considerations may have been in play as well. Adoptions from Guatemala, another popular program in the United States, have ended due to the lack of safeguards for children, according to Kelley Bunkers McCreery et al.8
At the same time, intercountry adoptions from some established programs are increasing and new programs are opening. Each country sets its own processes and procedures for intercountry adoptions, so prospective parents should research international programs carefully before deciding which is best for them. Your agency can help you become familiar with different programs. You also should search online for the latest information on country programs.
WAITING CHILDREN
As noted, there is unfortunately an abundance of orphans throughout the world whose parents have died and have no other family members to care for them, who have been abandoned because their families cannot care for them or who have been abused and neglected and are being sheltered. Many of these children have a reduced quality of life. In countries where child welfare systems are better developed, children may have some of their basic needs met in orphanages, but life in an orphanage is far from ideal. Staff often do not provide babies and children with love, caring, responsiveness or a relationship through which they can grow and develop.
One adoptive parent we interviewed traveled to an Eastern European country to adopt her toddler from an orphanage. She described a sad, desolate place where the few toys available were out of reach of tiny hands, where staff chatted with each other but rarely talked to or played with the children, where youngsters were blocked off in a small area when not in cribs and clamored for any modicum of stimulation or attention and where special needs children not adopted by a certain age were sent to harsher institutions.
For many children living in foreign orphanages, intercountry adoption is their only hope for a better life. Infants and toddlers who have spent even a few months in an orphanage without proper care and attention often suffer developmental delays. Older children who have resided for years in orphanages may suffer even worse developmental delays, behavioral problems and health difficulties (read more about the health of adopted children in Part III). Prospective parents of older children available for intercountry adoption should learn all they can about children eligible to be adopted from different countries and how these children are cared for while waiting to be adopted.
CHOOSING AN AGENCY AND COUNTRY PROGRAM
Before choosing an agency, get a free subscription to Guidestar, which provides tax returns for all nonprofit agencies. Not only will you be able to review the top salaries at the agency but, if you are good with math, you can decipher the percentage of their budget that goes to help a country where they are working.
The best source of information about country programs and adoption agencies is other adoptive parents. Join blogs, networking sites and use search engines to locate information about programs you are considering. However, be aware that some agencies hire companies to expunge negative comments about their programs. If you are considering an agency, ask them to connect you with a parent who used their service and lives near you. It is worth the effort to meet adoptive parents face-to-face so you can learn about their experience.
Choose your adoption agency carefully. Public agencies typically do not offer intercountry adoption services, so you will probably have to work with a private agency. Some families prefer to work with an independent adoption facilitator, but we recommend you work with an agency. Facilitators may be unqualified, corrupt or charge exorbitant fees. Be wary of any too-good-to-be-true promises made by private consultants or facilitators that they will find you an infant, for example, in a country that has closed their infant program.
To find a reputable private agency that facilitates intercountry adoptions:
• Visit your state’s adoption or child welfare information websites, which often include lists of licensed private agencies.
• Check the website of your state’s attorney general or your state or county’s Better Business Bureau to find out if any complaints have been made against an agency.
• Visit the Council on Accreditation website and look for agencies with a COA accreditation that is also a Hague accreditation (http://coanet.org/accreditation/who-is-accredited/who-is-accredited-search/).
• Get agency recommendations from other adoptive parents by joining an online adoptive parent discussion forum (see the list at the end of chapter 6).
Once you have narrowed your choices to several agencies, call or visit each agency and ask the following questions:
• With which country adoption programs do you work?
• How much interaction will I need to have with the foreign agency?
• What are your adoptive parent requirements or the requirements of each country’s program?
• What ages are the children available for adoption from each country’s program?
• What pre-adoptive training do you offer or require?
• What support do you offer pre-adoptive parents as they go through the process?
• What post-placement services do you offer, including visits to the home, support groups and education or training?
• What are your fees?
• How many visits do I have to make to the country for each program and what will I have to do while I’m there?
• How do you match waiting children with prospective parents?
• Typically, how long is the process from application to homecoming?
Don’t hesitate to ask the agency as many questions as you need to, because intercountry adoption can involve a lot more steps than domestic adoption and you will need to learn about each country’s program before deciding which is best for you. The agency you choose should be willing to answer all your questions, address your concerns and make you feel comfortable about the path you have chosen to adopt a child.
In choosing a country from which to adopt, think about travel requirements. You should ask your agency about required travel prior to selecting a country if you think travel will be an issue for you. It is in the best interest of your child for you to plan on going to the child’s birth country and not have your child escorted. The number of required trips, and the required length of stay for each, varies by country. Pre-adoptive parents may have to make one trip to meet and choose a waiting child, then make a second to bring the child home. A parent may need to stay in the country for several weeks or even months to collect all the papers the child needs to exit the country.
Also research which countries you are eligible to adopt from (for example, gay and lesbian couples are prohibited from adopting by many countries), the characteristics of waiting children, the reputation of the program and the costs. Most importantly, think about which culture you are most drawn to or which you are unwilling to adopt from. All intercountry adoptions are transcultural and some are transracial. Think about how you might support a child from a different culture develop a strong sense of self and identity. For example, do you live in a diverse community where a child from a different race or culture would be welcome? Are you willing to travel to your child’s country of origin to help him reconnect with his birth culture, should he be interested in doing so in the future? Do you have friends from specific ethnic or cultural backgrounds from whom your child might enjoy learning?
Popular foreign programs for American adopters over the past three decades have included China, Russia, Poland, Colombia, Guatemala, South Korea, Romania and Vietnam. Programs that have grown in recent years include Ethiopia, the Philippines and Ukraine (prior to the Russia-Ukraine conflict). Almost all adoption programs have special programs for older youth, sibling groups and children with special health needs.
A mother who adopted a nearly four-year-old child with blindness and other special needs from Ukraine has this advice for prospective parents in the process of choosing