Children’s Home Society & Family Services

Welcome to this 25 minute presentation on our International Adoption Programs

Ana from Russia

Marie Chantal from Colombia

Michael from Korea

Ashmita from India

Phoenix from Vietnam

Olivia from China

To advance click the mouse, spacebar, or (web version) arrows at the bottom of the screen, or on the bottom right icon that looks like a TV.

Click for sound

Why Parents Choose CHSFS CHSFS has been finding homes for children since

1889; We offer a variety of program choices and costs; Our adoption department has over 60 staff members

many of whom are bilingual and bicultural; We sponsor child welfare development projects in

many countries where we work; We have specialized staff for parents who adopt

waiting children with medical and developmental needs. We help up to 100 families per year adopt international waiting children;

We have a financial adoption assistance program for families adopting waiting children.

Children’s Home Society & Family Services

More than 60 staff members workin CHSFS adoption programs.

CHSFS Offices, 1605 Eustis St. St. Paul, MN 55108

Adoptions per country

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20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180 Korea

China

Russia

Colombia

Guatemala

Other Latin America

Other

If you don’t want or have sound, you can read the text under notes. (click on the red arrow at the bottom of your screen).

Adoption countries

you may want to print out our most recent chart of country regulations, costs, waiting times, and more. If you are on-line click to go to our Web site: Compare International Programs

for terms you do not understand, you may want to refer to a glossary.

Before we begin to explore each country’s adoption program,

Click for sound

How to choose a country

“China was our country of choice because we already knew so many families with girls from China. They would support us, and our kids would grow up together.”

“I knew most of the orphanages are new, that most of the children were from the countryside, that I’d have to wait a year on a list, that I would be in the country for two weeks for the adoption.”

What Adoptive Parents Say:

Click for sound

China

G. Cheng

Why parents choose China

There are many infant girls; This is a large program able to accommodate

more than 100 families per year; Groups of 5-7 families travel together and

spend 2 weeks in China with full support; one parent may travel;

Parents 30-45 years of age may adopt infants; parents 45-55 years of age may adopt toddlers or older children.

Children come from many different orphanages. See this short video clip from orphanages. (Skip if you don’t have a high speed digital line.)

China

China

Child referrals arrive approximately 11-13 months after dossier submission.

China

Travel orientations are provided by CHSFS staff four times per year at our offices or by video and phone. Within 6-8 weeks of your child referral acceptance, you are on your way to China.

Korea

Why parents choose Korea

Birth parents make their plan for adoption while pregnant and often have prenatal care and counseling;

Babies are born in hospitals and birthing clinics with medical care and can have testing equivalent to that in the USA;

The adoption process is the easiest and least bureaucratic of any international adoption program;

Parents have an option to travel or have their child escorted.

Korea Korea is CHSFS’s

largest program and places over 200 children per year;

There are two programs: one for families in Minnesota, Iowa and western Wisconsin, and one for US families throughout the world.

Korea

Right after birth, children are placed in foster families and given one-to- one care until they are ready to join their adoptive families.

Korea

See this video of children with their foster mothers as they come for a monthly assessment at a Korean adoption agency.

Russia

Photo Amcan Travel

Why parents choose Russia

Children over 6 months old and sibling groups are eligible for adoption;

There is a short wait for a child referral. Soon after completing the dossier, families make the first trip to accept a child and later a second trip for a court appearance and to bring the child home;

There are few restrictions for adopting parents; this program is open to single women and married applicants.

CHSFS Russia Program Regions

KhabarovskMoscow

Bryansk

Kursk

Orenburg

Voronezh

Irkutsk

Ryazan

Krasnodar

Novosibirsk

Russia

In many countries, like Russia, CHSFS holds a license to do adoptions.

Чилдренс Хоум Сесайти

Orphanages are clean and well-run, but with limited resources. Click on the picture to see an example.

Russia

Fees are often reduced for waiting children in Russia.

Russia

Romania/Moldova/Slovakia

Due to internal political changes and decisions, Romania, Moldova, and Slovakia have temporarily discontinued matching children with U.S. families;

We continually monitor the situation in these countries and hope to again offer these programs as well as open other programs in Eastern Europe.

Ethiopia

Why parents choose Ethiopia

Note: This is a pilot program, open in March 2003.

o Children ages 6 months+ at placemento Medical reports availableo Open to couples ages 25-55 and single women

ages 25-50 o Travel or escort possible o Children in foster care

EthiopiaThousands of children live in institutions because their parents can no longer care for them. Many children are orphaned because their parents are poor and unable to care for them, they may have been impacted by the residual effects of war, drought, or famine, or perhaps their parents died of HIV-related diseases.

Ethiopia

Children are cared for by trained childcare workers.

