Bethany Christian Services
Reviews and Complaints

BCS is not Christian in any sense of the word. Our assigned case worker had just graduated from college and held our case. Whenever I asked for help, she would defer to ask her supervisor and get back with an answer. But she did not do this. In fact, her communication skills are limited and not personable. She perjured herself in court by stating things out of context to alter the truth. She wrote discriminating reports that the judge based decisions on. Now she is applying to adopt this child I have raised since he was born. He is now 10. Her coworker is the adoption specialist who sent a report that falsified everything about me in her report to the deciding board.BCS is only interested in making money at the expense of families. They use any means to achieve their goals. Not Christian at all.

What is the best interest of the child? They don't care about what is best for the child? All they care about is the money. I am a grandmother who lives in California, and I have been trying to get my two granddaughters. They would not let me take them because they said that my son was working on trying to get them back, so I walk into Bethany and talk with this woman, Devon that told me if I wanted to adopt my granddaughter, it would go fast if my son gives up his rights then they could do a transfer adoption well my son stop fighting so I could adopt my grandchildren, so I think I will be getting my grandchildren next thing I no the foster parents have been trying to adopt my grandchildren Bethany did not give me any home study Bethany said to me they did not have to because Bethany was not considering me for the adoption of my grandchildren Bethany are referring the foster parent because they have had them for over a year this is BS I have been trying to get them from day one. Something needs to change who do they think they are taking children away from family.

"NIGHTMARE" doesn't even begin to describe our experience with Bethany Christian Services. High staff turnover, an incompetent agency attorney, and a sloppy work ethic made for the worst experience of my life. We utilized the Southern New England branch.

First off, their communication is WRETCHED. Whenever we had a question or concern, it took several emails and nagging phone calls/voice messages to garner a return call/email. Throughout the course of a 20-month ordeal, we had four different case workers…three of whom weren't actually certified to be adoption counselors! One of the case workers cut corners and failed to maintain adequate records, which resulted in us having to re-do most of our post-placement visits and further delay finalization. The birth mom went without a counselor for several months following the birth, and BCS failed to deliver our letters to her, which we write quarterly. Several parts of our case were missing or incomplete…thank God I keep meticulous records.

The lawyer they hired to represent the agency was the epitome of incompetence; I don't think she's ever done an adoption case before. She was completely lost in court, very disorganized, and failed to give our case due diligence. So, we hired our own attorney who divulged to us other huge red flags. The agency also LIED to us about the status of parental rights termination for both the birth mother (voluntary severance) and father (involuntary severance); they also lied to the birth mother about her rights. Luckily, our attorney cleaned up this disastrous mess and we finalized our adoption about six months behind schedule.

I maintained all the paperwork, we hired our own attorney, they didn't provide us or the birth parents much support, they lied to both parties…not really sure why we paid almost $40, 000. They are in business for the money and have no right to call themselves "Christian." I doubt they're even delivering our letters to the birth mom, who we want a relationship with (hence our VERY open adoption agreement).

AVOID AT ALL COSTS, OR PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.

BCS iss definitely racist and are now opening a UAC program in Pennsylvania but is run by a Caucasian woman that has put her english- only. American friends in the place of the required spanish-speaing staff to deter Latinos from being hired. However, the children are Latinos and don't speak english. The Latinos that work there are the "slaves"$$$$

Why in the hell is an adoption agency assigned to a foster care reunification case! From the moment they were assigned to our case they did nothing but make it impossible for the mother to be reunited with her child. The caseworker would twist the truth, lie and falsify reports by omitting the good information and only submitting the bad. The caseworker worked against us not for us. Tearing a 17 month old little girl from the only home she knew placing her with maternal father whom has had multiple felonies for drug use, distributing and fleeing the police all because she didn't want to do her job. The child would come home from his visitation dirty. With multiple bug bites. Bruises. Sand in her diaper. Dried poop on her butt and up her back. Everytime she would come home she would have yet another diaper rash. However the caseworker did not feel like this was a concern and removed her from her maternal foster grandmother whom she had lived with since birth. Made it impossible for the birth mother to even have a chance of getting her back. Setting unreasonable goals for the birth mother causing her to not want to follow through as nothing she did was ever good enough. Not everyone is perfect but when you are told repeatedly your not doing good enough you stop trying. Horrible horrible horrible company and staff

Bethany is "Christian" in name only. They only care about protecting their paychecks. Which means you as a foster parent are the first to be thrown under the bus. They only offer empty words at best. When their is a problem they don't help - they tear you and your family down with mindless procedures and protocols. And the rules are subjective from family to family. No consistency. Best advice is don't be gullible about the name. Get your license through another agency. Don't mess with them. They brought us and the foster boys unimaginable grief even when the boys were thriving and making huge gains in our home. They upped and moved em for a trump up reason that made no sense what so ever. Maybe to them because that makes em money. Don't trust Bethany ever. Don't think just because they pray before they meet with you things will go the right way. It won't. Don't trust them -- ever.

