Waiting Children Program Updates
January Referrals
America World continues to rejoice with families accepting referrals from the Waiting Children Program. Congratulations to the 12 families who accepted referrals in the month of January! These referrals were from the shared list and were boys and girls ranging in ages 9 months- 10 years old. Some of the referrals were for healthy older children, and other children had a single or multiple special needs.
In addition to families accepting shared referrals, many of our America World agency specific waiting children have families pursuing their adoption! There are other agency specific referrals for waiting children, both boys and girls of various ages, available for adoption. America World will continue to post information when new shared or individual referrals are received.
Resources for Current Families
Families participating in the Waiting Children Program who are waiting for a referral will continue to receive email updates regarding program announcements and specific referral information, when applicable. Families with referrals who anticipate bringing their children home can consult the Waiting Children Program Guidelines for an overview of the estimated approval and travel timeframes.
Families are encouraged to read recent blog posts regarding resources that may be helpful. These posts include information on Adoption Learning Partners, No Hands but Ours and Love Without Boundaries. These posts can be found in the “Adoption Education†section of the blog.
Families Invited to Apply
Current China Program families can continue to apply for the Waiting Children Program while waiting for a healthy referral, without their dossier status being affected. The review process allows families to review a referral with a medical professional and their social worker before committing to the adoption of that child. Once a family accepts a referral through the Waiting Children Program, the dossier will be moved to the CCAA’s Special Needs Department for approval of the adoption. Families who would like to receive more information about the program or about America World’s waiting children can contact their Family Coordinator or emailing waitingchildren@awaa.org for the Waiting Children Program FAQ’s, overview packet and application.
Prospective families are invited to email the address listed above or call I-800-OneChild to find out more information about the program.
Families Return Home
Congratulations to the many families who returned home with their children in the month of January! Families can refer to the recent Travel blog post for more details.
Sharing Adoption Stories
Program staff would like to thank all of the families who have been posting their adoption stories and testimonies on our blog. We continue to receive positive comments from families currently in process and prospective families who are encouraged and inspired by these stories. We appreciate families taking the time to share their stories.
Any family is invited to share their story, whether currently in process or home with their child. Families interested in sharing their story can email the address listed above. We continue to be honored and blessed by each family’s unique and special adoption story and are privileged to serve each family throughout their adoption process.
Looking forward to 2009
The year has begun with many families in various stages of their adoption whether accepting referrals, receiving their CCAA approvals or returning home with their children. As Brian stated in one of his recent CEO blog posts, America World has been blessed to partner with families to see many waiting children united with their forever families. We continue to praise God and give Him the credit for directing each family to adopt through America World and the China Waiting Children Program. America World is excited to see what God has in store for the China Waiting Children Program in 2009!