I have said time and time again on this blog that it is essential for prospective adoptive parents to do their research when it comes to choosing an adoption program and an adoption agency.

Today I am going to give some advice on how prospective adoptive parents can research their options, and can move forward with their adoption with the confidence and peace of mind that they have chosen the right program for their family and an ethical agency to work with, and are adopting a child that is a true orphan and is really in need of a new family.

First off, prospective adoptive parents need to decide if they want to adopt domestically or internationally. You can follow the links in the previous sentence to get detailed information on the risks, issues and benefits of both types of adoption, and a general idea of the processes involved.

At this point it is a good idea for adoptive parents to call several agencies and get a feel for what is involved with domestic adoption and with international adoption. It is likely that one type of adoption or another will just feel right to you. It is also important that adoptive parents are honest with themselves about what age/gender/race/special needs they are hoping for or open to.

If you decide to adopt domestically, the next step is to choose an agency. If you choose to adopt internationally, then I recommend deciding what country you want to adopt from and then choosing an agency with a great program in that country.

To choose a country to adopt from, adoptive parents need to look into the individual requirements, restrictions, processes and fees that each country has. Some countries have age restrictions on adoptive parents, some parents have lengthy travel requirements that would be difficult for many families, some have much higher fees than others, some will only work with smaller families, etc.

The best place I have found to find specific information on different country requirements is here, on the Adoption Internationally Country Requirements page on Rainbowkids.com. This page also has many other resources for further looking into specific countries to adopt from.

Once you have narrowed it down to one or two countries you are interested in, it is a good idea to talk to other adoptive parents. While things make look a certain way on paper (or on a webpage), talking with other adoptive parents really gives you an idea of what to expect, how the program is moving, what problems may be arising and what things are really like. Some great ways to connect with other adoptive parents are through adoption forums and adoption email groups.

I have written much on how to choose the right adoption agency; questions to ask, things to look for, things to look out for, etc. You can find all of those posts here.

For parents researching agencies, you can also check with the Joint Council on International Children's Services, your local Better Business Bureau, and here is a great Yahoo group dedicated to researching international adoption agencies.

Using the above tools and resources, adoptive parents can make informed decisions regarding the adoption program and agency they adopt through. Making these decisions quickly or based on little information can often result in heart ache, loss of money and supporting unethical agencies/individuals. Making these decisions after putting in appropriate research doesn't guarantee that everything will go smoothly, but it does guarantee that you have done your part to support ethical adoptions and to find the best adoption path for your family and your future child.