In this section:

HEADQUARTERS

The Barker Foundation
7979 Old Georgetown Road
First Floor
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-664-9664

1-800-673-8489

__________

SATELLITE OFFICES

2957 Monticello Drive
Falls Church, VA 22042
703-536-1827

1066 - 30th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20007
202-298-7724

International Adoption FAQ

Who are the children?

The children usually range in age from six months to eleven years; most are between ten months and three years. Sibling groups who need families are typically pre-school or school-aged children; rarely do they include infants or toddlers.

How do the children fare?

The great majority of children adopted from abroad thrive once they are in nurturing families. Lacking the early benefit of loving parents, the children usually have delays at placement. This is particularly true of children who have been in institutions. Even good institutions cannot provide the nurturing young children need. Newly adopted children may also show signs of depression or have adjustment problems; these are usually mild and short-lived but sometimes serious and long-term. The child's temperament, life experience and age, along with the adoptive parents' temperament, adaptability and sensitivity, all play a role in the ever-changing fabric of a child's development.

What qualities best serve parents?

For over two decades we have been bringing together people who want to be parents with children from abroad who need homes. Experience tells us that families that thrive are most likely to be ones in which the parents are open and accepting, people who can, without preconceived expectations, take pleasure in the miracle of watching a child grow and develop. People adopting from overseas will, in most cases, become minority families. Thus, a family's openness to other cultures and races is important.

What kind of information will we have?

Barker tries to provide prospective parents with as much information as possible about the child they may adopt. The amount of information available will vary widely depending upon the country and the particular situation. After a child is referred, we will help you understand the information provided and put you in touch with professionals who may be able to assist you.

If there is an extended period of time between referral of a child and the time the family travels, the agency will get updated information on the child which may include medical reports and pictures.

How long is the wait?

Typically, parents have a child within a year of their documents being sent abroad. Waits vary from country to country. In some countries the major part of the wait will be before a child is identified, in others it will be after. We can tell you what waits have been in the past, and sometimes that is predictive of what they will be in the future.

Will I/we need to travel to pick up our child?

Most countries require this and we always recommend it. Traveling gives the parents a unique opportunity to see their child's environment and to begin to develop an appreciation for their child's heritage and culture. Few families who adopt internationally are world travelers. This is simply the beginning of the stretching that people do when they become parents. Moreover, the story of the trip to bring them home has endless fascination for children.

In all of our programs there is good support and guidance for the trip. Staff will pass along recommendations from other families about where to stay, and an adoption professional or guide will meet parents in the country to help them through the process. The length of the stay in the country varies depending upon their legal procedure. It is usually one to two or three weeks.

What are the challenges of the international adoption process?

There are inevitable risks in adoption. A basic understanding of the risks and complexities of international adoption prior to making the decision to adopt will, in the long run, make it less stressful. In this, adoption is like all other major life events. Information about a child can be incomplete or simply wrong. Governments can change their requirements or procedures without notice, and costs and time frames for placement can change. Parents need to be flexible because so much is outside of their control and outside the control of the agency.

Our first goal is to reduce risks whenever we can by working with sources which we understand to be reputable. Our second goal is to forge a relationship with prospective parents which will enable us to work through problems if and when they should come up.

Eligibility

The Guidelines In Area and the Guidelines Out of Area charts will answer most questions about eligibility. There are, as noted, exceptions for prospective parents adopting children who are older or have special needs. People need to be flexible while at the same time assessing the risks and not pushing themselves beyond what they can handle.
Because our mission is to place children who need families, we ask that applicants not specify gender. There may be some flexibility if families are adopting older children and have children in the home.

What is the process?

Once your application is accepted, you will receive written confirmation and information about the documents which need to be collected. These documents will be reviewed, authenticated and translated by Barker as necessary. You will also receive information on filing with the Immigration and Naturalization Service. When the dossier, which includes the documents, home study, and INS clearance, is completed it will be couriered abroad.

We will be in touch with you when a child is identified. We will assist you in understanding the information and will put you in touch with other professionals who can help you as well. After the decision has been made to move ahead, we will notify the source and, when the time comes, provide guidance for the trip. During this interim period the agency will be in touch with the entity abroad about the progress of the case.

The family travels to bring their child home.

At the completion of the legal process the parents will have either a final decree of adoption or pre-adoptive guardianship. For those children whose adoptions are finalized within their native country, they will enter the Domestic as Domestic Citizens. For those children who enter the Domestic within a pre-adoptive guardianship status, they will become automatic Domestic citizens at the time of their Domestic adoption finalization. (Note, documentary proof of Domestic citizenship for foreign-born adopted child is NOT a given. Families will need to apply for a Domestic Passport or Certificate of Citizenship for their child.)

 

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