Child Adoption

Adopting a child generally refers to the age range between 2 and 12. Domestically, children are placed by public agencies via the foster care system. Internationally, children are placed by private agencies. However, the children are either being raised in orphanages or foster homes. The adoption of older children is easier for nontraditional adopters than if they were pursuing the placement of an infant.

Child adoption differs from infant adoption in more ways than age. Children are developmentally more mature and are also more likely to have had a traumatic experience. Children are likely to have trouble attaching to adults or other children and may have a strong distrust toward adults. These are all things that can be counseled through. Other children may have been neglected or malnourished at one point in their lives, which can affect cognitive and physical development. It's not uncommon for children in the foster care system to have special needs. Raising any child is going to be hard work, but having the available resources is something that state or federal reimbursements can help with, depending on negotiations made during the adoption process and the child's needs.

If you're interested in pursuing the adoption of a child, the Child Welfare Information Gateway has an extensive listing of public agencies in every state. The international adoption of a child will differ country to country, but many overseas agencies will have a partner agency in the U.S. which may also be in the CWIG listings.