Thinking About Adoption?Attend one of our monthly Information sessions. Request information/ask questions > You can also call us at 212.369.0300 for more information.Resource LibraryThe Adoption Resource Library contains recomended books and articles by adoption professionals, birth parents, adoptive parents and adopted children, who share their unique insights.
Adoption Without Fear
James L. Gritter, M.S.W. Seventeen couples share their experiences with open adoption.
Children of Open Adoption
Kathleen Silber, M.S.W. & Patricia Martinez Dorner, M.A., L.P.C. The authors examine the effects of open adoption on the adopted child at each stage of development.
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What makes Spence-Chapin unique?Spence-Chapin has been around for over 100 years. We offer innovative and quality services to all members of the adoption community. We have experience in all aspects of adoption and use that knowledge to offer support and guidance during all phases of your adoption process.
Who becomes an adoptive parent?Adoptive parents vary in age, religious, racial, and economic background. Many are couples who may have been challenged by infertility. Others are already parenting and want to expand their families. Some are single adults who wish to share their lives with a child.
I have a modest income. Can I still adopt?Yes, please see our Fees and Expenses page.
Are there age or health restrictions? What about past history?Adoptive parents must be at least 18 years of age. There is no upper limit in age mandated by state law. However, birth parents are generally young and often prefer adoptive parents who are under 50. Some prefer married couples; others will choose a single parent or same sex parents. The agency looks for prospective adoptive parents in good health; specific medical conditions can be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Screening for criminal history is conducted as required by state law.
What is the first step in adopting?If you are considering Spence-Chapin as your adoption agency, you will be required to attend a free in person or online information session. At this meeting, you will receive various materials including a registration packet. We will review your completed packet and one of our social workers may follow up with a phone call if we have any additional questions. You will then be invited to begin your home study and parent preparation.
What is an adoption home study?An adoption home study is a supportive and educational process where you begin to work toward becoming an adoptive parent. Through group sessions as well as in individual meetings with a social worker, you’ll learn about forming a family through adoption. During the home study process you will provide us with information about yourselves, and discuss your philosophies on parenting, your personal history, your relationships, and how you decided to pursue an adoption. This process results in an actual document — your adoption home study.
Will there be a long wait for a baby?Most families are chosen within six months to two years after completing their home study. The average age of the baby at placement is six weeks old.
What happens after a baby is born?Many birth parents choose to temporarily place their babies with one of our experienced interim care families while they are making a decision.
What about the baby's health care?The birth mother is referred for outside medical care from the time she is in contact with the agency through the delivery period. After birth, the baby is examined regularly by a Spence-Chapin pediatrician. All medical information obtained by the agency about birth parents, their families and the baby is shared with the prospective adoptive parents.
Why does a birth parent choose adoption?Birth parents choose adoption for many different reasons. They may be too young to be a parent, or they may not be in a position to support a child. Birth mothers who come to Spence-Chapin receive counseling about all of their options so they can make an informed decision. About one third of the birth mothers we counsel decide to make an adoption plan. The others are assisted in making other plans to parent their baby.
How are babies and adoptive parents matched?The birth parent selects the adoptive family for her child from profiles of waiting parents. Most birth mothers are primarily concerned that the child be raised in a loving home.
What contact will we have with the birth parent(s)?Spence-Chapin supports open adoption. In an open adoption, birth parents and adoptive parents agree to some kind of ongoing contact which may range from the exchange of pictures and letters to periodic visits. Learn More
What happens if we get pregnant during the adoption process?We are aware that many families begin to explore adoption while engaged in infertility treatment. We know that both the process of infertility treatment and the process of adoption are emotionally, financially, and logistically taxing. Our experience has shown that it is very difficult to pursue both simultaneously, but ultimately each family will make a personal decision about their own plans and timing. We ask clients to be open with the agency, so that we can offer our full support throughout the process. If a pregnancy does occur, Spence-Chapin’s typical practice is to put an adoption case on hold. Many families in this situation return to Spence-Chapin in the future to complete an adoption plan.
What is Spence-Chapin’s African-American Program?Since the 1940s, Spence-Chapin’s African-American adoption services have been a cornerstone of our domestic adoption program. Over the past twenty years, Spence-Chapin has placed almost 700 babies in the African-American community. Today, the sense of community that prevails throughout this program is strong and unique.
What is Spence-Chapin’s experience with special needs adoption?Spence-Chapin has been in existence for 100 years, offering innovative and quality services to all members of the adoption community. We have been helping families adopt babies with special needs for 15 years and we have a solid understanding of the needs of those children and the qualities needed by adoptive families to successfully parent them. We are proud that professionalism, integrity, and compassion are hallmarks of Spence-Chapin’s domestic special needs program.
