What is the Full Disclosure Project?
The Full Disclosure Project was born in mid-2007 when a need for more transparency in adoption was obvious. With 42 licensed agencies working in adoptions in Vietnam, it was difficult if not impossible for potential adoptive parents to wade through each agency in order to ask the hard questions and find the most right fit. The Full Disclosure Project was born in a desire to encourage “agencies who had nothing to hide to hide nothing”.
How were the questions conceived?
These questions are questions that are most commonly asked on messageboards, email lists and to us directly here at VVAI by parents who are looking to find a trustworthy agency.
What if an agency does not want to or can not answer every question?
Agencies are encouraged to answer questions with as much or little detail as they are comfortable with. Agencies are allowed to skip questions entirely. We only publish what is offered to us by each individual agency.
What relevance do some of these questions have to ethics in adoption?
Some questions are relevant when considered in conjunction with the others – looking at the entire list of questions as a whole may help to paint a picture of the type of business each agency is running.
This information changes so quickly! How will it be relevant in a month?
The information offers a simple snapshot of an agency overview at the time it is dated and published. The project will offer on-going opportunities for agencies to update, append, add or remove information as appropriate and we will continue to touch base with each participating agency on a quarterly bases if we don’t hear from them sooner.
Does VVAI advocate or recommend using agencies that participate in this project?
VVAI makes no recommendation for any agency, whether participating or otherwise. We simply offer the information and experiences that others can use to make their own informed agency decision and better navigate their own adoption journey.
My agency isn’t on the list. How can I get them to participate?
Each agency has been contacted and invited to participate in this project. If your agency is not on the list, contact them and encourage them to participate. Send them the list of questions found here and encourage them to remit their answers for publication to this email address.
Can’t agencies just lie about their programs?
Agencies can lie to anyone, anytime, anywhere. The Full Disclosure Project is not the only resource a parent should use when investigating an agency. Families should also ask for others’ experiences – both good and bad – on messageboards and email lists. Families should use these questions as a springboard for further questioning within their own agency. Families can investigate an agency’s Guidestar rating, Better Business Bureau standing, etc. Our hope, though, is that an agency with nothing to hide will hide nothing. It is our experience that those who are acting outside the bounds of integrity do so quietly and without exposure. They know that there will always be families who see first hand the discrepancies between their claims and the reality and who, if publicized, may call them out on those discrepancies in an equally public way.
I have a question I’d like to see added to the list.
Send us the question and we will consider it for addition to our quarterly updates, as appropriate.