A Brief Description About Myself and our China Adoption
Path
My husband and I are in the China Adoption process and are currently waiting for our daughters referral, which we hope to
receive in the Summer of 2006. During the paper chase and now the long wait to
referral, I have spent many hours searching the web for anything China Adoption
related. I decided to create a website with a wide range of information
for families who are interested in China Adoption. I
have added many resources to the links page and have added a variety of
recommended reading on Adoption in the books section. . I hope you enjoy using
my website as much as I have enjoyed creating it and Please email me if you have
any great sites that we can share with other waiting families.
I Wish You The Best Of Luck In Your Journey To China
Information On China Adoption
In 1980 the one child policy was introduced to China with the intention to reduce the number of children which a family was permitted to have. Since 1980 women have been permitted to only have one child in urban areas, and those living in some rural areas have been permitted to have two children. It is necessary for a woman to obtain permission from her employer and local officials to have a child.
Failure to adhere to the policy can result in severe consequences including the loss of employment, education or health benefits. Although successful at curbing the population growth, this policy reinforced the practice of abandoning newborn girls. In China, sons are favored because they carry on the family name and they are responsible for taking care of their parents in their old age. While many provinces in China no longer enforce the one-child policy, babies are still being abandoned and 95% of those children are female.
Although the abundance of girls is one reason families choose to adopt from China, boys are also available for adoption. Another reason for abandonment may be the children being born out of wedlock, whether boys or girls, due to society's unfavorable view toward unwed mothers.
Why China?
China's adoption program is considered one of the best international adoption programs in the world. The Chinese government has established a more stable way of working with international adoptive families. Unlike other foreign countries that shut down or suspend their adoption program from time to time, China has kept the adoption program relatively steady and going for almost a decade. Established in 1996, the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA), the central authority overseeing all China adoptions, is responsible for providing a stable and structured adoption process for adoptive parents.. Applicants may request children from a specific orphanage or geographic area providing they have foreign adoption programs with the China Centre of Adoption Affairs (CCAA).
Only children in welfare institutes which work with the CCAA are available for adoption.
The Process
Married couples or single individuals may apply for China Adoption. A couple living in a common law relationship may not apply as a couple, however an application may be made by one of the partners as a single person. Both parties must be a minimum of thirty years of age. Parents over 50 years of age must be ready to accept a child of three years of age. When both adopting parents are over the age of 55, they are not eligible to adopt from China.
Applicants are no longer required to take a child with special needs (unless they specifically request a child with such needs).
However It is necessary to complete a home study and prepare the required application materials
to be approved for China Adoption. These include the home study, original copies of numerous documents confirming the applicants health, criminal checks, economic position,
a letter of petition to CCAA and a photo display.
Once all the documentation has been assembled, the government will need to issue its approval for the applicants
for China Adoption. The applicants may only adopt one child at a time, however they are free to return to China for a second child. While there is no set rule as to when applicants may return, the CCAA has indicated that they prefer a separation of two to three years between the children.