Ethiopia

India

Why parents choose India

This is a long-standing, experienced program; Our present programs are in Kerala, Delhi, and

Pune; Some infants are born prematurely and have

low birth weights, but the nurseries have good medical care and skilled staff;

There is prenatal care in the Kerala home for birth mothers;

We encourage travel by adoptive parents, but it is not always required.

India

Children of all ages await adoption in India. Families of East Indian heritage are encouraged to apply and have a different process and timetable.

India

See a short video of a nursery in India.

Colombia

Why parents choose Colombia This well-established program began in 1985; There are several choices of programs and costs; There is reliable and extensive medical

information about children; The children are as young as 3 months; Families spend 6 weeks (sometimes less) in

guest houses with excellent services; There are varying age requirements and waiting

times for infants. Visit our Web site at www.chsfs.org under Colombia for more details.

Colombia

Colombia has many sibling groups living in foster care and awaiting adoption.

Colombia

There are usually an equal number of boys and girls available for adoption.

Colombia

See a video of the adoption houses.

Guatemala

Why parents choose Guatemala

Children are referred as newborns; Parents receive their child in approximately

4-6 months through a private adoption process done by a lawyer in their stead;

Couples or singles up to age 50 may adopt; Parents travel for only 3-4 days or can

request an escort; Parents often have the opportunity to meet

their child’s foster parents and birth parents;

Note: this program often has long waiting lists.

Guatemala

See foster mothers and the babies in their care.

Other Latin American Programs

Peru: This program has a long wait, but it is a good fit for some families and is less expensive than many other programs;

Ecuador: Some families wait in line for a child referral from the government-run program; other families identify a child living in one of the mission-run orphanages and then choose CHSFS to help in the process;

Honduras: Families usually identify a child before beginning the process.

Honduras

Ecuador

Peru

Peru, Ecuador, Honduras

Fewer children are adopted from Latin American countries where there are only government-run adoption programs available. The costs can be lower, but the wait time for child referral and placement can be unpredictable.

Ecuador, Peru, Honduras

Children are usually cared for in faith-based or government-sponsored orphanages. See some of the orphanages in these countries.

Waiting International Childrenfrom all countries

Why parents adopt Waiting Children

Parents choose to adopt a child who has special needs because they understand and accept the condition, and they see how they will make a difference in this child’s life;

Some program requirements may be waived; The adoption process may move more quickly; CHSFS has a financial assistance program to

help families adopting these children.

CHSFS parents haveaccess to our photo album or private Web listing of waiting children. Each year, more than 100 waiting children find families through CHSFS.

Waiting International Children

Adoption Paperwork Overview

Your state of residence – the Adoption Study;(see CHSFS Partner Agencies)

US Federal government – BCIS approval;

Your child’s country of origin – the Dossier.

To complete an international adoption, families must complywith the laws, requirements and regulations of their state, theUnited States and those of the child’s country.

Apply to CHSFS and begin an Adoption Study; Apply to US BCIS ; Prepare a dossier; Review a child referral and accept the child; Travel to meet your child (or your child is

escorted); Arrive home with your child; Complete the post-placement reporting through

your local agency.

The International Process

This process takes 3-18 months (varies by country and child request).

CHSFS Adoption Services

Assistance in choosing among 15+ programs;

Contact with program specialists who have lived/worked in the countries;

Complimentary copy of “With Eyes Wide Open,” the nationally acclaimed workbook on adopting international children;

Regular CHSFS newsletters and program updates;

CHSFS Services, continued

Dossier forms, detailed instructions and assistance;

Travel orientations that prepare you for your trip;

CHSFS representatives meet you at the airport upon arrival in the country of adoption;

In-country accommodations arranged by CHSFS, including hotel, host family, drivers, shopping, interpreters, etc;

Opportunities to visit orphanages and/or meet your child’s caretakers;

CHSFS Services, continued

Annual family and cultural gatherings; Post adoption family counseling and referral

services; Child Welfare Development programs and

opportunities to contribute to your child's country of origin. Because we believe that a child’s first right is to remain with his or her birth family when possible, CHSFS has developed sponsorship programs to help birth families who could parent a child with economic assistance.

International Adoption Costs

Adoption Study Fees:_____ CHSFS Application: $250 CHSFS Program Fee: $3,500 Country Program Fees: $3,500-$18,000 (see USA Chart

chart) Travel/Escort: $1,750-$10,000 Miscellaneous Fees: $1,000-$2,000

• BCIS• Dossier/Translation• Child medical assessment• Other

For families doing Adoption Studies with other agencies

International Adoption Costs

CHSFS Registration and Application Processing: $545 Adoption Study (see our sliding scale chart) CHSFS Processing and Placement Fee: $4,100 Country Program Fees: $3,500-$18,000 (see

USA Chart chart)) Travel/Escort: $1,750-$10,000 Miscellaneous Fees: $1,000-$2,000

• BCIS• Dossier/Translation• Child medical assessment• Other

For families doing Adoption Studies with CHSFS

Thank you for your interest in International Adoption