International adoption, inter-country adoption. Welcome to the UK guide to adopt children from overseas.

Uniting childless couples with orphaned children overseas.

Have you been touched by the plight of the 110 million orphans around the world?

Are you someone who has love and security to give to a child from another country?
Have you tried to adopt from the UK but have been waiting and waiting and waiting? Have you tried and failed IVF and are searching for an alternative route to complete your family?

If so then you have come to the right place!

Here you will find valuable and vital information to guide you in making the decision to adopt from overseas and to successfully complete an international (inter-county) adoption if you are living in UK.
Many people come to adoption as a last resource and yet it is an empowering and very fulfilling human act that has been recognised throughout history as an admirable and honourable thing to do.

The word 'Adopt' comes from Latin 'adoptare', to choose. To take by choice into a relationship; especially to take voluntarily (a child from other parents) as one's own child.

There are many forms of adoption - adopting a step child, adopting a relative, adopting a domestic child, and increasingly adopting a child from another country. There are many different children available to adopt. True orphans who have lost their parents through illness, accident or other tragedies, children who have been abandoneded as their parents were unable to care for them and children who are at risk and have been removed from their birth families by social services.

In the UK most of the children available for adoption are in the last category. They are placed in foster homes until suitable parents can be matched with them. It is reported that the average 5 year old in the UK has been in 5 foster homes. Many people who are thinking about adoption initially look into domestic adoption but it is very difficult. The time frames are very long and the chances of adopting a young child is very rare. The criteria for 'matching' children is quite sever as the UK has a strict policy of race and will not match families of different ethnic or racial grouping. It also has a policy of 'open' adoption where the birth family has contact with the adopted child, which does not suit many families.

Fortunately, we are now able to look beyond our borders to find a child to give a home to. And there are millions of children who are needing a loving home. Lovely healthy, bright and happy children from Russia, Guatemala, China, Vietnam, India. Each year about 350 children from all over the world are adopted into the UK and this number is increasing. The most popular country is China where because of their 'one child' policy there are thousands of little girls available. The next country is India and then Russia. But it is possible to adopt from almost anywhere -Kenya, Nepal, Armenia.

The decision to adopt internationally is not easy. There are very many things to consider. Could you bring up a child from a different culture? How will you feel about having a child that is a different colour to you? Are you concerned about the health of the children available? How do you choose which country to adopt from? How do you go about it?

Fortunately, we are here to help you answer many of these questions.

The International Adoption Guide has been put together by parents who have adopted internationally to help to answer those questions, and to guide you in the process. So you are not alone. And as the saying goes ' a problem shared is a problem halved'. International adoption is not easy. It is complex, confusing and confounding. It is expensive, takes years and will test the strongest person's will and patience.

But it is worth it!

You will find your son or daughter. You will hear the laughter and the patter of tiny feet. You will be able to hold your child in your arms and you will be able to love and nature a child who, without you, would have a very uncertain future.

There is a lot of mystery and misinformation that surrounds international adoption. There is very little information available, no one quite knows what the procedure is, situations are forever changing, support is minimal and perceptions are flawed.

Many people think about adoption but cannot find out any information. Calls to the local social services are notoriously negative and many are told that it is virtually impossible to adopt.
Reasons sited are many - you are too old, you have not grieved the loss of their fertility, there are no children available, you are the wrong ethnic mix, it is too expensive, the law does not allow international adoptions and a whole series of other untruths.

The fact is, to have a family is a fundamental human need and every child is entitled to have parents. You should be able to adopt if you are single, gay, in your fifties, from an ethnic minority, infertile, fat, special needs or any other prejudiced categories that have been created, as long as you have an understanding of the issues surrounding adoption and can meet the requirements of the British Home Study.

So do not be put off by what anyone says. There are dozens of countries who will welcome you with open arms to give homes to the thousands of children whose life and future is uncertain

The International Adoption Guide is here to help you find your family.

On this website you will find information about the process, resourses from the shop (still being set up), a forum where you can speak freely, and if you register you will get newletters with insider information to easy the process and save you the precious commodities of money and time.

Research in the States shows more than three times the amount of people that adopt have looked into adoption (in the US there are over twenty thousand international adoptions a year). Here the British Adoption and Fostering organisation record that they had over fifty thousand people accessing their website, but last year only a few hundred children were adopted domestically.

So where are all those who are interested in becoming adoptive parents?

Lack of information is one of the main problems. We hope to be able to close that gap. If you have any questions/queries/fears/doubts please do not hesitate to contact us, we are here to help you.

And in time we will have e-books, special reports, audio tapes and videos to guide you through the process.

We believe stongly in the joy of adoption. To hear your child laugh, says it all.
Remember you can become parents and there are beautiful children waiting for you to be their parents.

Each country has certain requirements that they expect potential parents to fulfil and they differ from one country to another. These requirements help you in determining which county you would like to adopt from. You can find this information from our Country Information Page.

Our mission is to find permanent homes for children without parents.

We will try to help you understand the complexities and to complete the process.

We have just started and over time we hope that it will become the most comprehensive support for international adoption in the UK.

By registering we will send you a quarterly newsletter full of information, put you in touch with adoption buddies, and generally offer support and help where you need it.

The on-line forum is up and running and a perfect palce for you to pose your questions and tell your story. Please feel free to add a post and lets start a healthy discussion about international adoption.

Our shop is soon to open and there you will find e-books, books, DVDs on all adoption related issues.

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