Older Child Adoption

Using an adoption agency for a Russian adoption is no longer a family’s only option. Since the changes in 2000, many families have opted to adopt independently using their own facilitator and applying directly to the region’s Department of Education and the federal Ministry of Education. However, adopting independently from Russia is not all that easy and for most families, the agency route works best for them. in 1996) spread across a country twice the size of the United States. Therefore, it should not come as any surprise that the way agencies operate differs from region to region and home to home.

Some agencies share the same Russian personnel. For example, families might use the same drivers, translators and facilitator, but belong to different US agencies. To add to the confusion, the fees charged these families for these same services might all be different. This scenario seems to occur more often around Moscow, where agencies appear to face more control from official or unofficial authorities.

It is important that your agency be on good terms with the regional Department of Education inspector. She is the social worker liaison between the children’s home and the regional offices. She also attends court and will

Agency or Independent testify regarding your meeting with your child and possibly your dossier documents. She may help track down a missing document or signature. Since everything in life is based on relationships, it should come as no surprise that the better the relationship your agency has with the children’s home director and the regional Department of Education personnel, the smoother things will go for you. Cultivation of this relationship can be as simple as giving small gifts, to paying for a trip to the United States to see how the adopted children are doing, to something a little larger.

You should interview Russian adoption agencies just like interviewing for a pediatrician or a home study agency. Although you may feel intimidated, remember that they work for you. Your agency should give you references of families who have adopted and who have agreed to be references. They should (but not all do) include some families that have not had a great experience. All agencies, no matter how wonderful, will have situations that did not turn out where everyone is happy. It may have been just one of those things, or something beyond the agency’s control, or the agency may have dropped the ball. But you are entitled to hear it all before making your choice. After all, this is your life and family you are talking about. Remember that you should never have to pay an agency anything but a small registration fee before reviewing their contract and set of program fees.