Waiting Children

Waiting Child Programs

ASIA is one of the U.S. adoption agencies officially entrusted by the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) and the foundation in Taiwan to seek adoptive families for children with special needs. Due to their special conditions, the adoption officials refer these children to our agency because there are no permanent adoptive families currently available. We are making these children known to prospective adoptive families with only one purpose - to find the loving and nurturing families they deserve.

Many of the children from China have correctable or minor special needs. Some have more serious medical problems. Waiting children from Taiwan have significant special needs. Some have correctable conditions.The Taiwan Waiting Child program has two different avenues. Families can pre-identify a child from the posted list, or they can submit a request to Taiwan asking for a child with specific conditions that the family is willing to accept and Taiwan will match a child to the family. If a couple is between the ages of 50 and 55, they are required to adopt a child over the age of five years and may not specify age in their request. Couples under the age of 50 may request a specific age, gender and special need. By advocating for these children, we hope there will be a greater chance they will be placed with a permanent family.

If you are interested in learning more about the adoption of waiting children, the process, our Waiting Children volunteer program or the Special Needs adoption fund, please do not hesitate to contact us.

ASIA maintains a current listing of available waiting children that have been referred to us. We do not publish names or orphanage locations of these children. Because of the personal and sensitive nature of some of this material and because we value the privacy of these children, our photo listing is restricted and not available for public viewing. If you are interested in viewing this list, please contact us for information on how to obtain a password. Please write "Waiting Child China or Taiwan" in the subject line of the email.

Go to "Why A Waiting Child?" section of our website for specifics regarding China and Taiwan's programs.

CCAA Online Waiting Child Program
CCAA has given some agencies with waiting child programs the opportunity to process waiting child adoptions through a new online entrustment system. This system is very protected by CCAA. They do not want any non-agency related people having access to this system; so much so that they require a USB key to access it. This system contains waiting child files for individual agencies, like ASIA. ASIA receives specific children through this system that only our agency receives and tries to place.

Additionally, ASIA has access to other waiting children that are given to all of the agencies that have access to the online system. These children are generally the harder to place, older children or children with more significant special needs. CCAA has provided strict guidelines that we are not to post the information or pictures about these children online, and therefore we do not. All of the children on ASIA’s website are listed specifically for ASIA. The only way ASIA advocates for the children on the shared list is if we have an ASIA family whose request for a waiting child matches one of the children on the list. Then we would save that child’s information and give the family an opportunity to review the file. Since several agencies have access to the shared list, it is possible that another family could apply for the child while an ASIA family is reviewing the file. If this happens, ASIA will immediately inform the family of the situation.

Once a family decides to adopt a waiting child through the online entrustment system, ASIA is able to submit the pre-approval for that family electronically. We also receive CCAA’s response to that application electronically. However, ASIA still receives Acceptance letters and Travel Approvals by mail.

The new online entrustment system also contains updates on the referral and matching system for Non-special needs adoptions. CCAA updates that information once a month, just as they used to do on their public website. ASIA has chosen to post this information on our website when we receive it. ASIA also puts out an email to all families in process regarding any new referral information when it becomes available.

Who are Waiting Children?
While all children available for adoption are waiting for a family, the term “Waiting Children” is generally used to describe older children and children with specific medical and/or emotional needs. Both in China and Taiwan, officials recognize that it takes additional effort to place these children.

Do all adoption agencies have Waiting Children?
No, they do not. The CCAA in China and the Foundation in Taiwan have selected a small number of adoption agencies willing to make the commitment to advocate for waiting children and place those children with special families willing to make a lifetime commitment to the children.

Are there special qualifications a parent must have to adopt a Waiting Child?
When considering the adoption of a Waiting Child, it is important to recognize the type of issues you can handle. It is important to logically and candidly assess your family’s capacity to deal with a given condition. You will need to research long-term implications, evaluate your support system, confirm insurance coverage and find resources available in your community to help with the child’s condition. As you can imagine, as with any child welcomed into your family, unexpected health or emotional issues can arise.

Do I need to be a client of ASIA before I can look at detailed information on a specific Waiting Child?
You do not have to be an ASIA client to review medical and developmental reports for a specific Waiting Child. However, due to the number of inquiries we receive regarding these children, ASIA families who have already researched and submitted a worksheet regarding specific conditions, or are already “dossier to China” or ASIA families in process will be given priority for the placement of these Waiting Children.

May I See Information on the Available Waiting Children?
Basic information about Chinese or Taiwanese Waiting Children is available on our website on a restricted basis. Please contact us to obtain a password to view the lists. If there is a specific child about whom you would like additional information, please contact marcisk@asiadopt.org or telephone 503-224-1860.

Are there additional fees associated with a Waiting Child adoption?
No, in fact both China and Taiwan have reduced fees for this program. ASIA also offers a $500 reduction in fees; this reduction is supported in part by the “Special Needs Children’s Fund” – a fund that receives charitable tax-deductible donations from individuals and companies, along with direct support from ASIA.

How Can I help a Waiting Child?
Among other needs, ASIA raises funds to help families who need financial assistance to adopt Waiting Children. If you want to make a tax-deductible contribution to ASIA’s “Special Needs Fund”, please contact us. If you would like to make a donation for the Waiting Children Fund, please fill out a donation form (.pdf) and mail it back to ASIA, 215 SW Hooker Street, Suite 100, Portland, Oregon 97201.

How Can I Reach You Directly with Additional Questions?
Please email Marci Siegel Kittrell, Director of Social Services, at marcisk@asiadopt.org or call 503-224-1860.

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