Do you place only infants?Yes. Although we will occasionally place a toddler, the great majority of our placements are of babies who are under 5 months of age.
Do all babies placed by the Special Needs Program have serious issues?Families should assume that the answer to this question is “yes”. Some of the infants we place are born with known handicapping conditions. The other group of infants placed by the Special Needs Program is at significant risk for cognitive, psychiatric or medical disabilities. The program is not a good fit for families wishing to adopt an infant with relatively minor or easily correctable problems.
How many infants does the Special Needs Program place a year?On average, we place 20 babies a year. Spence-Chapin Services assists any woman living in the New York City area who wishes to make an adoption plan for her infant with special needs. The number of yearly placements, therefore, varies accordingly.
Are the infants on your “Waiting Baby” page the only infants for whom you are seeking families?No. We often have several other infants as well. Before adding a baby to our “Waiting Baby” page, we seek potential matches from among those families who have completed our Pre-Application Form and have forwarded their home studies to us.
I have seen a baby on your website and would like more information. How do I proceed?Please complete our Client Pre-Application Form (link here) and indicate your interest in the comments section of the form. If you have completed this form previously, please e-mail info@spence-chapin.org to let us know of your interest in a specific child. Please note that due to the volume of inquiries which we receive, we share detailed information regarding a baby with only those families who appear to be a potential match for that baby, based on birth parent preferences.
Who takes care of your waiting babies while a permanent plan is being made?Infants are cared for by Spence-Chapin Interim Care Families. The babies are not part of the public foster care system.
Do infants placed by the Special Needs Program receive adoption subsidy assistance?Infants who are born in New York with a serious handicapping condition are eligible for subsidy assistance from New York State. New York infants with less serious conditions and those who are at risk for difficulties in the future, are not eligible for subsidy at the time of placement. In some instances, if a child’s condition worsens after placement, it may be possible to apply for subsidy assistance. Babies who are born in New Jersey are eligible only for subsidy assistance that is available in the adoptive family’s home state.
Can families who live outside of New York adopt through the Special Needs Program?Yes! The program is structured to enable placement with families living throughout the United States. We ask prospective adoptive parents to obtain home study and post placement services from a licensed, not for profit agency in their community. Given that we are unable to place with every family who contacts the program, we strongly recommend that families utilize their home study documents to continue to pursue placements through other placement resources.
How can I identify an agency in my community that can assist me with my home study?Go to www.childwelfare.gov. Click on National Foster Care and Adoption Directory, search for “Private Adoption Agencies” in your state.
Our family has a home study from our local Department of Social Services. Can we use this home study for a placement through the Special Needs Program?Most public agencies will not release a home study for the placement of a child who is not part of a public (governmental) child welfare system. If you have a D.S.S. home study, please discuss this question with a supervisor from your agency to see if placement of a child voluntarily surrendered to a private, not-for-profit agency is possible. Please also be aware that you will need a licensed child placing agency to provide post placement supervision services if an Special Needs Program placement is made.
I’ve sent my home study and Client Pre-application Form to the Special Needs Program and have not been contacted about a possible placement. Why is this and what should I do now?If you have not been contacted by an Special Needs Program social worker, it is because we have not yet been able to make a potential match for your family with a waiting baby. Every family who has sent us a home study is considered open and active. The Special Needs Program social workers do continue to review each family’s material in an effort to make a match with current babies. Unfortunately, we are not able to place with all waiting families. We urge all families to network with other placement resources to maximize the opportunity to be matched with a child.
What is the fee for a placement through the Special Needs Program?There are no fees to families unless and until a placement is made. Adoption fees for this program are heavily subsidized by the agency so that monetary constraints do not prevent the best placement for an infant.
In addition to Spence Chapin’s fee, what other costs are typically incurred with an Special Needs Program placement?Families will need to be at the agency for approximately six hours on the day of placement. Transportation to and from Manhattan will be an expense as will hotel costs for those who opt to stay in the city the night before or after placement. Payments to the family’s local agency providing home study and post placement services will be an additional cost. Adoption finalization fees, paid to a family’s attorney, generally run between $1,000 and $2,500. Later, those families who need to finalize their adoption in Manhattan will incur travel and hotel costs. At the time of the initial discussion about a specific baby, the Special Needs Program social worker will be able to tell a family whether the adoption of that child would entail a New York finalization or finalization in a court local to the adoptive family.
