This in an eleven year old thread. We are a Barker family with a now grown child and Barker provides amazing support. My child even got into several competitive colleges with merit!

Anonymous wrote:The Barker Adoption Foundation is extremely unprofessional and does not truly care about the needs! I would stay far away from this agency.

Our experience as well. Sorry you went through that.

The Barker Adoption Foundation is extremely unprofessional and does not truly care about the needs! I would stay far away from this agency.

Anonymous wrote:We started with Barker and left their domestic program. The staff were unimpressive to say the least. I have heard better things about the international program. If you want to foster-adopt, you are better off just going to the county as the kids they are getting are because the gov't could not place them due to serious issues. Most foster-adopt kids get adopted by their foster parents in less they are foster only parents and then those kids get placed pretty quickly.

Do you understand how this would lead some people to actually seek out Barker??...because these children obviously really need families who are willing to take on children who have been passed by because of "serious issues". Yes, it's not for everyone but someone has to do it, please don't discourage people from doing it just because. Some can do it, some can't. No judgement but there's no reason to discourage everyone.

I am starting the process, but through Adoptions Together (for a variety of reasons it felt like a better fit for us than Barker's PWNL). So I don't have anything to add except good luck! We're also a same-sex couple but not in MD.

To PP, fostering through the county is not the right answer for everyone. We want to adopt a kid we know will stay, rather than fostering a child whose goal is to be reunified with birth family. And we don't want to be restricted to the kids who are available in our small county.

We started with Barker and left their domestic program. The staff were unimpressive to say the least. I have heard better things about the international program. If you want to foster-adopt, you are better off just going to the county as the kids they are getting are because the gov't could not place them due to serious issues. Most foster-adopt kids get adopted by their foster parents in less they are foster only parents and then those kids get placed pretty quickly.

Adoptive mom of two kids through Barker, but through the international program. Just wanted to echo all of the positive reviews PPs have given Barker. It seems very important to them to do things ethically and above-board, and I always appreciated how personal they are (one of the things that is great with being at a smaller agency). Like I said, our experience with #1 was so great that we returned for #2 and did it again. Best of luck to you, OP!

Hello, I am an adoptive mom of a 12 year old, placed at age 9 with us from PWNL at Barker. Very positive experience and lots of support from the agency. The need is great, and the challenges are many, but the rewards are huge.

OP here. Thanks for the comments! My general impression of Barker has been very positive so far. But there's so much to learn re: adopting an older child -- seems daunting at times, but the need for loving families for these kids is so great.

We adopted two kids through Barker - not project wait no longer, though. As a PP said, Beverly Clarke is an absolutely amazing woman! She is an adoptive mom herself, and so very clearly dedicated to the program and to the older kids. We've had some frustrations with communication and changes in staff, but overall through both kids we've been really happy and confident with Barker.

I don't know about the training "not being enough" - I suspect that is very dependent on the particular family and kid. I know PWNL families get way more training than regular domestic and international programs, and for all families, regardless of adoptive program, there are ongoing support groups and new family groups. For IA families, you do have to pay for the post-placement groups, but I'm not sure if those fees are waived for PWNL families - I sort of remember hearing that they are, but I'm not positive.

We adopted our son this fall through Barker (international). I don't know much about Project Wait No Longer, other than the director of the program (Beverly Clarke) is an adoptive mom and just wonderful (she gave a presentation about helping children adjust to their new families, which we really enjoyed). Every adoption has its ups and downs in terms of process, but in three years working with Barker, we always felt like we were in good hands, everything is above-board, ethical, etc. There are some terrific people working there, who really care about children and families. Best of luck!

NP here. My therapist is also a therapist for parents who adopt through this program at Barker. So I know that they have support programs in place.

No experience with Barker or that program and it might be difficult to find that in the general public so ask them for targeted families for feedback.

In general, seek out families who have done therapeutic foster care. It's the same thing except now they the program at Barker is looking to place the child in an adoptive home.

Also, know that the training they provide isn't enough. Seek out information and support groups for adoptive parents of older children to get ideas and support.

My husband and I are considering adopting an older child through the Barker Foundation's Project Wait No Longer. Interested to see if anyone has any experience, positive or negative, with the Barker foundation recently. We're a gay couple in MD and just at the start of the process. Thanks!