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PARENT ELIGIBILITY |
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Parents should be no more than 40 years older than the adoptive child.
Other Children:
May have other children in family.
U.S. Citizenship:
One parent must be a U.S. Citizen.
Marriage:
Married couples accepted. Previous divorce is acceptable. No singles.
Travel:
Both parents must initially travel to Poland to bond with the child and attend court proceedings. (2-3 weeks)
then-
Both parents may stay in Poland for the duration of the adoption process (about 3 weeks);
or-
One parent may return to the US and the other parent remains in Poland for the duration of the adoption process;
or-
Both parents may return to the U.S. and the child is returned to the orphanage, and then one or both parents return to Poland to finalize the process (about 1 week). |
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CHILDREN |
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Gender:
Either, more boys than girls are waiting
Age:
Children usually 12 months or older. Toddlers and older children are available. Sibling groups can be placed.
Health:
The children live in orphanages and will have developmental delays. Medical information and photos are generally available. Both minor, correctable and more serious health issues are typically present.
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TIMING |
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Application:
Families can begin the application process once a home study is completed.
Referral:
Average time from application to referral is 6 to 12 months.
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TRAVEL |
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Once a referral is accepted, departure may vary due to court schedules in Poland, but usually within 3 to 10 weeks.
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PRIMARY COSTS TO CONSIDER |
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International Program Administration Fee. (review of home study, assistance/ coordination in assembling of documents, program consultation, telephone, fax, program development)
Poland Foreign Fee. (Poland representative and translation, Poland Attorney)
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OTHER FEATURES |
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The Poland program is coordinated by the Lutheran Service Society of New York http://www.lssofny.org It has been open since 2003 and has placed 25 children. For more information, please call 716-631-9212!
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