Does a family need to come to New York to receive placement of a baby?Yes. Most families come to New York the evening before placement or take an early morning flight on placement day. Placements take 4 to 6 hours, enabling a return home late in the afternoon.
If we live outside of New York State and are matched with a baby, how long must we wait for Interstate approval of the placement?Interstate documents are filed by Spence-Chapin as soon as a match is made. Approval for the placement is received within 10 business days. Families then come to New York for placement and are free to return home the same day.
How do you match babies with families?The Special Needs Program Client Pre-Application Forms are completed by prospective adoptive families. Each form is reviewed by department social workers in conjunction with a review of the family’s current home study document. Together, these provide a preliminary sense of possible matches between waiting babies and families. These matches are based on the unique needs of each baby, an adoptive family’s comfort and experience with these needs, and requests by birth parents regarding desired adoptive family characteristics. Preliminary and non-identifying information regarding possible potential families is then shared with the birth parents with the goal of ascertaining their interest in each potential family. Those families who appear most likely to be a match for a particular baby are contacted by telephone and provided with details regarding the baby’s social and medical history. Additional information regarding the prospective families is often requested at this point. After considering the implications of the information provided by the agency, adoptive families who wish to move forward toward a possible placement create a photograph album and a letter to be shared with the birth family. The birth family is then given more specific information regarding each potential adoptive family as well as the album and letter. Utilizing these different sources of information, the birth parents decide which family is the best match for their baby.
How much contact do birth and adoptive families have following placement?The majority of the Special Needs Program placements follow an open adoption model. Birth and adoptive families meet on the day of placement and, generally, exchange surnames, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers at that time. Families then maintain direct contact on a schedule that has been mutually agreed upon prior to placement. Many birth families are hopeful that yearly visits can be arranged. What makes Spence-Chapin unique?Spence-Chapin has been helping families adopt internationally for more than 30 years, with a strong network of skilled representatives and partners in the countries where we work. Spence-Chapin is a full-service agency, which means that we are here for you before, during and after your adoption. Your international adoption team consists of a home study social worker, program assistant and country coordinator who will work to make your adoption process as smooth and worry-free as possible.
What is the first step in adopting internationally?The first step in adopting internationally is choosing an agency. If you are considering Spence-Chapin, you are welcome to attend one of our free in-person or on-line information sessions, see box at left. When choosing an agency, you might want to consider factors such as licensure and accreditation, agency history, range of services and practice standards. For information on the adoption process please refer to our Step-By-Step page for local and network families.
What is a home study?An adoption home study is a supportive and educational process where you begin to work toward becoming an adoptive parent. Typically included in the homestudy is parent preparation and training as required by The Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. Through this process you will share information about yourself and the circumstances that have brought you to your adoption. In small group settings and through individual meetings, you and your social worker will discuss topics such as parenting philosophies, forming a family through adoption, transcultural and transracial concerns, talking about adoption with your child, educating friends and family, as well as medical and developmental issues for adopted children. This process results in an actual document — your adoption home study. For an international adoption, this document is then shared with U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, the country from which you have decided to adopt; and for some country programs, with the court that will finalize your adoption.
How do I choose a program?Begin by asking yourself: Is there a particular culture or part of the world that I am/we are drawn to? Are there people from a similar background in my/our family or community? Will I be able to find opportunities to maintain my/our child's cultural heritage? What are the challenges of being a visible adoptive family? Do I meet the requirements/restrictions of a particular country? Do I have the flexibility to adjust to the unpredictability of a particular country and its adoption procedures? Am I prepared to adopt an older child or sibling group? How much information do I need to feel comfortable adopting a child?
Our adoption social workers are available to discuss your program choice and guide you through your decision. What will happen if a country closes its adoption program while I am in the process of an adoption?Change and unpredictability are often inherent in international adoption. Although Spence-Chapin has no control over the adoption process in any foreign country, we will do our best to keep you informed, advocate on your behalf and provide you with support during challenging times. If completing the adoption from the country that you have applied to becomes impossible, we will work with you in order to help find another program that meets your needs, and to amend your home study and other paperwork in order to meet the requirements of that country.
What is a dossier and why do I have to prepare one?A dossier is a collection of documents that prospective parents gather in order to adopt internationally. The dossier is essentially your supporting documents for your adoption application to the foreign country. In many cases, the dossier documents are authenticated or legalized by local and state authorities in the United States before they can be considered legal documents. While dossier preparation can sometimes feel complicated and overwhelming, Spence-Chapin’s international staff members are experts in helping you to prepare your dossier and navigating you through the international adoption process.
