Post-Placement Negotiations
Sunday, April 8, 2007
One of the updated forms that our agency is requesting is a home study post-placement agreement letter. The letter has to be signed by the agency that is going to do the 4 post-placement visits after the child is home.
When we first started the our adoption (way back when), we decided that it would be easiest for our adoption agency to also do the home study and post-placements. We were required to pre-pay the post-placement reports so we paid $800 in March 2006 for this. I didn't really think it was right that we should have to pay for this before we had our child but whatever, we paid it and checked it off the list.
We discovered after our first home study visit (in December 2005) that the travel costs for our agency's social worker visit would be costing us $300+ (air, hotel, car rental, parking, etc.) since they do not have anyone locally to do the reports. We would have to pay these travel costs for each of the 4 post-placement visits too in addition to the $800 we had already paid for the reports.
When we had to update our home study, we were thrilled to find a social worker agency closer that could do the home study and only charge us $25 for travel costs. We decided that we wanted them to do our post-placement reports too so it would save on the travel costs. Their fee for the reports is $1500 (includes travel). We thought GREAT, we will get the $800 back and give to them and come out ahead paying another $700 and no travel costs. WRONG!
We were told that we could have the $800 back but it would have to be put up again as a refundable deposit before the final adoption to insure that the reports would be completed. They will refund $200 back to us each time one of the 4 reports are completed. They stated there have been past issues with families not doing their reports once they have their child and this is the only leverage they have to get them to do the reports.
This meant more money up front but it is still cost effective in the long run to not have to pay the travel costs (that will only be increasing over the years). In the end, we paid the $1500, left the $800 up as a deposit and our post-placement report agreement has been signed. Another item to check off the list!
When we first started the our adoption (way back when), we decided that it would be easiest for our adoption agency to also do the home study and post-placements. We were required to pre-pay the post-placement reports so we paid $800 in March 2006 for this. I didn't really think it was right that we should have to pay for this before we had our child but whatever, we paid it and checked it off the list.
We discovered after our first home study visit (in December 2005) that the travel costs for our agency's social worker visit would be costing us $300+ (air, hotel, car rental, parking, etc.) since they do not have anyone locally to do the reports. We would have to pay these travel costs for each of the 4 post-placement visits too in addition to the $800 we had already paid for the reports.
When we had to update our home study, we were thrilled to find a social worker agency closer that could do the home study and only charge us $25 for travel costs. We decided that we wanted them to do our post-placement reports too so it would save on the travel costs. Their fee for the reports is $1500 (includes travel). We thought GREAT, we will get the $800 back and give to them and come out ahead paying another $700 and no travel costs. WRONG!
We were told that we could have the $800 back but it would have to be put up again as a refundable deposit before the final adoption to insure that the reports would be completed. They will refund $200 back to us each time one of the 4 reports are completed. They stated there have been past issues with families not doing their reports once they have their child and this is the only leverage they have to get them to do the reports.
This meant more money up front but it is still cost effective in the long run to not have to pay the travel costs (that will only be increasing over the years). In the end, we paid the $1500, left the $800 up as a deposit and our post-placement report agreement has been signed. Another item to check off the list!
Labels: dossier
posted by Dede at 9:26 AM
5 Comments:
Our agency is out-of-state for us too. We were required to pay a $1000 post-placment deposit. We still have to pay our local SW to do our post-placement reports, then we will get the incremental refund of our deposit for each post placement study. If we lived in the state of our agengy that $1K would have been pre-payment for post-placements rather than a deposit.
PS: We have an appt with USCIS next week so let's see what they say about the $140 fingerprint charge. They returned my check to me (surprise!)and required us to come in person to meet with an immigration officer to get a referral for fingerprints. I don't know if they intend to charge us at that time or not. THe USCIS web-site says there is a charge, but several people have told me they did not pay.
gosh - it's one thing after another, huh!? glad to hear you got it taken care of, though!
kay b - glad to hear they returned your check to you! Let me know if they charge you when you go in.
Hey Christen! - yep it never ends...every day is a new adventure. ;-)
Glad it all worked out, never a dull moment on this adoption roller coaster:)
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