Bethany "Christian" Services (BCS) in Grand Rapids, MI sold out our beautiful little 3 year-old foster daughter from El Salvador. Despite this bright little girl repeatedly and consistently telling us and her therapist that she had been abused by a biologic family member and BCS agreeing that she should not be returned, when the federal government turned a blind eye to her pleas for help, BCS all of a sudden did the same thing. With their sole concern being maintaining their government contract, they disregarded what they knew to be best for the child. We weren't even trying to necessarily adopt her but only to win her right to remain safely in the U.S. under what's called Special Immigrant Juvenile Status to which she was rightfully entitled. BCS didn't even provide the child's therapist's complete case file to the government, the child's "advocate" nor the immigration judge. Despite our best efforts to fight BCS and the government thru the legal system to force them to recognize and grant our little foster daughter her rights, we eventually lost the battle. The little one was sent back to a very uncertain future. We pray daily for her safety. Do not trust the motives and intentions of Bethany. To them, money is more important than children.

This business is only in it for the money. They steal kids from parents by making them jump through impossible hoops, and meanwhile charging them huge bills to put extra money in their own pockets. They seem to think $7, 000 is appropriate for 6 months of foster care, and I'm sure they want to cash in on half of that. Since DHS cost for foster care is about $3, 000 for 6 months that's what the foster parent gets, $4, 000 to steal your kid is what BCS get's. Then I'd imagine take these children and sell them as an adoption for a little extra cash. I hope they burn in hell.

This "so-called" Adoption Agency has been accused of foster child neglect, adoption counselors, abusing foster kids, and racially discriminating against black prospecting parents for adoption! Bethany operates like a "Black-Market", for stealing children from their biological parents, and placing them in homes of mostly white child abusers or sex offenders.. The manager; Tammy, has had numerous complaints filed against her for lying & scamming parents.. I recommend NOT dealing with that agency!

Bethany Christian Services Corruption/Negligence & Incompetence: [protected] Lumpkin Rd, Augusta, GA Bethany Christian Services, a lousy & racist private adoption agency, in Augusta, GA. ... Very Poor Adoption Services of Georgia, encourages racial discrimination against african-americans ... Tammy Hollingsworth, the manager, is a ex-social worker who was fired from a DSS office. She is a racist ###, and often forgets to keep adoption clients properly informed during the adoption process, and allows white sex offenders & child abusers to become certified adoptive parents?!? While wrongfully disqualifying good prospecting parents solely on the basis of race. Numerous Complaints have been filed against Mrs. Hollingsworth and her company.. m.chronicle.augusta.com/life/your-faith/​2012-05-23/

Dealing with discrimination & corruption from our local DFACS (Social Services office) was bad enough, but for good people like us; who want to adopt, turning towards Adopton Agencies like BETHANY, has been even more of a nightmare! It's a "so-called" Christian Organization, that we've discovered- has a history of Incompetent Women (Feminists who really don't beleive in God) running The Agency; who also has racist women working for them, & bad/negligent policies that they support that do more harm to the children, they are supposed to be helping. The woman at the head of the Augusta Branch, is named Tammy; she deliberately discriminated against us, because of our race, & approved white adoption applicants, who are known sex offenders and members of the K.K.K.! We are no longer associated with Bethany "Christian" Services, and we wanted other good people to know the horrible truth about what this BETHANY SERVICES REALLY STANDS FOR!

Paul, you are a nasty person! Given your comments in other posts you appear to be a very lonely angry person.
Adoption is not a selfish act. How does being willing to raise another child as your own make someone selfish? I think the poster is not complaining about the adoption not working out. They are upset that someone is not being honest with them. And add to the fact that it was probably such an emotional situation for all sides involved, they seem to be mainly upset because they were billed for services that were not provided. And they were maybe being lied to.
I know plenty adoptees that have greatly benefited from being raised in beautiful healthy homes with adoptive parents. Especially when their birth family wasn't capable of providing for them because of financial or emotional issues.

Bethany Christian Services is a scam. They are in it solely for the money. They do not care about the needs of the parents or children. Don't let the Christian in the name fool you. They can't be trusted. The communication is terrible. We were told not to call our social worker. We were only allowed to email her and we would go weeks without getting a response. If we tried to call her, we would get called into a meeting with her boss and get yelled at like children. They are very nonsupporting and should not be in this business. If you are thinking of adopting, do not use Bethany Christian Services, particularly the office in Council Bluffs, Iowa.