I want to adopt a healthy child. Can you assure a child's health?Spence-Chapin always provides families with all available medical information about a child being referred for adoption. However, it is never possible to guarantee any child's health and depending on the birth country, we receive different amounts of information on the child's health status. As part of the preparation process, we will provide you with information about medical issues typically seen in children from particular countries. Once medical information is received on a specific child, we ask that you consult a pediatrician experienced in international adoption medicine, to review that information.
I want to select the gender of my child. Is that possible?Because Spence-Chapin is committed to finding homes for all children, generally do not offer gender choice to families adopting their first child. In some country programs, it might be possible to request a child of a specific gender if you are already parenting; if you adopt a waiting child; or if you select a country where significantly more children of one gender are available.
What will I do if I have a problem while I am overseas?In all of our international programs, Spence-Chapin has skilled representatives or partner agencies that guide our families through their trip overseas. These representatives are the best initial resource for any problems that might arise. They are able to connect to the Spence-Chapin program coordinator as well as in-country sources immediately, in an attempt to resolve any issue that might arise. We also encourage families to build a relationship with a pediatrician who specializes in international adoption who can be available to you while travelling abroad. Families are always able to reach their program coordinator by e-mail and telephone, and can also depend on their social worker to be in touch during the trip.
What resources are available to me once I come home?Spence-Chapin’s post-adoption services are available to you for a lifetime and for no fee for the first year following your adoption. Our Adoption Resource Center offers extensive post-adoption services, from counseling about adoption- and child development-related issues, to social workers who will help you connect with appropriate services beyond Spence-Chapin.
I don't live in Manhattan. Can I still work with Spence-Chapin?Those residing outside of our New York/New Jersey metro area can still adopt through Spence-Chapin’s international placement program. Our network of more than 30 regional agencies enables those seeking to adopt through many of our overseas programs to work with Spence-Chapin in partnership with their local agency.
Can I apply to more than one international program at the same time?Prospective adoptive applicants are encouraged to communicate their interest in a concurrent adoption as early as possible in their process. With wait times in many countries increasing to several years, families may have the option to submit concurrent applications to two international programs (or an international and domestic program) at the same time. However, as each country program, partnering agency, and family’s eligibility differs, concurrent applications are decided upon on a case-by-case basis in collaboration with a family’s social worker. Generally, Spence-Chapin asks that families allow for at least 9 months age difference, and 1 year between placements of children into a family to facilitate healthy bonding, attachment, and ability of the older child to welcome a sibling into his or her new family.
What are the fundamental differences between International and Domestic adoption at Spence-Chapin?While there are many procedural and bureaucratic differences, the fundamental differences include levels of openness, how adoptive families are matched with their children, and ages of children placed. Spence-Chapin’s domestic adoption program encourages open adoption whenever possible, while in international adoption it is not always possible to know about the child’s birth family. When children are matched with their families through international adoption, this is often done through a government body overseas or through the agency facilitators. In domestic adoption, birth parents are given the opportunity to select a family for their baby. Lastly, Spence-Chapin’s domestic adoption program places children who range in age from newborn to a few months old. In international adoption, children tend to be at least 7 months old, and more commonly are in the 12 month and up age range. Depending on the country program, we place young toddlers all the way up to school aged children. In addition, there are varying wait times and fee structures between the two programs. Please visit the international and domestic sections on this website for more information.
I don’t see answers to my questions.How can I get more information? We welcome families to contact us with any specific questions or concerns, and offer several options to do so. To request more information or to send an email, click here. To speak with us by phone, please call the International Inquiry line at 212-400-8150. 1 To get an overview of the international adoption process, attend one of our free in-person or on-line information meetings, see box at left. For families thinking about international adoption but who are not sure if it is the right choice for them, Spence-Chapin offers a Pre-Adoption Consultation Service. This service is designed to help individuals and couples explore their options for adoption and feelings about building their family through adoption. Possible topics for discussion are: Understanding the adoption process; Considering if adoption is right for your family; Navigating differences in readiness for adoption between partners; Preparing for the unique challenges and rewards of adoption; Thinking about readiness to be a single parent; Making the transition from infertility to adoptive parenting; Parenting both adoptive and biological children; Thinking about the challenges of transracial and transcultural adoption; Exploring domestic versus international adoption; Assessing eligibility and program options. To schedule an appointment with one of our adoption professionals please call 212-400-8150. Consultations are available at our Manhattan, Long Island and New Jersey offices. The one hour consultation fee is $125, the total of which is applied to the initial registration fee, if a family chooses to submit an application to Spence-Chapin. |
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