| The adoption process for a waiting child is different from the general adoption process. The same steps occur, but in a slightly different order. The children in our program are ready to be adopted now. We prefer not to keep them waiting any longer than necessary.
The first step is to complete your adoption study (home study). You must have a completed, current adoption study, or an adoption study from a previous adoption, before you can be matched with a specific child. You do not need to complete a dossier or apply for USCIS approval right away. These steps can be completed after you have accepted a child’s referral. If you are uncertain which country your child will be from, you can ask your social worker to create a draft of your adoption study that leaves the country-specific sections open for details.
Once you have an adoption study ready, you may contact a WIC social worker to discuss potential referrals. We refer one child or sibling set to one family at a time. Our social worker will work with you to help you choose a referral that is a good fit for your family. You receive all available information on the child, and are required to seek an opinion from a medical professional to help inform your decision.
Drawing upon our decades of experience, CHSFS has developed guidelines to help ensure families’ success:
- The new child must be younger than the oldest child in the family.
- The new child must be at least one year apart in age from children already in the home.
- You may not adopt two or more unrelated children at the same time.
- You must wait a full year following a previous adoption before traveling to bring a new child home.
We place the highest priority on the welfare of our waiting children. In exceptional circumstances, we are flexible with our guidelines if we believe it is in the child’s best interest.
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