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BE A WISE BUYER
The first step to choosing a search professional is
to become informed as a wise buyer. While I
personally feel that a person with years of experience
in search and reunion is very important, I also feel
that choosing a searcher who is a member of the adoption
community (adoptee, birth parent, or adoptive parent) is
equally important. There are many professional
searchers who are well known in the adoption community
and have deep roots, through personal experience AND
years of professional experience, enabling them to
understand the complexity of search and reunion.
Remember, though, that search professionals are
providing services for a fee. You want the best
price from the most proficient and knowledgeable
searcher you can find. Research as much
information as possible about adoption searches,
reunions, and the post-reunion process.
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DON'T HESITATE TO ASK IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
Is the search professional or search agency
physically located in the state where the adoptee was
born or are they thousands of miles away.
Does the search professional or search agency
specialize in adoption searches in the state of birth of
the adoptee, or will they claim to have access to
several states or all the states as in a "one size fits
all" policy?
What are their fees? Search fees and services
vary widely on the Internet. Some searchers charge
$300 and others as much as $3000 or more. Ask
about up-front fees and their "no find
– no fee" policy. Payments required before any
services are provided should set off alarms. Many
people find out after paying a search fee up-front that
there is no refund policy for a search that cannot be
completed. It's wise to consider only firms that
require payment when the search is successfully
completed.
Ask if the professional
provides you with a
free and no-obligation search quote for successfully
completing your search. (Note: the quote
should never be open-ended. It should be a firm
cost for completing the search.) Ask if pre-search
and post-reunion consultations are included in the
search fee or if they are an extra charge.
Ask if the searcher will be available to you outside
normal business hours.
Ask about the average length of a search.
Ask for referrals and actually contact them.
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OTHER WAYS TO RESEARCH YOUR SEARCH PROFESSIONAL
CHOICE
Check the Internet by Googling their name.
Check the searcher's association with professional
organizations such as the Better Business Bureau, local
and national post-adoption organizations, and local or
national genealogical groups.
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AFTER YOU HIRE A SEARCHER
Once you have hired a searcher who is right for you,
listen to them! Their experience is what you are
paying them for. They may ask you to request
additional information from sources that they will
provide to you. The road to a successful search
may be delayed slightly by your need to get adequate
information to the searcher. But, you owe it to
yourself to take every reasonable precaution that the
person who will be found is the person you are
biologically related to, based on all available
information. An adoptee can do this by requesting
information about birth relatives from the adoption
agency or the state. A birth relative should
provide information about gender, date of birth, place
of birth, and any names associated with the birth.
Don't hesitate to contact your searcher as often as
needed during your search. Contact indicates your
ongoing interest and need to know.
Finally, stay positive and know that your search is
being handled confidentially and professionally because
you made a careful and thoughtful choice!