Program: Since 1994, Lifelink has worked cooperatively with International Social Service (ISS) located in Hong Kong to coordinate the adoptions of over 600 Chinese children. Due to the one child per family requirement in China and the preference for male children who will run family farms and support their parents in their elderly years, many infant girls have been abandoned across China. The children reside in the hundreds of Child Welfare Institutes throughout China. Together, the Chinese government and the Welfare Institutes work to prepare the children for international adoption. Children and families are matched by the China Centre of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) in Beijing based on the child's needs and the family's request.

Available Children: The children in need of families are primarily healthy girls who are eight months to 10 years of age.

Eligibility: Couples 30-49 are eligible to request a healthy child. Couples should be married at least two years, and each parent should have less than two divorces. If a parent has been divorced one or more times, then the current marriage should have lasted for five years. Prospective parents should have a high school diploma or equivalency. Families with a net worth of $80,000 and an annual income of at least $10,000 per family member including the adoptive child are eligible. Parents should have a BMI of 40 or less. Eligible families may have a maximum of four children in the home, with the youngest child at least one year of age. Families of Chinese descent may request expedited processing.

Program: Children (male and female) born with correctable and non-correctable special needs, healthy children who have grown up in an orphanage since infancy or children abandoned at an older age are available through the China Waiting Child Program. The children reside in the hundreds of Child Welfare Institutes throughout China. Many of the special needs such as cleft lip and palates are tended to by American doctors volunteering through service organizations. Lifelink has participated in the Waiting Children Program with the China Centre for Adoption Affairs to find families for identified older children and/or children with medical concerns since the program began. To date, Lifelink has assisted in the adoption of more than 80 children who were considered waiting children.

Available Children: The children in need of families are girls and boys from eight months to 14 years of age. Healthy older children or children with correctable and non-correctable medical conditions are all in need of adoptive families.

Eligibility: Couples should be married at least two years, and each parent should have less than two divorces. If a parent has been divorced one or more times, then the current marriage should have lasted for five years. Prospective parents should have a high school diploma or equivalency. Families with a net worth of $80,000 and an annual income of at least $10,000 per family member including the adoptive child are eligible. Parents should have a BMI of 40 or less. Eligible families may have a maximum of 5 children in the home, with the youngest child at least one year of age. Families of Chinese descent may request expedited processing.

The Adoption Process: Professional bi-lingual International Social Service (ISS) social workers assist our families through their adoption process. The ISS staff books all hotel, flight and travel arrangements for the family’s entire trip except the family’s arrival and departure from Hong Kong. The ISS staff meets the families in Hong Kong and travels with them throughout mainland China.

Families interested in adopting a waiting child can choose a child through the waiting children list presented to Lifelink by CCAA. Upon accepting a child, information regarding the prospective adoptive parents will be sent to CCAA for their approval. Once approval is received, the dossier will be submitted to CCAA where it will be translated and processed. A letter of acceptance will be sent for the parent’s final approval and then a letter of invitation will be received for the family to travel to China. The family will travel six to eight weeks later to adopt their child. Families adopting a waiting child may travel alone but always with the assistance of the International Adoption Social Workers.

Twelve months of post placement is required by China. During this time, adoptive parents will meet with a caseworker four times and provide pictures of their child to be sent to CCAA, The Child Welfare Orphanage and the Civil Affairs Bureau.