| 1. What is the Waiting Child Program? |
| Holt’s Waiting Child Program is dedicated to finding permanent homes for children with special needs from each of the countries Holt works with. |
| 2. What is a “waiting child”? |
| Children become part of the Waiting Child Program for various reasons. Some children have special needs, which include physical, emotional, learning, or developmental disabilities; children over the age of two; or members of a sibling group being adopted together. Children may also be referred to the Waiting Child Program because there are no families available on the country program wait list. Waiting children often need extra commitment or skills from their adoptive parents. |
| 3. What kinds of special needs do the children in the Waiting Child Program have? |
| Many of the waiting children have minor/correctable special needs such as prematurity, low birth weight or developmental delays. Others have more moderate special needs such as congenital heart disease, cleft lip and palate, or clubfoot. A smaller group of children have severe special needs such as blindness, deafness, down syndrome or mental retardation. |
| 4. When does a child enter the Waiting Child Program? |
| If it is evident from the beginning that the child has special needs, the country program will refer the child to the Waiting Child Program immediately. A child may also be referred to the Waiting Child Program after a country program has tried for two months to place the child without success. |
| 5. How can I find out about children who are currently waiting? |
There are several avenues for getting information about available waiting children.
- The Waiting Child Photolisting: Most of our waiting children are featured on our website at www.holtinternational.org/waitingchild
- Holt International : Holt International is Holt’s bimonthly magazine. We feature many of our waiting children in the Easy to Love section of each issue.
- Waiting Child Application: If you know you want to adopt a waiting child and would like to hear about children who are waiting for families, you can fill out our waiting child forms and join a pool of interested families. Once we receive your packet, we will contact you about children you may be interested in.
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| 6. What do I do if I am interested in a child I have seen on the photolisting or in Holt International? |
| The first step is to fill out a waiting child application. You can fill it out on-line at www.holtinternational.org/waitingchild or contact the Waiting Child Program to have a packet mailed to you. Once we receive your completed packet, we will contact you with more information about the child you are interested in. If you are seriously considering adopting a certain child, additional child information will be sent to your social worker. |
| 7. What if there is not a specific child I am interested in? |
| If you know that you want to adopt a child with special needs but don’t have a specific child in mind, please fill out a waiting child application. You can find the packet on-line at www.holtinternational.org/waitingchild or contact the Waiting Child Program to have a packet mailed to you. Once we receive your completed packet, we will contact you with more information about children who are currently waiting who you might be interested in. |
| 8. What research is necessary to determine if I can meet a child’s special needs? |
| It is important to have the child’s medical information reviewed by your pediatrician or medical specialist. The waiting child staff are not medical professionals, so it is your responsibility to make sure you fully understand the child’s special needs, and what their care will involve. There is a list of international doctors posted in the “Resources” section of this website, and it may be helpful to have one of them review the child’s information. It might also be wise to read books on adoption, and to talk with other families who have experienced adopting a child similar to the one you are considering. |
| 9. What happens once I decide I want to adopt a specific child? |
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A Waiting Child Committee comprised of Holt social workers meets several times a month. At the committee meeting your family will be presented along with any other families who are interested in the same child, and the committee will decide which family is best for the child. If your family is the only one interested in a specific child, you will still be presented at a selection committee. If your family is selected, your file will be moved to whichever country program your child is from, and you will continue the process through that country program.
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| 10. What if my family is not chosen at the Waiting Child Committee? |
| Many wonderful families are not selected at their first committee meeting for a variety of reasons. If your family is not selected at committee, we will continue to work with you to match you with a waiting child. |
| 11. How much of the paperwork do I need to have completed before I can be matched with a waiting child? |
| Once you have completed a waiting child application, you can be presented at committee to be matched with a waiting child. However, the match will not be official (you will not get an assignment) until we have your approved home study. It is also important to note that the families who are further along in their paperwork are sometimes at an advantage over those who have only completed a waiting child application because it is important for the waiting child to come home as quickly as possible. |
| 12. What role does my social worker play in the waiting child process? |
| When the Director of the Waiting Child Program talks with your family, she will ask about current social workers and agencies you are working with. They will be contacted about your family’s suitability for special needs adoption. It is important to have your social worker’s recommendation prior to being presented at the Waiting Child Committee. After committee, the social worker and branch manager will be notified of the match. |
| 13. What if I become interested in a waiting child when I am already in the standard match process? |
| If you are already “in line” for a child through the standard match process, you do not have to give up your place in order to be part of the Waiting Child Program. You can be part of a parallel process where you are discussing waiting children with us while you a wait for a referral of a child through the standard match process. If you are matched with a waiting child, you would not also receive a referral for a child though the standard match process, and vice versa. |
| 14. How long does the process take? |
| Timeframes vary depending on which country you are working with and how quickly you complete your paperwork. The process from the time you submit your formal application until the time your child arrives home usually takes between 12 and 22 months. |
| 15. Is the timeframe for a waiting child different than the timeframe for a child with no identifiable special health care needs? |
| The process for a waiting child often moves more quickly than the standard country process. This is mainly due to the fact that the child is already referred to us so we can often match you with a child more quickly. Families still have to complete the rest of the process as outlined in the country guidelines for whichever country program their child is from. |
| 16. Is there a reduction in fees if I adopt a waiting child? |
| If you adopt a child with moderate to severe special health care needs there may be a reduction in the adoption program fee. This decision is made on a case-by-case basis. For a full schedule of fees, see the “Adoption” section of this website |
| 17. What financial assistance is available for families adopting a waiting child? |
| Holt offers the Special Needs Adoption Fund Grant to qualified families. There are other organizations that also offer assistance to families adopting children with special health care needs. For more information, see the “Resources” section of this website. |
| 18. What have other families experienced after adopting a child with special health care needs? |
| You can read about families who adopted waiting children on the “Waiting child Success Stories” page of this website. |
