FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

---

ARE YOU A LICENSED CHILD-PLACING AGENCY? 

Journey Adoption Consultants, LLC is not an adoption agency, adoption facilitator, or adoption intermediary. We do not work with birth mothers or birth families, nor do we place children for adoption. We strictly only work with hopeful adoptive 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. 

WHAT IS A TYPICAL WAIT TIME? 

Your wait time can depend on a variety of things such as preferences and budget. Typically, with adoption, a family can wait anywhere from a few months to a couple of years.

CAN WE HAVE PREFERENCES? 

Yes, however, we ask all JAC clients to be as open as possible with your preferences. When thinking about your possible wait time to adopt, preferences will be the number one determining factor. Your adoption wait could be significantly longer without open preferences. We do not work with families who want a closed adoption. 

WHAT IS AN ADOPTION RELATIONSHIP?

 An adoption relationship means what kind of contact birth parents, adoptive parents, and the adoptee will have with each other after placement has happened. In adoption, you’ll hear these relationships referred to as open, semi-open, and closed adoptions, with the most common relationship being open. 

HOW MUCH DOES ADOPTION TYPICALLY COST? 

We typically see situations from $50,000-$65,000, with the average around $55,000 to $60,000. These fees typically cover agency fees, legal fees, counseling, expecting mother expenses, review of your home study, administration services, the ICPC process, and finalization.

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 but do not believe it should stand in your way. We provide our families with information on how to bridge the financial gap to fund their adoption. 

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 created to show an expecting mother what your everyday life looks like. It gives her the opportunity to picture what it would be like if her child were to join your family. 

CAN I SPEAK TO SOMEONE BEFORE FILLING OUT AN APPLICATION?

Absolutely! We encourage everyone who is interested in our services to book a free 30-minute phone consultation with one of our consultants. This phone call will be used to answer questions you have about JAC as well as a good way for JAC to see if we are able to fulfill your adoption needs. To book a free phone consultation, please see our calendar here.