Waiting Children: China

We are honored that the China Center for Adoption Affairs has entrusted us with the responsibility of helping waiting children find their permanent families. For years we funded programs around the world to serve children with special needs, such as the Tomorrow Plan and its efforts to provide medical/surgical care to children in Chinese orphanages. Now, with the addition of our new China Waiting Child adoption program, we can help find homes for children with medical or developmental conditions ranging from mild and easily correctible to those requiring ongoing monitoring or treatment.

Parent Requirements: Married couples; must be married at least two years (or five years if either spouse was previously divorced; no more than two divorces per spouse.) Must be age 30 - 50 at time of dossier submission. Couples 50-55 may adopt a waiting child only. No more than 45 years between child and younger parent when child requested is under one year. Parents 46-49 will be assigned a 1-3 year old. Exceptions to these requirements may be granted when adopting a special needs child over age 6. As of February 2011, single women may adopt "special focus" children through China's waiting child program.

No more than four children under age 18 living in the home; youngest must be at least 1 year old.

Both applicants must be in excellent health mentally and physically, including a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or less. What is my BMI? (click here for the calculator.) All health issues will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis - please consult with MAPS.

At least one spouse must hold a stable occupation; $10K minimum income per family member (including child to be adopted.) Family net worth should be at least $80,000 (assets vs. liabilities.)

Both spouses must have at least a high school degree. Any criminal history will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Please consult with MAPS.

Families will need to have an approved home study and USCIS approval

The Children:The children listed on the CCAA Waiting Child database are
both male and female and range in age from 8 months to 13 years of age. These are children that are currently available for adoption and have been placed on the list because they either have moderate to severe special needs and/or are older (7-13 years).

Special needs commonly seen in children on this list: Cleft lip/palate, congenital heart disease, vision or hearing issues, club foot/feet, extra digits, hepatitis B, lazy eye, limb deformity, heart murmur, etc. Please visit our special needs page for info on these and other conditions.

Timeframe: The timeframe for identifying a child from the CCAA's database is variable. Families are encouraged to explore their openness to either gender, to consider their ability to parent a be toddler or school age child, and to investigate the health conditions that they would be willing to accept. On average, the typical timeframe for processing, once CCAA's paperwork requirements have been fulfilled for an identified child, could be 4-6 months.

Travel: Both parents preferred but one parent possible. Travel expenses: $3,000-$6,000 + child's ticket. Trip lasts approx. 2 weeks (up to 3 weeks if child is from Guangdong Province.)

Your MAPS China Program Coordinator

Libby Walch, BS, has been part of our international adoption team since 1997.and has helped families adopt from Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Russia. In addition, she is the Performance and Quality Improvement coordinator for MAPS.

Please contact Libby for more information about adopting from China:
E-mail: libbyw@maps-worldwide.org
Phone: (207) 619-8306

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