International vs. Domestic Adoption Part 1

International vs. Domestic Adoption:

There have been a lot of arguments and conversations about international versus domestic adoption. Which is better? A baby girl from China or a baby boy from DC? To be honest, when it came to this subject, I thought there wasn’t much difference other than a plane ride. But when I looked deeper into this subject, it was a lot more than I expected.

The total number of adoptions taking place in the US has fallen from 133,437 adoptions in 2007 to 110,373 (41,023 related adoptions and 69,350 unrelated adoptions) in 2014. More than half of this decline can be attributed to the significant drop in the number of intercountry adoptions by Americans. There is also a significant decline in the number of kinship or related adoptions (Jones & Placek, 2017).

The overall number of adoptions to the United States in Fiscal Year 2017 was 4,714, a decline of 658 from the previous year. Here are the top 10 states that have adopted internationally:

Top 10 States:

Texas: 406 (Adoptions Finalized Abroad = 362; Adoptions Finalized in the US = 44)

California: 334 (Adoptions Finalized Abroad = 291; Adoptions Finalized in the US = 43)

Illinois: 214 (Adoptions Finalized Abroad = 193; Adoptions Finalized in the US = 21)

North Carolina: 194 (Adoptions Finalized Abroad = 182; Adoptions Finalized in the US = 12)

New York: 192 (Adoptions Finalized Abroad = 165; Adoptions Finalized in the US = 27)

Georgia: 190 (Adoptions Finalized Abroad = 183; Adoptions Finalized in the US = 7)

Tennessee: 186 (Adoptions Finalized Abroad = 159; Adoptions Finalized in the US = 27)

Virginia: 183 (Adoptions Finalized Abroad = 163; Adoptions Finalized in the US = 20)

Florida: 166 (Adoptions Finalized Abroad = 152; Adoptions Finalized in the US = 14)

Minnesota: 160 (Adoptions Finalized Abroad = 149; Adoptions Finalized in the US = 11)

(Department of State, 2018)

When it comes to adoption either domestic or international there are three things that should be considered: cost, availability and wait times. I honestly did not even think of these things, so I explored further to understand them…

International vs. Domestic Adoption in Cost

International

When it comes to the cost of adopting a child internationally, the cost varies by different country. According to Child Welfare Information Gateway, average costs may run between $20,000 and $50,000 (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2016). For example, here are the average costs of the top 5 countries that children are adopted from (Department of State, 2018):

- China: $36,000

- South Korea: $35,000 – $39,000 + travel

- Haiti: $26,000 – $32,000 + travel

- India: $21,000 – $25,000 + travel

- Ukraine: $30,000 – $35,000 + travel

(Creating A Family, n.d.)

Costs also depend on the type of organization managing the adoption: government or private agency, orphanage, nonprofit, attorney, facilitator, or a combination of these. Depending on which countries are involved, there may be additional costs, including the following:

· Escort fees for when parents cannot travel to accompany the child to the United States

· Medical care and treatment for children

· Translation fees

· Foreign attorney and foreign agency fees

· Passport and visa processing fees

· Costs of visa medical examinations

· Counseling and support after placement

(Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2016)

(Auditor’s Note: Ethiopia was the #2 country where children are adopted from, however as of January 2018, intercountry adoptions are not currently possible between Ethiopia and the United States. See Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs, 2017 & 2018)

Domestic

You can adopt through foster care, through a private agency, or independently.

- Adopting from Foster Care: This involves very little expense because of Federal and State adoption assistance programs that minimize financial obstacles and encourage the placement of children whose special needs or circumstances might make them more difficult to place, such as older youth, sibling groups, or children with specific medical or mental health problems. Which I will speak about in another blog coming soon!

- Private Agency: Private agency adoptions conducted outside the public child welfare system vary widely in costs based on the agency used and the individual adoption circumstances but may range from $20,000 to $45,000. Overall costs may include:

· The home study

· Court and legal fees

· Preadoption and postadoption counseling for birth parents

· Birth parent medical and legal expenses

· Adoptive parent preparation and training

· Social work services needed to match a child with a prospective family

· Interim care for a child

· Postplacement supervision until the adoption is finalized

Some agencies may adjust their fees based on family income. There may also be reduced fees for families who locate a birth parent on their own but who need the agency for facilitating the adoption, including counseling, home study, and/or related services. Some agencies’ fees are inclusive of any and all matches with birth parents, regardless of whether or not the match results in a placement. Other agencies charge for each match, and fees may vary depending on birth parent expenses. It is important to ask for a written description of what the agency’s fees do and do not cover. While the cost of the home study may be included in the one-time overall adoption fee, home study fees can run between $1,500 and $4,000. Again, this can vary and may not be inclusive of adoptive parent preparation and training and postplacement supervision.

- Independent Adoption: An independent adoption outside the public child welfare system involves an attorney assisting prospective adoptive parents and expectant parents with the adoption process. These adoption costs may range from approximately $15,000 to $40,000. This range may include:

· The home study

· The birth mother’s medical expenses

· Separate legal and court fees for representing both adoptive and birth parents

There may be additional costs if complications arise during the birth process or if the search for expectant parents involves advertising. State laws govern reimbursements to birth mothers and may include restrictions regarding advertisements for adoptive parents. If allowed, advertising expenses can run between $500 and $5,000.

(Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2016)

WHOA! This is a lot and I just talked about cost! In part 2 I will go further into availability of children for domestic adoption and wait times for international children. Stay tuned!

References

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2016, November). Planning for adoption: Knowing the costs and resources. Retrieved from https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/s_costs.pdf#page=2&view=Types%20of%20adoption

Creating A Family. (n.d.). Adoption comparison charts. Retrieved from https://creatingafamily.org/adoption/comparison-country-charts/

Department of State. (2018, March 23). Annual report on intercountry adoptions. Retrieved from https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/NEWadoptionassets/pdfs/Annual%20Report%20on%20Intercountry%20Adoptions%20FY2017%20(release%20date%20March%2023%2020.._.pdf

Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs. (2017, December 12). Ethiopia adoption notice: Additional information concerning new referrals. Retrieved from https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/Intercountry-Adoption-News/ethiopia-adoption-notice--additional-information-concerning-new-.html

Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs. (2018, January 9). Ethiopia intercountry adoption information. Retrieved from https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/Intercountry-Adoption/Intercountry-Adoption-Country-Information/Ethiopia.html

Jones, J., & Placek, P. (2017, February 15). Adoption: By the numbers. Retrieved from https://indd.adobe.com/view/4ae7a823-4140-4f27-961a-cd9f16a5f362