FOREIGN ADOPTION

[SilverLady67]

Hi -

I am just wondering has anyone here adopted from abroad.

Is it very difficult? DH and I are just mulling over our options and was looking for some input.

Thanks.

You need to be approved by social services first (for domestic and overseas adoption) see here , so perhaps contact them and they will be able to give you all the info you need?

I am actually an approved adopter, so was just curious to know if anybody else here had experience of adopting from another country.

Thanks.

yes - there are several overseas adopters on here. Every bit as difficult as adopting in the UK depending on where you live (some parts of the UK seem to be easier than othres). What do you want to know.

you need to be apporved for a specific country - presumably you are approved for a UK adoption? You will need to go back to panel to get approved for an specific country approval - they will probably charge you aorund £5,000 for the pleasure.

It's such a puzzle!! We adopted our first child almost 3 years ago, it happened quite quickly and there were no problems. Second time around it just seems to be taking forever!!

I would rather spend the £5000 on the child I have right now and when/if another comes along then that will be fantastic.

Why is it so difficult?!

well politically ovreseas adoptions rank somewhere below vermin eradication in most councils and central governmetns becasue with so few every year (about 300) there no votes in them! They do the minimum needed to comply with the Hague Convention (and there is some argument that they don;t fulfill the requirements of the Hague convention) which generally involves a hugely bureaucratic process with a lot of box ticking.

Not that I'm biased of course...

We have found the perfect child for us in Sth. Africa.

The orphanage says she could be ours by the end of the month.

Thoughts??

Firstly you would need to be approved for intercountry adoption and included in this is the approval for the country you are considering. This would include looking at how you intend to help your child maintain links with their cultural heritage/country - it's often said that you are adoptiong a country as well as a child.If you are a different colour from the child you are adopting you would need to show an understanding of racism and how you would help a child deal with it.
Once approved YOU would need to be the ones seeing it through with the country you have chosen because your social worker would not help you with matching or placement. Trying to meet your countries requirements can present a challenge, sometimes even finding out what these are isn't that straightforward! The process can often take a very long time (years)depending on the country you are adopting from. There really aren't that many children in the UK adopted from S Africa and there may be a reason for this. You could discuss this with the Intercountry Adoption Centre who may be able to put you in touch with people who have adopted from there. They run Information Days for those who are considering intercountry adoption which would enable you to look at some of the issues which may arise.
Good Luck if you decide to go ahead.

"The orphanage says she could be ours by the end of the month"

Not unless you're planning to move to South Africa! It will take longer than that to get your home study reissued, then you have to get a certificate of elgibility form DCFS - not sure what current time salces are but think mine took about 3 months.

In theory at that point your dossier could be sent to SOuth Africa but in practice most countries require additioanl/differnt paperwork to the UK and they require it to be notarised and apostilled (I'd be surprised if SA was any different).

I don'tthink SA has signed the Hague convention so you would presumanly adopt the childunder locla rules and then have to apply for entry clearance at the British embassy - they will want to see that you have your cert of eligibilty issued by DFES, that social services in the UK have approved the match and that all the local paperwork is in order. Once back in the UK you will be visited 6 weekly by social services until you have a full UK adoption in place.

I would STRONGLY advise you to try to find someone who has adotped into the UK from SA - the yahoo group UKAO (UK Overseas Adoption) might be a quick place to try as well as OASIS and ICACentre