As a former adoptive parent client, I believe there were staff members (who’ve since left) who I believe cared for the moms and adoptive parents, who are no longer there; I can no longer recommend Shared Beginnings to anyone, having adopted, worked behind the scenes and giving the benefit of the doubt, and hearing the same feelings from a lot of other fellow former employees at Shared Beginnings. There are lots of reasons this place has a revolving door, with high employee turnover, clients who leave mid-pregnancy, and high repeat placements. Simply put: Shared Beginnings does not practice according to the mission they claim to have. VERY few birth moms and adoptive parents I’ve spoken with, including my own family, felt supported by them during the process or after, unless the “support” benefited the agency in some way. The director has scary, immature, retaliatory behavior against anyone who is not easily controlled. Many adoptive parents had good experiences initially, then found out alarming details later. If you are an expectant mom hoping for a place that will truly provide tangible support, have your best interest in mind *no matter what decision you make*, and who will be there for you long-term if you place, I would look somewhere else that is drama-free, organized, fulfills its promises of support, and is able to focus on you and your baby during this challenging time. If you’re an expectant mom or adoptive parent looking for a truly ethical and right adoption done by honest, knowledgable, and qualified professionals who understand the laws and ethics of adoption practices, and not just the illusion of it, this isn’t the place I can recommend anymore. If you choose to proceed with this agency, I would encourage you to question everything with healthy distrust, consult others, ask the expectant mom directly if she was offered parenting support, what her background is, ask her directly if they are fulfilling the needs she’s expressed in addition to emotional support, and always ask for your expense itemization in writing - then double check with birth mom after receiving it that she was indeed helped how they claimed. Be prepared to do all the leg work to get support for yourselves, your child, and birth family post-placement, despite anything you are told. Our kids and their families deserved more, especially when we were told this was a place to expect more and evidently couldn’t even fulfill the bare minimum. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Nowhere will ever do things perfectly, but this isn’t even a place I can recommend in good conscience anymore, and I’m so sad I recommended it in the past and unknowingly gave them fuel for their fire. I am truly disappointed Shared Beginnings wasn’t what it claimed to be.
