This is a very difficult post to write. It's difficult because I am full of emotions and I need to be clear and logical with what I am about to say.
We are adopting. We hosted an eleven year old girl in 2011. When you host, you need to have a sort of 'mini' home study done. The hosting organization has sort of a default relationship with One World Adoption Services. If you want to host, you have OWAS do your home study.
I DO NOT have an issue with the hosting organization. I DO NOT have an issue with any one that works there. They have been great.
One World was able to get our mini home study done. I don't think we had any issues then. It was pretty straight forward.
When hosting turned to a desire to adopt this child, we had to wait for her father's parental rights to be terminated. This took several months longer than we were told it would. This had nothing to do with OW. Meantime we rehosted, and our girl turned twelve.
Because OWAS had done our hosting home study, the simplest thing to do was to use them for the adoption.
This is where the pile of problems began to stack up. I do not have the time to outline every single event as they happened. What I will do is list the issues we had, as clearly as I can, so you can see for yourself why you wouldn't want to use this agency.
1.) Emails bad news. Repeatedly.
2.) Claims not to have correct number. Repeatedly.
3.) Cant keep up with correct information. Repeatedly.
4.) Asks for documentation that is none of their business. (IE several months worth of bank statements, and house payment records)
5.) They do not ask questions. They deliver decisions. (IE Income claim and last years tax return don't match. You are unqualified. Really? All that meant for us was that my hubs had gotten a raise and promotion in the last few months. A simple note from his employer was all that was needed.)
6.) Heavy handedness.
>They decided we couldn't possibly afford another child. They made up the following: 3 mos expenses in savings, 2 small credit cards paid off, 'more on time' house payments [we had never missed one!?] Once we did all that PLUS paid off our van, we contacted them to complete our home study. This took us a year to do.
>Decided that parts of what we had ALREADY done had to be redone, even though certain documents were good for several more months.
8.) When our social worker needed to cancel meetings & visits, or tell us she was running almost an hour late for a meeting, she always chose email. I don't always check my email (and really, there are a lot of ppl who don't have Internet at home, or access to their email accounts every second of every day, so this was a poor choice of communication. Esp since she was given our numbers REPEATEDLY.)
9.) When meetings had to be cancelled, there was never an apology, and rarely was there an explanation. The emails would be very curt: I cannot make it for your home visit. I can reschedule for next week.
10.) We have repeatedly asked that when she email one of us, that she CC the other. She never did this. Even when I would email her and CC Gabe, so ALL SHE HAD TO DO was hit 'Reply to All', she refused to do so.
11.) When our caseworker emailed me Monday afternoon, in response to an email I sent to her double checking the rescheduling of our home visit, we were told they would no longer be working with us as they decided not to approve our home study. No questions, no apologies, no PHONE CALL, no chance for us to explain or ask questions.
Even though the baby I am now pregnant with doesn't count against our finances until he/she is here, and even though friends in similar situations had to show plans for closing in rooms or adding on, we were given no such chance. Again, they play god and make up their own rules.
They have offered to hold onto our home study and complete it in a YEAR. No, thanks. We've moved on. To an agency that sees our daughter as a waiting person. To an agency that doesn't try and play god. To an agency that works within the law and the standards that are already in place, NOT MAKING UP THEIR OWN.
Oh, also? Monday afternoon I posted this as my Facebook status :No one adopting should EVER work with One World Adoptions. NEVER EVER. Period. THE END. We were then sent an email telling me to remove the status, or they would seek legal action. Classy.
Am I angry? Yes. They cost our daughter a year of family. A year. She will never get that time back. We will never get that time back. I am enraged. It is inexcusable, and unforgivable.
I have been very careful in this post to be factual. I have emails to back up everything I have stated. I have many more examples of wrong doing by OWAS, but it didn't happen directly to us, so I will not post those.
I do know people that have completed adoptions with One World. I am in shock as to HOW they happened, given our experience with our case worker and other people in charge there.
If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.
NO CHILD SHOULD HAVE TO BE MADE TO WAIT LIKE OUR DAUGHTER HAS BEEN FORCED TO. Please- research your agencies online before you make your choice.
