Traditional adoption methods can take a long time. Prospective adoptive parents must put their names on a waiting list that can take years to fulfill. There are children available for adoption immediately, such as children with special needs, older children and children who have been in foster care. There are other alternatives such as foreign adoption, which is faster than traditional adoption, but can be very expensive. In 1998, American families adopted 15,774 children from abroad.
Some people look toward private-adoption sources.
Private adoption without a licensed intermediary, such as an attorney or placement agency, is illegal in many states, but private-adoption sources are allowed. In an identified adoption, the adoptive parents are not acquainted with the birth mother and find the child through a third source, usually an attorney or a placement agency. In open adoption, the adopting parents and birth mother are required to maintain contact with each other and report on the child's progress. The adoption process can take an emotional and psychological toll on the adopting parents, the birth mother and, later, the child. An adopting couple may have had to deal with feelings about infertility, as well as close personal scrutiny before they are approved as adoptive parents.