Adopting from the USA

[Jayni313]

Anyone have any experiences adopting from America? Agency recommendations etc? I'm interested in finding out more as apparently it's easier to get a younger child than it is in the UK? TIA :)

[Leeza2]

If you are normally resident in the UK, you need to get approved by the UK authorities, that is a voluntary adoption agency or local authority social services .

Then you can work with a US based agency of your choice .

I believe you will be in competition with many US families and generally birth mothers will not wish their child to be placed abroad , so they can still keep in contact . However the agency will advise on this

[Velvet1973]

When we started out on our adoption journey this was something we looked at. The only info I could find was basically saying the US no longer allowed it but I may be wrong. I found it very difficult to get a clear answer. What I had found was that when it had been allowed previously it cost thousands of pounds.
We adopted through the UK in the end and had our 6 month baby boy placed last December.

[Leeza2]

AFAIK it is still allowed, you just need to get approved here first .

And it costs at least tens of thousands of pounds . You will be thousands to the British authorities alone, for home study, legalisation of documents plus agency, travel and legal fees .

And you will get none of this back if the Bm changes her mind . So you don't have to just be able to raise this money , you have to be prepared to lose quite a lot of it and repeat the process again

[Kewcumber]

I think I did a response on costs a short white ago if you do an advanced search in adoption of America or USA