Philippines Special Needs Adoption - Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Are there many children available in the waiting child program and what are the circumstances?

The Philippines has a number of Special Needs Children - Special Home Finding of either sex or:

• Older children whose age range is from 5 - 15 years old
  
• Children belonging to a sibling group of 3 or more
  
• Children found positive of Hepa B or HIV
  
• Children with minor medical conditions (cleft lip/palate, half or total blindness, hearing impaired, mild cerebral palsy, etc.) developmental delays (language/speech, motor skills, etc.)

2. How long is typical for waiting for this program?

Generally, all our waiting children have been cleared for inter-country adoption placement and once the FAA (Foreign Adoption Agency) notifies the ICAB (Inter Country Adoption Board) that a possible family is interested in a specific child/ren in the Special Needs Children - Special Home Findings program, such a case/s is/are put on hold. The ICAB allows the FAA to complete and endorse the dossier of the adoption applicants within a 4 month period.

The ICAB Secretariat Social Worker in charge of the SNC-SHF program is mandated by the Board to present the case within one week after receipt of the application if the endorsed dossier of the family has thorough and substantial information in the Home Study Report (HSR) and supporting documents are complete and likewise, the dossier of the child is complete and updated.

3. How different is the time period for special needs adoption vs. regular adoption from the Philippines?

A regular adoption from the Philippines can take between 1 1/2- 2 years to complete for a family of Filipino descent and 2 ½-3 years for a family of other descent. For a special needs adoption, regardless of descent, the family only waits as long as it takes to get their dossier completed in the US (approx 6 months) and then the time it takes to complete the immigration and US Embassy work (approx 2-4 months).

4. What is considered "special needs?"

There are a range of special needs, from mild and correctable, to more severe, needing surgery, or lifelong conditions that the family would need to be prepared for. According to the ICAB office, the following document list conditions they consider as special needs.

Need More Information?

We are able to work on all islands to complete your international adoptions. Please contact the Oahu office for more information on international adoption or for assistance with a domestic adoption home study on Oahu.

Oahu
200 N. Vineyard Blvd., Bldg. #B
Honolulu, Hawaii 96817
Phone: (808) 543-8446
Email: Adoption

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