China Waiting Child Program

AHH has partnered with the CCCWA (China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption) to place orphaned Chinese children into loving homes since 1996. We work directly with the CCCWA, and we have a liaison in Beijing.

AHH’s fees are among the lowest in the nation and we have a long history of successful placements through our China program. China maintains a list of orphans with special needs who are available for adoption, and this list is distributed to all agencies with waiting child programs.

When a family expresses an interest in adopting a particular child, a 72-hour hold is put on the child’s availability so that the family can make a decision based on a complete referral, which will include medical information. The family must make a decision during that 72-hour period. For families wishing to adopt a child who is on the Special Focus List, they may have a little longer period of time to decide to commit to a particular child. In addition, AHH is able to choose children from the Special Focus List to be placed on our individual agency list. AHH then advocates to find homes for those children for up to 60 days. Families interested in children on AHH’s individual list may have additional time to review a child’s file before making a decision.

CHILDREN AVAILABLE

Children from 12 months to school-age with special needs are in need of adoption. Minor to moderate special needs include: cleft lip and palate; minor orthopedic needs; missing digits; Ventrical Septal Defect (hole in the heart), which is generally correctable with surgery; and Hepatitis B, both active and non-active. Major special needs include: hearing impaired, vision impaired, limb disfiguration, spina bifida, and others. In most cases, we see vast improvements in children with special needs once they are receiving proper medical care and living in a healthy environment.

ELIGIBILITY TO ADOPT

China’s eligibility requirements state that only married, heterosexual couples or single heterosexual women may adopt. Both husband and wife must be between ages of 30 and 55 (singles up to 50 years old) at the time the dossier goes to China, and couples must have been married at least 2 years. (If either husband or wife has been previously divorced, they must be married at least 5 years at the time the dossier arrives in China.)

Additionally, applicants must be physically and mentally healthy (neither applicant is taking psychotropic drugs; neither applicant has a Body Mass Index of 40 or above; neither applicant has a history of cancer). Financially, the family’s net assets must be over $80,000 (100,000 for singles), with a minimum salary of $10,000 per family member, including the child to be adopted (minimum of $30,000 in cases of childless families). Applicants must have at least a high school diploma. Neither applicant may have a criminal record nor a history of drug abuse.

There are a few further stipulations for single women, which are outlined in our China booklet. We have a special parental qualification form for you to complete. CCCWA is somewhat flexible with families adopting children with special needs, and if you find you do not meet one of the qualifications above, we can check whether CCCWA will make an exception in your case. Typically, these exceptions are given only after you have identified a child you would like to adopt.

Want to make sure you qualify for China, please submit this Parent Eligibility Form prior to submitting a full application. For more information regarding the China program, please download the China Fact Sheet or call to speak with one of our adoption experts directly at 859-263-9964.