Paid Adoption Facilitators
Paid adoption facilitators are not licensed by a state regulatory agency to make child placements. Typically, they are people who rely primarily on Internet web sites and toll free telephone numbers to enroll birth parent(s) and adoptive parents in their programs. Paid facilitators rely primarily on agreements with local attorneys for filing the adoption petitions in court and local social workers to conduct home studies. Paid facilitator’s fees can range from $4,000 to $15,000 (in addition to other adoption expenses) with little personal contact with the birth parent(s) or adoptive parents and no accountability. In some states, paid facilitators are operating illegally and, consequently, the adoption may be at risk for the court not approving the adoption, or for denial of placement across state lines by the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC). Facilitators are not licensed to conduct domestic adoption activities in Arkansas. The American Academy of Adoption Attorneys has prepared a FAQ regarding paid facilitators.