China

Kiina

Children to be adopted

  • Children with special needs, toddlers and school aged children
  • Our Chinese adoptions operate through the Special Needs Program (SN). Children in Special Needs adoption have one or more diagnoses (e.g. cleft lip and palate, moderate / severe heart defect, deformity of the foot or arm, other structural abnormality, special needs related to hearing or vision, epilepsy
  • Siblings cannot be adopted from China.
  • Together with the applicant(s), we work to map the family’s abilities and the child’s needs.

Criteria for applicants

  • Heterosexual married couples or single female applicants
  • Applicant must be at least 30 years old
  • The first marriage must have lasted at least two years and the second marriage at least five years. Long cohabitation is also taken into account.
  • The net worth of the family must be at least $ 80,000, for a single applicant at least $ 100,000.
  • Supporting statement is needed from the social worker and from the Intercountry Adoption Service for the applicant to be included in China Special Needs Program.

Adoption Contact in China

  • Adoption Center under the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs: China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA)
  • We work in collaboration through China Special Needs Program (SN Program).

Compilation of documents

  • After the adoption permit is issued, the Intercountry Adoption Service instructs applicants in obtaining the documents.
  • Applicants compile the documents themselves, get them notarized and submit to the Intercountry Adoption Service.
  • The Intercountry Adoption Service checks the documents and sends them to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and to the Chinese Embassy for legalization.
  • The completed documents are delivered to China and entered into the CCCWA database.

Waiting period

  • The CCCWA registers the documents approximately within a month of their arrival.
  • After the registration, the matching between the child and the applicant(s) begins.
  • Save the Children Adoption Coordinator matches the applicants with children in CCCWA database.
  • The most suitable family for the child is sought, the applicants are not in a queue.
  • The child proposal may come after 1-2 years after the applicants ’documents are registered in China. Waiting periods are indivual and may vary.

Child Proposal

  • Save the Children will inform the applicants about the child proposal in writing.
  • The child proposal includes basic information in English about the child’s background and state of health, a few pictures and a Finnish pediatrician’s assessment of the child’s situation.
  • If the applicant(s) accept the Child Proposal, Save the Children will confirm their approval to the CCCWA.
  • The CCCWA will decide whether to approve the adoption approximately within two months of the child proposal. Prior to this additional information may be asked regarding child’s development, health status, pictures, video, and more medical consultations. 

Adoption Trip

  • The adoption trip will be prepared once the CCCWA has approved the child proposal and the family has signed the approval documents (approximately 2 months after receiving the child proposal).
  • Save the Children has a longstanding Chinese contact person in China to help with travel arrangements.
  • The duration of the trip is about 2 weeks.
  • The trip includes several official meetings, e.g. Ministry of Civil Affairs, notaries, Police Department, Embassy of Finland.
  • Adoption will be confirmed in China during the adoption trip.

After arriving in Finland with the child

The social worker of Adoption Councelling prepares follow-up reports after 6 months, 12 months, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years