoption.
2. Securing consent to termination of parental rights (if necessary).
3. Conducing a home study of the prospective family and a background study of the child- this service may be contracted out but an accredited agency must serve as supervisor and review and approve the final product.
4. Making a nonjudicial judgment of the appropriateness of a placement
5. Monitoring a case until final adoption
6. Assuming custody of the child if the placement is disrupted before final adoption

For non-Hague convention countries the agencies and service providers vary widely in the services that are offered.  In some cases you should be prepared to do much of the research yourself to ensure that everything is done in compliance with the country’s specific requirements.  In other cases a sister agency is contracted to ensure that these requirements are met.  Especially when adopting from non-Hague convention countries, it is important to have everything in writing and to do all your homework so you know what to expect.