Description

This video by TV360 offers you expert advice about adopting a child from abroad.

Transcript

The adoption process is extensive and it is meant to protect the child who is coming from the other country. The first thing that people have to do is find a social worker and start to fill out paper work. And get affidavits of support from friends and colleagues who will testify that they are likely to be good parents. You need to submit a financial readiness. You need to have your home inspected to prove that you have what is needed to support a child. You need to prove that you have alternative guardianship if you're a single parent. You need to have a background check. And you need to have a letter from a physician showing that you are healthy enough to be a parent for the next 18 or how many years are required. It’s common for people to feel as Larry and Shaun did that they are under scrutiny when they were first interviewed by people who are responsible for helping with the adoption process. Basically, they just want to know that you’re going to be a good parent but then there are multiple avenues to learning about people and figuring out if they are going to be a fit parent. Part of that involves just getting to know you. Are you a reasonable person? Do you have some warmth about you? Can you nurture a child? And many of the people who are embarking on an international adoption are very warm and appropriate parents. And they should not be fearful. Typically, people should plan on spending approximately $20,000-$25,000. That outlay of cost is made a little bit easier by a tax credit that people can claim on their income tax on the following year. However, that does not return all of the money that you have put out. So it is a significant cost to a family. People should generally be prepared to plan on at least a year of process. And sometimes a year and a half. It depends entirely on which country you're going to and it depends on political stability of the program that you’re involved with. It is always possible when you're embarking on international adoption that something can be politically disruptive during that process and you can be left in limbo. So it’s helpful for people to try to be aware of that. And try to go to a stable program when they're beginning to think about this.