How old are the children?
Between 6 months and 6 years old at the time of referral. Travel occurs several weeks after acceptance of the referral.

How do I start the adoption process?
In order to start an international adoption, you should contact us and sign up for our program. We will then assist you with everything from that point onward. Depending on your location, we will either provide you with homestudy services or refer you to a homestudy agency in your state. Similarly, we can recommend an excellent placement agency for most any country if we are only providing homestudy services.

How do you work with parents outside of California?
Although our offices are located in California, more than 65% of our clients are from out of state. We partner with agencies and social workers in all parts of the country and will be glad to refer you to one in your state. We keep close contact with out-of-state clients by phone, email, and fax. We also conduct frequent conference calls.

Where do you do homestudies?
Our sister agency, Partners for Adoption (www.partnersforadoption.org) provides homestudies in California.

Who will help us during our stay in the foreign country?
You placement agency's package will generally include ticket reservations within the foreign country, drivers, translators, coordinators, and information regarding hotels and homestays in the country and the region for you and your child. You will never be alone during your stay.

How long will our trip be?
Trip time varies depending on the program. Please see our country descriptions for Russia and Ukraine. Generally speaking, most trips take 2-3 weeks.

Can a single parent adopt?
Yes! Twenty-five percent of our clients are single mothers.

What is your success rate?
You can call these parents at home. In fact, we insist that all prospective parents speak to parents who have already adopted before they sign up with our program.

How about the children's health?
All Russian and Ukrainian children are checked for HIV and Hepatitis B and examined by professional doctors in their country. Aside from this, at the time you travel, your child can be examined by an independent doctor of your choice.

How long does the process take, if my documents are ready?
Once your documents are ready and have been approved by the country, the average time for a Russia adoption program can be approximately 4-6 months for boys and 7-12 months for girls. Please see our individual country descriptions for more details.