A NOTE ABOUT WAITING CHILD PHOTOS
Due to India’s regulations, we are only able to share photos of waiting children with families at the appropriate stage in their adoption process. We would encourage families that there are many waiting children in India of all genders, ages and special needs. Please contact our India Staff for more information on the India program and the children currently waiting.
Program HistoryAmerica World has been licensed to work in India since 2006. Our India Program officially opened up in 2011 and over the years, we've had the privilege of personally meeting CARA adoption officials, US Embassy Staff, and over 30 India orphanage staff members. AWAA has completed adoptions from states all across India. We currently employ full time and part time staff in India to facilitate the adoption process and to provide guide services to families while they are traveling in country.
OrphanagesCurrently, 70 Registered Indian Placement Agencies can refer children for international adoptions. According to CARA guidelines, orphanages first must try to place an orphaned child into a relative placement or domestic placement within India. If the orphanage has a waiting list of international parents, they must then first place the child with a family of Indian heritage before placing the child with foreign international adoptive parents.
ReferralsChildren who have recently come home from India have ranged in age from infants to teenagers. Some of these children have been healthy, while others have had medical needs such as HIV, blood conditions, heart conditions, vision impairment, developmental delays or other correctible conditions.
Children may be orphaned in India due to poverty, disease, family or personal issues. Some children are found abandoned on the streets and may or may not remember their family. India follows the best practices and standards according to the Hague adoption guidelines to try to re-unite the child with their biological family if at all possible, and when not possible to seek a domestic and then international adoptive family.
Referral Review and Acceptance ProcessA family is able to receive a referral as soon as their home study is uploaded onto CARINGS and reviewed and approved by CARA. After that time, our staff can view profiles of waiting children to see if there is a child that meets the family’s home study requests. Some families have received a referral review opportunity immediately and others have waited several months or several years. The wait time will depend on the family’s child requests and the children who are available for adoption. The wait time for a referral will not be predictable due to the fact that we cannot predict what children will be available for adoption.
After a family receives a referral, they review the information with medical professionals, international specialists and their social worker. If the family accepts the referral, the family coordinator helps the family complete the necessary paperwork. The completed dossier and referral paperwork is then sent directly to the orphanage for further processing.
Waiting for Approvals and TravelFamilies will wait an additional 8-15 months for approvals to occur from USCIS (US immigration) and from approval entities in India. After the approvals have occurred and the child has received their Indian passport, the family travels to the orphanage and will be accompanied by an America World adoption facilitator. After spending a few days in the state/province, the family will travel to Delhi to complete the child’s medical exam and visa paperwork. The total time in India can range from 10-14 days. It is optional if a family wants to use AW guide services in Delhi. America World’s staff will coordinate travel logistics, including air and ground transportation, lodging, and some meals. Upon returning home, the post adoption department will assist the family with adjusting to life with their new child and understanding the re-adoption and post adoption report requirements. The post adoption report requirements will vary for each family as the judge will decree in the court order how many reports they want to see, and the orphanage director also has the right to request a certain amount of post adoption reports.
The post adoption department will support a family for years after the adoption is completed and is always available to help families with resources, support and training.
India gained independence from the British in 1947 after separating into the Republic of India and Pakistan.
India’s 1.2 billion people represent one sixth of the world’s population. With over a million square miles of territory and more than 3,500 miles of coastline, India is one of the most vast and diverse countries in the world. From the enormous Himalayas in the north, to the tropical beaches of the west and south – India has a wide and diverse landscape. With India’s sharp population increase over the last half century there have been many social and economic challenges. The burden of extreme poverty and disease, added to India’s population explosion, has created a large orphan crisis. There are many reasons why children are no longer able to live with their birth families, including HIV/AIDS, child neglect, poverty and child abandonment.
