ARE YOU A LICENSED CHILD PLACING AGENCY?
No, we are a consulting service that networks hopeful adopting parents with licensed agencies and attorneys across the US. We never work with expecting parents.
DO YOU WORK WITH ADOPTIVE FAMILIES FROM ALL 50 STATES?
We work with all adoptive families in the US except for families in New York and New Jersey.
DO YOU REQUIRE A STATEMENT OF FAITH OR A LETTER FROM A PASTOR?
No, while we are a Christian based adoption consulting company, we work with all types of families as God has called us to love everyone.
WE ALREADY HAVE A HOME STUDY, WILL YOU STILL WORK WITH US?
Yes, we work with families no matter if you've just begun the adoption process or if you've been waiting a while and want to broaden your outreach.
HOW MUCH DOES ADOPTION TYPICALLY COST?
We typically see situations from $35,000-$50,000, with most between $35,000-$45,000. These fees typically cover agency fees, legal fees, counseling, expecting mother expenses, review of your home study, administration services, the ICPC process, and finalization. If you plan to start the adoption process within the next year or two, we recommend you begin working on gathering adoption funds now.
WHAT IS A TYPICAL WAIT TIME?
Your wait time can depend on a variety of things such as your preferences, your adoption budget, as well as how committed you are to following JAC's multi-agency plan. It is our hope that our families match within our eighteen-month contract period. Typically, with adoption, a family can wait anywhere from several months up to three years.
CAN WE HAVE PREFERENCES?
We ask all JAC clients to be as open as possible with your preferences. We believe that all children matter and it’s important to us that every child is placed in a loving home, no matter their background. Your adoption wait could be significantly longer without some form of open preferences. We require all families who are open to transracial adoption take transracial adoption classes before they become an active family. We do not work with families who are gender-specific or only want a closed adoption.
HOW DO I KNOW MY MATCH WON'T FAIL?
When you choose to adopt you are taking a leap of faith, and sometimes that means experiencing less than ideal circumstances. However, our goal is to make the adoption process less stressful. Most of the entities that we work with are located in states with short revocation periods; thus, reducing your chance of a financial loss and heartache.
DO YOU OFFER FINANCIAL GUIDANCE ON HOW TO AFFORD ADOPTION?
Yes, as adoptive parents ourselves we understand first-hand the financial strain adoption can take. Part of our services include different ways to save for your adoption. These include grant options, different fundraiser ideas, adoption tax credit information, private loan information, and more!
WHERE CAN WE EXPECT TO TRAVEL TO FOR PLACEMENT?
Working with JAC means you could ultimately take placement of a baby anywhere in the US. You should be prepared to travel and stay in that state for at least three weeks, sometimes less, sometimes more depending on your adoption process and ICPC.
WHAT IS ICPC?
ICPC stands for the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children and is a mandatory requirement in all 50 states. When a child is born in one state, but placed with a family who resides in a different state, ICPC must be granted for the family to return home. This process typically takes anywhere from 10-15 business days to approve a family to travel home.
WHAT IS A PROFILE BOOK?
An adoption profile book is a book that you create to show an expecting mother what your everyday life looks like. It's a way for an expecting mother to see what it would be like if her child were to join your family. It is a very important aspect to your adoption and shouldn't be taken lightly. Think about it, it's the ONLY way a mother who is considering adoption will be able to learn about your family! At JAC, we will walk you through how to create your profile book to meet the specific requirements of the entities we work with. We also provide the option of using our professional graphic designer, Little Ampersand Co., to help design your profile book which also includes ten professionally printed soft cover books and a high resolution PDF.
HOW CAN I BECOME A CLIENT OF JAC?
Your first step is to send an email to info@journeyadoptionconsultants.com and we will send you more information about our process. If you still have questions, you can schedule a free consultation call. When you are ready, we will then send you our online application to complete. Once you've completed the application, we will then review your application and upon approval of your application, you will then pay our contract fee. (Please note that we only process applications once a week.) Once we receive your payment you will receive your welcome email and your first steps. At this point, you will then begin working on your home study and your profile book*. Once your home study and profile book are complete you will then become an active client and will start to receive situations as they come in.
*If you already have an approved home study and/or profile book, no worries, we can still work with you!