China Waiting Children with Special Needs Program :: Process

You can trust that New Life will streamline the adoption process; we are committed to doing our best to make sure your adoption is smooth, easy and joyful!

Here are a few quick highlights of the Process:

• Complete and submit a Family Questionnaire, which will be promptly reviewed by New Life's professional team
• Review New Life's Waiting Children with Special Needs to choose a child to join your family
• Complete and submit a Pre-Application with the fee
• Complete and submit an Adoption Application with the fee
• Take the child's medical profile to your doctor to review and discuss medical treatment
• Complete the first packet of paperwork which prepares your file, permitting you to start Home Study
• With New Life's help write a Letter of Intent for Adoption to CCAA 
• Meet with your Social Worker and complete your home study
• Receive your Notification of Pre-Acceptance from China
• Finish you final packet of paperwork which allows New Life to complete your Dossier
• Your Dossier will be sent to China by International Express Mail by New Life
• Receive your Travel Letter From China
• Travel to China to be united with your child!

Now we hope you are ready to learn more about the entire process, which we will fully describe for you- just continue on and we will walk you through each step!

The steps in your adoption journey are straightforward, yet the experience is as unique as you and the child you are ultimately united with.  It is easy for us to tell you about the steps involved; however, it is impossible for us completely prepare you for the remarkable experience of adoption that awaits you.

All you have to do to start your adoption process is come to one of New Life’s free information seminars; we offer them across New York State in various locations.  If you are unable to attend, we also provide phone or office consultations.  Simply call us to register for a seminar or to schedule a consultation.  Especially for parents interested in the Waiting Children with Special Needs program, we encourage you to call us to discuss the current children New Life represents within its program.

You will complete both a family questionnaire and pre-application which asks you for very general information about yourself, your background, employment, financial stability, medical history and the members of your household. There is a minimal fee associated with the pre-application for administrative services. New Life will review your pre-application within two (2) business days, to ensure you will meet the necessary requirements for a successful adoption.  If we identify an area that may require your attention, we will discuss it with you as well as outline your options for moving forward.  We can never make guarantees; however, we will be honest, communicate with you openly, and be careful and thorough as we work together to help you have a successful adoption.

If a particular child speaks to your heart, let us know immediately, we will be thrilled to give you more information.  We attempt not to place parents on waiting lists, yet in the special needs program if more than one family expresses interest in a child we create a list based upon the order in which parents contact the agency. 

After you identify a child you will receive a more detailed history about the child, along with the most recent medical report we have been provided with from CCAA.  Parents are encouraged to carefully review and discuss the information, as well as seek medical advice regarding the best medical intervention or treatment plan to serve the child’s needs.  The unique component of the special needs program is that you can select your child, yet you must be fully aware of and prepared to address the child’s needs.

If you feel you can go forward with the adoption of the child you have selected you will be required to write a Letter of Intent to CCAA.  Your letter serves as a petition for that child, along with expressing your desire to have the child join your family.  We will help you with the letter.  In just one page, you will need to highlight why you are interested in the child, how you plan to address the child’s needs, and what specifically sets you apart from other parents to make you highly suitable as parents for the child you wish to parent (i.e., comprehensive medical benefits, access to a medical center, one parent stays at home, etc).

New Life will review your Letter of Intent carefully, and will attach an agency recommendation to support the information you have provided.  We then send your material to CCAA. After preliminary approval, New Life will receive a Pre-Acceptance Notice from China.  It states that your adoption will be carried out through the special needs program after the submission and review of application documents (a DOSSIER; you may wish to visit to the "BUILDING YOUR DOSSIER" in the China Program to learn more).  If your dossier has already been sent to China by New Life, we will notify the reviewers of your pre-acceptance.  Your dossier will then be transferred to the special needs review process. 

The review process is compressed.  Just like you, China is eager to have the child join your family and begin receiving support for his or her needs. After final approval, New Life will receive your travel letter from CCAA (you formal invitation to come to China to be united with your child). This simply means your dossier has been accepted and China has now approved you for an adoption. During your waiting time you will attend a Travel Meeting at New Life to help you prepare to travel. (You may wish to visit the “TRAVEL” section in the China Program to learn more about traveling to China). Once you receive your travel letter you may choose to travel alone, which tends to be slightly more expensive, yet it allows you to leave as soon as you are ready to travel.  You may wish to travel with the next group going to China with our traditional program.  There are pluses and minuses to both; our team is there to help you make the decision that is best for you.

Your entire trip to China will be up to 14 days long, and New Life will make all of the arrangements. When it is time for you to travel you will receive a complete travel plan which will fully outline your trip.  There will be an agency representative available to you 24 hours each day you are in China. They will greet you at the airport upon your arrival; accompany you to all appointments, sight seeing, meals and help with any questions you have while in China. You will also be contacted by New Life while you are in China; we want to make sure all is going smoothly. While in China you will have business to conduct, which includes the adoption of your child, a medical appointment for the child and getting the child’s visa. You will not have appointments all day everyday, so you will have the opportunity to go sight seeing, rest or enjoy quiet time as a family.  All your activities are included in your fees; you will only need to be prepared for any souvenirs you wish to buy during your trip.

It will be an exciting time when you return home, your family and friends will be eager to meet your child. Those first several weeks at home are busy, and all this unbelievable excitement will be whirling around at that very delicate stage of your family becoming accustomed to each other.  It is good to think ahead, giving some thought to the type of support you may need to help everyone through this period of transition and adjustment.

We at New Life will be preparing while you are in China.  When you leave for China we will let your social worker know, and give an estimated date of when you will return. We will send you, along with your social worker, an information packet about your post-placement.  We understand how full the days and weeks are when you return, so we want to start it off for you on a positive note.
Within the first few days of having your child home you will receive a call from your social worker.  Everyone wants to make sure your transition into family life is going smoothly, and answer any questions.  A serious commitment in your adoption is your agreement to fully participate in post-placement.  It is a requirement placed upon the agency by China, as China wants to make sure that your child is loved, happy and safe.  The Agency is held accountable for post-placement, and New Life approaches this responsibility to you, your child and to China with great sincerity.  We have found that the post-placement phase is a joyful phase if we work together to fulfill the necessary requirements.

Your post-placement phase is the twelve (12) months following your return home.  It is a time when you will complete monthly reports describing your child’s progress, provide the agency with pictures of your child along with medical reports completed by your family doctor.  At the end of six months your social worker will visit you, it is a “touching base” time to see how your child it adapting to their new family, home and your family's daily routine. The social worker will complete an interim report and send it to New Life.  After our team reviews the six month report we will send it onto China. At the end of twelve (12) months your social worker will come back for the final visit, this report summarizes how your family has settled down as one unit and documents how your child has adjusted to life with you. This final home study will be reviewed by the Agency, sent to China and at that point your adoption will be complete. CONGRATULATIONS you are a family!

Again, we are just a phone call away at 315-422-7300, to help you learn about China’s Waiting Children with Special Needs program.  You can trust that we will be there to help you as you adopt, and we will work together with you to make your adoption smooth every step of the way.

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