If you're looking to go into Foster Care, I would strongly recommend AGAINST Amara or pretty much any private agency. Your best bet is to go directly with the state. I should've just heeded the advice of the state training instructors but at the time we felt that having a consistent caseworker was better. We got raked over the coals and then dropped because of some strange rule that says we need to reflect on our lives with a therapist. I'm so beyond livid, I don't know where to begin.
The only reason you should go with Amara is if you cannot advocate for yourself and need someone to go to bat for you... which if you can't advocate for yourself, perhaps Fostering isn't for you anyway.
We signed up with these guys, went 2/3 thru the process which was about 2 and a half to 3 months. Then before the final steps, the case worker brought us in and stopped the process until we sought "counseling" because of Amara's strange, abstract notion that if we can't describe how our hurdles made us better than we can't be good parents. Let that sink in for minute. To be accepted into Amara, you better have long answers describing each of the hurdles you went thru in your entire life, (you might want to consider crying to help the process along and if you are too stable to cry, fake it). And if your descriptions aren't good enough, you will need to pay for counseling to either get someone to sign a letter stating that you are good enough to be foster parents or get a therapist to help you reflect on your life.
So in short, I blew a a lot of money modifying my house, I blew tons of PTO from work trying to reflect on my life with a case worker and now we're out in the cold. I genuinely feel like I've been scammed. Ripped off. Robbed. I feel like I went to a casino, bet all my money on Red and lost everything. DO NOT mess with Amara, just stay away.
We adopted our child through Amara in 2012. Before we became eligible parents, we received A LOT of invaluable training from the amazing individuals who work there. Even training regarding the importance of facilitating the connections between our child and her biological birth parents. We believe this now plays (and will continue to play) a central part in our child’s psychological health. This tends to go against some people’s fears and traditional thinking, but for us it has been key in helping our child feel secure within her own unique, but very special story.
Our social workers were wonderful helping us through the "getting ready" stage and they continued with solid support all the way through the placement and finalization stages of our adoption. We now celebrate our absolutely amazing little girl (as well as the connection we have with her biological mother), we feel so blessed as parents. It’s been such an adventure, one we would never have imagined, but a wonderful process with an agency that truly goes above and beyond to help kids get to good, stable homes. We love you, Amara, and feel so thankful for your mission, and that you have such sensitive and sincere staff working for you. If we decide to adopt another child, we will indeed be back on your doorstep. ;-)
My husband and I applied to Amara in February, 2011. We were licensed for foster care in August, 2011 and placed with twin 22-month old girls the same month. The girls' first family's parental rights were terminated in July, 2013, and we finalized their adoption into our family in November, 2013.
We chose Amara as an agency because we wanted more training and support than we'd have received working directly with the State. Additionally, we preferred Amara's inclusivity for all adoptive family types over the restrictions of many other local agencies.
During the licensing and home study process, Amara provided trainings far beyond the typical or expected. We learned about special issues such as sibling adoption and transracial adoption. We attended multiple support groups with knowledgeable community speakers from a variety of disciplines. We experienced a single concerning incident with one staff member that was quickly and professionally remediated with the assistance of a lead at the organization. We have since had wonderful experiences with this, and all other, staff.
During the placement phase, we were supported emotionally and practically throughout the 2+ years of legal limbo. Our Amara caseworkers attended all court dates with us. They responded promptly and kindly to our many emails. They assisted us in our communications with the State caseworker and CASA.
At finalization, we felt incredibly celebrated by many at Amara. And, we're happy to be ongoing supports of their great work.
Review from Guidestar
My husband and I adopted two of our children with Amara Parenting's help. We choose them over other agencies due to their child-centered approach: they are helping children find families, not parents find children; their focus on domestic foster adoption (although they also have a smaller infant adoption program); and their long-time willingness to work with families that come in every shape and size.
We feel we were very well served by them. The preparation they offered prior to adoption was thorough and we have used what we learned in the many trainings they offer. We attended their monthly support group almost monthly, traveling an hour each way to do so. The social workers were there for us during the child search portion, helping us navigate that very emotionally fraught period. And, once we were placed with our children, they continued to support our family.
It's been over two years since our children were placed with us, and I've directed many families interested in adoption to this agency. They are high-caliber, maintain very high integrity, and are helping many children find permanent homes.