Transcript PHILIPPINES ADOPTION

PHILIPPINES ADOPTION
Who are the children?

Boys and girls, ages 1-18

Sibling groups

Live in orphanage care and foster care
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Children with special needs (health needs, large sibling groups,
older)
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Gender may not be requested
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Specific children may not be requested, unless special needs

Present moratorium on requesting children under 2 years of
age
Requirements of Prospective Adoptive
Parents (PAPS)
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Over 27 years of age. There is no upper age limit, but a 45 year age
gap between adoptive mother and adopted child is followed
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Married for at least one year (longer if previously divorced)
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Single women may apply for a child over 5 or special needs
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Must be practising christian
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Must be in good physical and mental health (exception list)
Adoptive parents
continued
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Applicants with Philippine heritage will be matched
sooner

Preference for smaller families
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Applicants requesting a special needs child will be
given more flexibility in qualifications, and
application will be processed quicker
How to apply for
intercountry adoption

Intercountry adoption is governed by many laws and
conventions:

BC Adoption Act (1996)
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Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (1993)
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Domestic Adoption Act Philippines 1998
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Philippines Intercountry Adoption Act 1995
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Canada Immigration Act
The Process
Homestudy
in BC
• Dossier
• Hague
Approval
ICAB
Intercountr
y Adoption
Board of
the
Philippines
• Receives
& reviews
dossier
• Enters
into
Roster of
Approved
Applicants
Matching
(1-3 years)
ICAB
matches
children to
adoptive
parents
How ICAB matches a
child to an adoptive family

1. ICAB notifies the orphanage (child caring agency- CCA) that
a child is scheduled to be matched

2. The executive director &/or social worker of the CCA chose 5
families from the Roster of Approved Applicants who are in the
matching stage, to be considered. They consider the needs of the
child, read the homestudies and narrow their choice down to 2
families. The sw/ed file a pre-matching proposal to ICAB.
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3. ICAB’s Intercountry Placement Committee (ICPC) meets to
review the child and 2 proposed families. The ICPC consists of a
child psychologist, lawyer, social worker, medical doctor and a
representative from an NGO involved in child welfare.
Matching Continued
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4. The sw/ed present their choice of families and salient points as to
how they can best meet the child’s needs.
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5. The ICPC deliberates and either chooses one, or looks at the 3rd
and 4th families.
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There are 2 ICPC committees. Both committees meet weekly for
matching.
The Process
Child
Proposal is
sent through
Hague
Authority
Adoptive
Parents
have 2
weeks to
respond to
proposal
Travel!
• ICAB
applies for
Part 2 of
immigration
• Adoptive
parents
travel to
receive the
child in the
Philippines
Adoption
Finalization
• 3 follow
up reports
required
• Adoption
finalized
in BC
Court
• Canadian
citizenship
can be
applied for
What’s involved in a
homestudy in BC?
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Is required for all adoptions
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Takes 90 days by the requirements of the Adoption
Act
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Meetings with social worker
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Adoption education program
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Documents : criminal record check, reference letters,
medicals, financial statement, child abuse registry
check
What’s next after the
homestudy?
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COMPLETE A FULL DOSSIER
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Homestudy, reference letters (3), marriage and birth certificates,
various questionnaires, medical, proof of income, child
requested form, psychological evaluation, guardianship
statement, pictures, consent by adoptive parent’s children
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Fees to ICAB and Canadian agency
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Complete part 1 of Immigration Sponsorship
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Wait for child proposal (1-3 years)
Child Proposal
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Social and Medical reports on child
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Full length picture of child
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You will only be matched with a child that you have been
recommended for
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15 days to accept
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Travel within 6-8 weeks
Special Home Finding
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Children are referred to SHF if there is no available family in the
roster who can meet the needs of the child
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Common characteristics are : sibling groups, conceived by rape,
epilepsy, hearing loss, older siblings, large sibling groups, hep B+,
hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, some over 5
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Foreign adoption agencies can find families for these identified
children – ICAB will still approve the match
Fees

Adoption Agencies are regulated by the Ministry for Children and
Family Development

All licensed agencies are non-profit and have their fee structures
approved by the Director of Adoption in Victoria
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Approximate fees of 1. BC Adoption Agency 2. ICAB
3. Orphanage Donation 4. Adoption Completion = $14,000.
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Travel costs