The types of children available for international adoption have changed from primarily young healthy infants to now including more older children and those with special needs. This is due to factors like improved social services and a focus on continuum of care in other countries. Bethany's response has been to advocate for these harder to place children through initiatives like their waiting child portal, which currently lists over 400 children of varying ages and needs from over a dozen countries waiting for families. Families can access this portal after completing a preliminary application on Bethany's website.
2. Difference between International Adoption Then and
Now
Profile of the types of children we serve
Reason for the change in types of children we serve
What this means for families
Information on Bethany’s Waiting Child Portal
Objectives
3. When is Then?
5 years ago? 10 years ago? 1 year ago? 6 months
ago?
Culture of Change and Movement
Then?
4. Numbers from 2000 (THEN)
449 Placements from all
countries
323 of these placements were
children aged 3 and under (72%)
Only 41 placements for Special
Needs (9%)
Then in Numbers
5. Numbers from 2012 (NOW)
263 Placements from all
countries
138 of these placements
were children aged 3 and
under (52%)
172 placements were for
Special Needs (65%)
Now in Numbers
6. Numbers Projected for 2013
(CURRENT)
Estimated 351 Placements for 2013
40% predicted to be age 3 and under
70% predicted to be Special Needs
Placements
Projections in Numbers
9. Developing programs in Ghana
and Brazil
Children coming from these
“new” programs will be more
reflective of the reality of
intercountry adoption- older
children, children with special
needs, sibling groups, etc.
NOW numbers reflect new
realities
Now- Countries
10. Continuum of Care
Adoption is the LAST
resort
Better research into
family dynamics, family
preservation and social
services means less
children available for
adoption
Ethics
Why the Change?
12. How children come into care has changed
as well
Continuum of Care means: No longer just
abandonment due to cultural/government
regulations
More children coming into care due to
abuse/neglect
This means that the children who ARE in
care have more needs now than they did
before
Children have more complex histories
Changes: Coming Into Care
13. Intercountry Adoption is changing
“Healthy Infants” no longer the norm
New “face” of ICA:
Specific medical/health diagnoses
Developmental disabilities
Complex psycho-emotional needs
Older children
Sibling Groups
Continuum of Care: Adoption
14. What about the worldwide “orphan
crisis”? Where are all these orphans that
are being talked about?
ORPHAN is not synonymous for INFANT
Orphan crisis- thousands of children
worldwide waiting for families- many of
whom are older and/or have special
needs
Orphan Crisis
15. Advocating for the children who need
families across the world (not just
advocating for infants)
Presenting waiting children to families
who are interested and doing direct
recruiting for those children
Education on the realities of international
adoption to prospective families
Remaining true to our ethical framework
Bethany’s Response
16. Longer wait time for referrals for
“young” children (under the age of 3)
Colombia, Ethiopia, China as examples
In the future, the wait times will likely
CONTINUE to increase, as we see less
and less “young” children available
No such thing as a child without
“needs”
Institutionalization, lack of family
structure in a child’s life always
correlates to needs of some sort
Moving from “no identified needs” to
an understanding that all children
adopted internationally will have special
needs of some severity
What This Means to Families
17. More direct recruiting for families who
are able and willing to adopt an older
child, sibling group, or a child with
special needs
More education on the needs of a child
who is being adopted through
intercountry adoption
(webinars, Bethany’s required 30 hours
of training)
More exposure to families regarding the
realities of international adoption-
putting it OUT THERE
What This Means for Families
18. We need YOU to help spread the word about the
realities of children available for adoption and help
advocate for these children who do not have families!
We Need YOU!
19. Currently over 400 children listed on
Bethany’s waiting child portal- more
being added monthly
This is only a PORTION of the children
available worldwide, but the profiles are
ones that have been entrusted to us to
find families for
Children with various needs, various
ages, from various countries
Waiting Child Portal
20. New categorization system for children on the
waiting portal allows families to see and understand
the realities of identified needs of children across the
globe
Categories include:
Medical/Physical Conditions
Developmental Delay
Developmental Disability
Older Children
Sibling Groups
Psychoemotional Conditions
Waiting Child Categorization
21. 3% from Africa
1% from Albania
30% from Bulgaria
8% from China
3% from Colombia
2% from Ethiopia
2% from Ghana
7% from Hong Kong
1% from Korea
30% from Lithuania
12% from Philippines
1% from Uganda
Waiting Children by Country
22. The face of international adoption is changing and will
continue to change
Trends are increasing towards placing children who
are older, sibling groups or who have special needs
Children ARE waiting right now for families, and
Bethany shares some of the profiles of these waiting
children through the Bethany Waiting Child Portal
Closing
23. Families receive access to the waiting child
portal, where they can view all profiles of waiting
children, when they complete a free preliminary
application
Preliminary application can be completed by visiting:
https://www.bethany.org/main/international-
adoption-form
Accessing the Portal
