Stepping Stones to China Special Needs Adoption
Around the world there are many children who live in institutions whose birth families are unable to care for them. All too often there is no adoptive family for them in their country either.
Many have special needs of one kind or another. Some children have correctable conditions, such as cleft palate, or club foot. Others have conditions that can be improved by medical intervention but who will always have a disability, such as children with cerebral palsy. All these children will benefit greatly from the love, care and attention of an adoptive family and the chance to be adopted would be a life changing and life enhancing experience.
The China Centre for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) operates an on-line system for the placement of children with special needs in their institutions. Through this system children can be matched with families overseas who are willing and able to offer a child the care they require. The on-line system has been successful in finding countless families for these children through CCAA accredited adoption agencies in the USA and in countries throughout Europe.
Intercountry Adoption Centre (IAC) is aware that in the UK there are families who are interested in adopting a special needs child waiting in China. However in order to participate in the on line matching facility, any agency must have the specialist staff and resources to offer a professional service which safeguards both the children and the families who wish to become their parents.
IAC is very keen to pursue this project which, at this stage, will be open to prospective adoptive parents resident in England only. As is usually the case in other countries participating in this programme, we anticipate the prospective adopters will meet the ongoing costs of the project once it is fully established. However, to get the project up and running IAC does requires funding both for start-up and first year core running costs.
We are therefore seeking donations from any interested parties for these start up and core costs, with the hope that IAC could launch this service in the spring of 2011. You can help in a number of ways:
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By making a donation to a service or resource listed on this page or;
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By holding a fundraising event in your area, maybe around Chinese New Year, and
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By forwarding this appeal to people you know who may also wish to donate.
Whatever your motivation, whether you are interested as prospective adoptive parents or would simply wish to support such a worthwhile adoption programme, we would be very pleased to receive your support.
Every child has the right to a family to whom to belong and if there are families in the UK who could be that family for a special needs child in China, you can help us make that match and offer that child a very different and more hopeful future.
IAC is grateful to the following for permission to use their photographs on this site.
Amy Eldridge of Love Without Boundaries
Dr Jane Liedtke of A Bright Moon
To read a personal experience of adopting a special needs child from China please visit the Real Lives page
Attachments
Stepping Stones Donation Form - pdf (278 KB)
The Happy Chopsticks Order Form - pdf (72 KB)
