Our assigned psychologist and social worker were very lovely. Our social worker was a unique combination of being laidback/casual/humorous/humble in our interactions so as to make us comfortable through a rigorous, arduous process vis a vis being impeccably thorough, timely and with substantial knowledge base so as to honor the gravity of the task at hand. read more

I am in the unique position of going through the adoption process twice - as an adoptee and as an adoptive parent. The Alliance for Children facilitated my international adoption back in 1982 and they are now the agency I chose to facilitate my current international adoption. The Alliance staff are some of the most committed and compassionate people I know. They were my first choice when my husband and I decided to adopt. From my parents' experience and from my own, adopting internationally is a roller coaster. There are long wait times because of bureaucracy, changing laws, and the fact that unlike other processes, at the end of this one an actual human being is being united with a family. It can be frustrating and difficult but totally worth it in the end. The Alliance has done everything they can to make this process as smooth as it can be and I am very grateful for that. This included facilitating a challenging process in my birth country to obtain a lawyer to find and certify my original birth documents. I have referred friends adopting domestically to the Alliance, too, and they had wonderful experiences with the social workers and the home study process. I would recommend them to anyone. read more

Do yourself a favor and find another agency. Nice -- until you sign up ! Terrible response times , constant delays , you mail info to the agency and it takes weeks to get to the social worker because they "don't get to the office much" , you have to figure that out yourself , no explanations are given except if they are making an excuse about one of the many delays , horrible at expectation setting , your calls won't be returned . Not sure what they are doing , nobody gets to the office until very late ..in fact if you make a morning appt you will be sitting in the hall outside the locked door. People coming from other offices in the building will comment how this happens all the time. Nobody seems to work Fridays...and the only contact that will be initiated in a timely manner is when they are asking for a check. Very greedy. Seriously , don't walk away ..RUN ! Other reviews for them can be found on site below.. http://www.adoptionagencyratings.com/alliance-children.htm read more

I have six adopted children and all but my oldest were adopted with the help of Alliance for Children. For our experiences, I must say that during our first adoption, the receptionist knew me by voice because I called so often. Every little conflict I read in the paper, every new rule change or delay, I called. I was reassured every step of the way and our experience in my daughter's country was flawless. It was the basis of our deciding to adopt through them 4 more times. With our last two children, adopted at 8 and 12, I was overwhelmed with the amount of support I received from Alliance. I was getting check in phone calls to see how we were doing and when my oldest son was exhibiting some destructive behaviors they bent over backwards to help us find the counseling that was right for him and have never lost touch with us, still checiking in 2 years later. I have had nothing but wonderful experiences to share, and I have referred many people to Alliance Alliance is one of the most ethical agencies I have encountered and I woujld highly recommend them again and again. read more

I used Alliance for Children for my adoption in 2009. Alliance was my second agency. They stepped in when the first agency was unable to complete my adoption, due to the fact that I lived abroad. The difference between how the two agencies treated me was night and day. I found them to be practical and common-sensical. That is rare in the world of international adoption! I had a very unusual situation (I lived outside of the US while adopting) but Alliance was willing to work with me and find creative solutions to bring my daughter home. My e-mails were--and are--always answered promptly; even if it's just to acknowledge that it's been received while she finds the answer. Expectations were clearly laid out. My timeline followed predictions (not easy in Russia). Payment schedules were clearly laid out and adhered to. There were no surprises. It is true that the social worker on staff only works part time, and that can be frustrating. I've just had to adjust my timing to hers. And, she does take into account her schedule when setting deadlines for documents, etc., so it's not really a problem. I had some difficulties with one other staff member returning calls and e-mails. But, there are AMAZING and supportive staff members there, too. Megan is really a star. I can't say enough good things about her. She is helpful, thorough, compassionate, and extremely professional. You cannot put yourself in better hands than hers. The in-country staff I dealt with was amazing as well. There was NO PRESSURE whatsoever to make a snap decision. I was given all the time I needed to make a decision. The only questions I was asked was how the staff there could help; what information would make me feel comfortable committing to a child. As a single mother traveling alone, this was very, very important. With the Alliance staff in Russia and on the other end of the phone in the US, I never felt as if I were doing this alone. The support continued after I came home. The Alliance staff continues to check in and are always glad to hear stories and see pictures. I know that if we had had any problems as a new family that they would have been quick to step in and offer support. Actually, I know another family who adopted that had some struggles. Megan and the rest of the Alliance staff kept in close contact with the family as they began their new lives. Please know that adopting is a very emotional journey. It is difficult! And, it is difficult to be patient. Oftentimes an agency just doesn't have any answers to give to a prospective parent. I would not hesitate to recommend Alliance to friends--and have done so many times. I am hoping to adopt another child. I will use them again. k8c read more

I learned of the Alliance for Children adoption agency from a friend of a friend. I called the New York, and when the voice mail message came on, the person in the voice mail made a reference about attending an event that happened four months prior. I said to myself, "small office, they don't update their voice mail, not a good sign." I also contacted the main office in Massachusetts and was told by the receptionist to leave a message for the adoptive parent coordinator. I said "OK" and also asked when would be a good time to call her back. The receptionist said the adoptive parent coordinator worked between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. I said to myself again, "very strange that the adoptive parent coordinator works only 4 hours a day." When I did get in contact with the adoptive parent coordinator and asked for their information packet and example of their contract, she did not give me all of the information I asked for. And when I emailed her follow up questions and gave her a follow up call, she never returned my email or phone call. Don't waste your time with this agency. read more

We used Alliance for an adoption of two sons from China. We are from out of state & relied heavily on them for all the footwork needing to get done. We had a seamless experience, the only delays & frustrations being on the side of the Chinese paperwork which just can't be helped. I've referred other families interested in adoption to Alliance bc of the care for our family & our sons pre, during & post adoption. read more

I was referred to AFC by a friend. I am happy I chose to work with them for my adoption. I felt the staff was extremely supportive and understanding of my situation. They were always available when I needed them, some times on weekends and a lot in the evenings . That meant the world to me. I would highly recommend them. read more