What relationship does Buckner have with the countries in which it provides adoption services?
Buckner has been accredited by the Russian Federation to place children for adoption internationally and is waiting to be reaccredited. Buckner established relations and agreements with the Ministry of Education in the regions in which we have worked since 1995. Buckner has established a relationship with Gladney Adoption Center to work together to place children from China. And in 2002, Buckner established a new adoption program in Guatemala in cooperation with the Social Welfare department. Buckner was approved in 2007 to begin adoptions in Ethiopia. Buckner has offices in Russia, Guatemala and Ethiopia.
In addition, the Buckner Adoption Network is part of a larger ministry, Buckner International, which provides a vast amount of humanitarian aid to the orphanages, develops social services programs in collaboration with the local governments and teaches child care curriculum to benefit children and families overseas. Buckner also sends mission teams to provide assistance as needed to the children’s homes.
How does Buckner plan to identify children in need of homes?
Buckner Adoption has employed overseas staff with experience in working with the government and experience in helping orphans. These individuals truly care about children.
In Russia, Buckner has personal working relationships with numerous orphanages in regions throughout Russia, including Saint Petersburg, Tambov, Smolensk and others. Legally available children are identified by the regional adoption committee after the adoptive family’s approved dossier paperwork is registered in a region in Russia.
In Guatemala, the government, an attorney and a social worker working for Buckner will work together to identify children legally available for adoption once the family’s dossier is complete and overseas. Buckner has working relationships in state-run and private-run orphan homes.
In China, the China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) receives the adoptive family’s completed dossier and approval status and then later refers a child for the specific family.
In Ethiopia, adoptable children who are placed in the Buckner babies home are matched with waiting Buckner approved families.
What types of children are available for adoption?
The children available for adoption range from 6 months to 15 years old. There are sibling groups and single children in need of a family. All children adopted from overseas most likely will have specific needs.
Adoption is made up of losses, and at some point in the adopted child’s life they will experience grief and loss of their birth family, culture, and life in their native country. There are many risks to consider in pursuing international adoption including: potential medical problems, developmental delays that may not be overcome, unknown abuse history, attachment issues and potential behavioral problems.
Most of the children are healthy considering their environment, with some developmental delays due to poor nutrition and living in an institution. In most cases, these delays can be overcome with professional assistance and the experiences and stimulation that family life can provide. Some of the children may have correctable medical conditions ranging from minor to major. Buckner’s mission is to find families for children of all ages who need a loving adoptive family.
How are the children cared for overseas?
Most times a child enters a baby’s home from birth to 3 years of age. Then they go to another orphanage with other children from age 4 to 8, then again to another orphanage when they turn 9. Depending on the country, children may also reside in a foster home setting while they wait to be adopted.
Some children are found homeless on the street and brought to orphanages. The orphanages are generally clean. The homes are highly regimented and in most orphanages the children are loved and cared for by their caregivers. Because of the economic conditions at the current time, they may not always receive a sufficient amount of food to eat, but they are always fed.
Typically, children live in large group settings with an insufficient number of staff to care for them. Due to institutional living, it is common for the children to have developmental delays which may manifest in physical, social, emotional, and language delays. The length of time a child lives in an institution or orphanage will have an impact on the extent of potential delays a child may have.
What is the process for identifying a child for me?
Making a lifetime commitment to raise a child is an awesome decision. The decision to adopt internationally cannot be taken lightly and can only be made by you. As a part of the home study process, you will work with Buckner as a team to determine if this is the right time in your life as a family to adopt a child. Another important part of the home study process is to work as a team in deciding the type of child that you feel you could most successfully parent. Once your home study is approved, Buckner will seek a child(ren) which seems to best match the agreed upon preference for the family.
Next, Buckner will begin to present child(ren) to you who have been identified. Only one child or sibling group will be presented to a family at a time. You will be provided with all of the information (basic social history, medical and pictures) that Buckner has been provided. You will have time to talk with family and friends and consult with medical professionals before making a final decision about whether this is the right child(ren) for you to adopt. If the child has medical problems, we will attempt to obtain any additional information that you may need or we will try to arrange for a consultation between your doctor and the physician tending to the child. A family can always decline to match with a child presented and Buckner will always support the family’s decision. This process may vary depending on the specific country's or region's regulations.
Are there eligibility requirements for the program?
Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services is looking for prospective parents who can provide a loving, stable environment to a child in need of a home. Applicants must be flexible and able to accept a child where there are many unknowns in their background. Both parents must be able to travel. The applicants must be at least 25 years of age. Those who desire to adopt from China must be at least 30 years of age. Buckner requires that a couple must have been married a minimum of one year before being considered, and remarried couples must be married a minimum of two years. Single applicants will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. One parent must be a U.S. citizen. Applicants must meet the standards established by the State of Texas, U.S. federal government and foreign government for approval as an adoptive home. These standards are met through the successful completion of a home study by our Buckner staff.
