Reporting a Complaint
Complaining About Your Agency
The accreditation regulations establish a method for you to file a complaint against an adoption service provider. In general, under the regulations, when a party to a specific adoption case has a complaint about the adoption service provider, the complainant first submits the complaint in writing directly to that adoption service provider, in addition to the primary provider involved in the case (if appropriate). If the complaint cannot be resolved through the organization’s complaint process, among other avenues, the party to the adoption case may file the complaint with the internet-based Hague Complaint Registry (HCR).
Once a complaint is filed with the HCR, it will be available to the accrediting entity and the Department of State for appropriate action, and the Department of State will be able to monitor the handling of the complaint.
The complaint system established by the IAA and its regulations to implement the Convention serves the following functions:
- Permits any birth parent, prospective adoptive parent, adoptive parent, or adoptee to file a complaint directly with an adoption service provider
- Requires adoption service providers to respond in writing to such complaints within thirty days
- Provides for retention of written records of each complaint and the agency’s or person’s response
- Prohibits adoption service providers from discouraging complaints and from retaliating against those who file complaints
- Encourages a quality improvement program
