China Waiting Child Program

The CCAA provides each participating adoption agency with information on a group of specific children. Each agency is responsible for advocating for that group of children. Please keep in mind that ASIA cannot guarantee the placement of a particular child with a family, since the final approval is granted by the CCAA.

The children are generally older and/or with minor to significant medical or physical conditions. Examples include but are not limited to, children with repaired or unrepaired cleft lips or palates, repaired or unrepaired heart defects, missing or webbed fingers or toes, hepatitis B or hearing impairments.

The General Process

Time Frame to adopt
The CCAA generally expedites the approval process for families wanting to adopt a Waiting Child. This time frame varies based on where the family is in the process, that is, from just starting out to already dossiered. Also, the wait may vary due to personnel, policy or procedural changes within the CCAA. Currently, we are experiencing a wide range of wait times that follow no particular pattern. This makes the wait more difficult for families as well as for us.

Differences between Waiting and Non-Waiting Adoption Process
The dossier to adopt a Waiting Child is the same as a non-special needs adoption, with the exception of a pre-approval and child welfare plan that is submitted to the CCAA for review and approval prior to submitting the dossier. The pre-approval document outlines basic information about the family. The treatment describes how the family will manage and care for the child’s specific condition. The plan includes the types of resources available, such as health insurance coverage, access to medical facilities or programs and community services.

(back to top)

Taiwan Waiting Child Program

The Taiwan Waiting Child program has two separate programs. 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 able to accept.

In the first program, the Foundation provides each of their participating adoption agencies information regarding children with more significant medical needs. Each agency is responsible for advocating for the same children. Generally the first home study ready family that applies will be granted the right to adopt the child, unless there is some reason that it appears not to be an appropriate fit. If it is a good fit, the Foundation will immediately notify the other agencies that the child is no longer available for adoption. As with any adoption, ASIA cannot guarantee the placement of a specific child with a family since final approval is granted by the Foundation and the courts in Taiwan.

In the second program, Taiwan will match a child to the family. If a couple is between the ages of 50 – 55, they are required to adopt a child over the age of five and may not specify age in their request. Couples under the age of 50 may request a specific age, gender and special need.

In general, the Waiting Children available in Taiwan have emotional and behavioral conditions and, less frequently, physical conditions. Examples include children who were born with exposure to drugs, abused or neglected and occasionally a child born with a chronic or correctable physical ailment. It is important to note that in Taiwan more families are able to keep physically disabled children than in some other countries, thus accounting for fewer children with correctable medical conditions available for adoption.

Timeframe and Cost to Adopt
In Taiwan, there is no significant difference between the time it takes to adopt a Waiting Child than for a Non Waiting Child. The fee to adopt a Waiting Child in Taiwan is $5000 compared to $9000 for a Non Waiting Child. The $5000 fee is broken down into two payments that are paid directly to ASIA, which is then transferred to the
Foundation.

Differences between Waiting and Non-Waiting Adoption Process
There are no major differences in the process for a Waiting Child adoption.

ASIA’s Director of Social Services, Marci Siegel-Kittrell, manages both the China and Taiwan Waiting Child Programs. For details, please contact marcisk@asiadopt.org or telephone 503-224-1860.