In recognizing the need for a child to be nurtured in a loving Christian home, applicants are expected to be Christians and active members of a church within their community. The family shall have financial security appropriate for their age, occupation and the community in which they live. Their income should be sufficient for the normal additional expenses incurred by adding a child to their family, paying the adoption reimbursement fees and the legal expenses for finalizing the adoption. The family should have some provision for financial security in case of the death of the wage earner. Life and health insurance are required.
Do you work with families in different states?
YES! Buckner works with families throughout the United States to place children through international adoption and we can work with you. Please contact us so we can provide you more information about how we work with families in other states.
What is the adoption process?
The initial step is to attend a Buckner adoption workshop. These meetings are held monthly throughout Texas. For those who reside outside of Texas you can contact Buckner to inquire about our correspondence video. When you make a decision to adopt through Buckner you will need to complete a free pre-application to make sure you meet basic qualifications. Once the application is screened and approved you will receive a complete application packet and then complete the home study process.
The home study stage of the process includes the following:
• Attending an international adoption workshop
• Completion of the home study
• Advanced processing through INS (I 600 A), collection of documents for the foreign country process, application for passport
• Attend international adoption seminar and support groups
After the home study is approved and completed, the adoption process will continue in the following way:
• Continue education and attending international adoption support groups
• Presentation and match with a child or sibling group, depending on the country's regulations
• Travel overseas, pre-placement visits with your child, finalization of adoption, issuance of visa, return home with your child (seven days to two weeks, or longer in some cases)
• Post-placement support for six months and regular progress reports to Buckner and child’s native country as required for country
• Finalization of the adoption in the American courts
• Filing for proof of citizenship if it is not automatic at time of the adoption
How will I know what to do while we are overseas?
You will not be traveling by yourself. Buckner will make every attempt to send families overseas in groups, but sometimes families may not travel with a group, depending upon when court dates are scheduled. Buckner will coordinate your travel plans and arrange for your visa if a visa is required. Our Buckner representative or partner agency representative in-country will accompany you on your travels and will make arrangements for all accommodations, provide translation services during your travel and escort you through the adoption process.
What are my accommodations while I am traveling?
You need to be prepared for clean but very basic living accommodations. Our overseas staff will be arranging reasonably priced safe hotels that accommodate international visitors and offer private restrooms and basic conveniences.
How long is the adoption process?
The length of the adoption process depends on many factors. You are dealing with three governments, the state in which you are residing, the U.S. federal government and the foreign government. Some of the timing will depend upon how quickly you get your application materials and later your dossier documents to Buckner. Processing overseas will depend upon the country you choose. The official wait for a referral of a child begins once all of your legal paperwork (dossier) is registered in the foreign country.
Generally, we tell families that the entire process of adoption of an international child with Buckner will take about 8-12 months for Ethiopia, about 12 or more months for Russia and Guatemala and 24-28 months for China. Depending on varying circumstances, this time frame could be shorter or longer.
How much will it cost?
Buckner adoptions will vary in total price between $21,000.00 - $35,000.00+, depending on varying factors: age and number of children, the country and region the child is adopted from, airfares and accommodations, etc. This amount includes all fees for Buckner services and all travel related fees. When you attend the international adoption workshop, the fees will be discussed in detail.
Buckner has a scholarship fund to assist families who adopt internationally. The amount of funds available to a family will depend upon a financial need evaluation by our agency, the number of other families in need and the money available within the scholarship fund. A family can inquire and then apply for a scholarship once the home study is approved.
Currently, the IRS offers up to a $10,000 tax credit that adoptive families can take on the year that their adoption is finalized. The total credit that can be taken depends on the adoptive family’s income.
What can I do now?
Continue to educate yourself as you consider adoption as an option for parenting. There are many different adoption avenues to consider. Buckner offers many ways for you to ‘Be a Family,’ including domestic infant adoption, Texas Waiting Children through CPS adoption and foster adoption.
Attend an international adoption workshop to learn more about the details of how our Buckner program works. These meetings are informational only and there is no commitment to work with Buckner when you attend. Gather information from several adoption agencies to compare services. Begin to read books about adoption to learn more. Our reading list is at the end of this section as a resource. You can find most of the books at your local library or bookstore. Talk with your spouse and be in tune with his or her hopes, fears and desires. Talk with families who have adopted and hear about their experiences. Finally, in all you do, be prayerful about any decision you make as you seek the Lord’s direction for your family.
What do I do if I have more questions?
Please call us and we will be happy to talk with you further! You are bound to have many questions as you consider international adoption. Please call and ask for Sharon Hedrick, our Buckner International Adoption Office Manager, and she can connect you to any of our adoption staff to address your questions. You can contact us at 214-319-3426 or toll free at 1-866-236-7823. We look forward to talking with you!
