ADVENTIST ADOPTION AND FAMILY SERVICES
INFORMATION ON WAITING CHILDREN
It is important to understand these children need homes, regardless of their histories or possible behavioral, emotional, or physical problems. In many cases, a stable, loving home will help these children "catch up" developmentally and/or begin the journey toward emotional healing. Although not all children will be able to attach to your family or give love back to you, most will be able to learn to trust and love again. They only need you to give them that chance.
If you are interested in adopting one or more of these children, we would urge you to attend a Special Needs Adoption Training in your local Services for Children and Families branch or through The Boys' and Girls' Aid Society in the Portland, Oregon area--you can call them at (503) 222-9661 for more information. This will help prepare you so you can be successful in adopting and parenting these children. These classes will help you to understand from where these children have come and what you might need to expect when they first come into your home. It will also provide helpful information on working with the State system and making it work for you. This training is a pre-requisite to having a homestudy started in our agency as well as the other local agencies.
For a better idea what some of these children are like, please visit some of the websites where these children are listed by clicking Go To Websites.
In Oregon alone, there are over 500 "waiting children" at any one time that are hoping for adoptive homes. These children are called "special needs children." This term can mean a variety of things. However, its most basic definition is children who are wards of the state and who are in temporary placements other than with their parents. These children range in age from birth to eighteen years of age. They may or may not have medical, behavioral, or emotional disabilities. Those interested in adoption may hear the words "hard to place" to describe some of these children. This could be for a variety of reasons. A child might be older, might have special handicaps, might be part of a sibling group, or might be part of an ethnic minority.
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