Thank you for your desire to provide a loving home to a child. We are excited you are considering the Philippines!

It's important to clarify that CSC is not the contact point for those interested in adoption. We exist to serve the children in Cebu and to provide them with a loving home and excellent education. When it comes to our children being placed in permanent homes we work with the Inter-Country Adoption Board of the Philippines. They are the legal authority on adoption and, for the protection of children, limit us in establishing direct relationships with prospective adoptive families. We work with the Philippine government, who works with adoption agencies in the U.S., Canada and all over the world, and those agencies then work with families like yours.

The best first step is to find an agency you might like to work with. The Philippine government (ICAB) includes a list of some agencies on their website and an organization called Loving Shepherd Ministries has a great deal of adoption information, including information on agencies for adoptive families in the US.

We also know that:

• The Philippine adoption program is largely limited to married couples. Single applicants will only be considered for children 6 years old and above "with minor correctable medical conditions or negative behavior."
• Married couples must be married a minimum of 3 years. If there has been a divorce, the couple must be married a minimum of 5 years.
• One previous divorce per person is allowed.
• There must be a minimum of 16 years between the adopting parent and the child to be adopted.
• Families with 3 or more children are not usually referred children under the age of 6 years, unless it is a sibling group with older and younger children.
• Adoptive families must be less than 46 years old to adopt an infant or toddler.

Those who are interested in adopting infants and toddlers will be placed on a waiting list, as there are many others interested in young children. The expected length of wait fluctuates, usually between 2 and 4 years, and the current length of wait is a great question to ask your agency.

The Philippines government also has a process called "Special Home Finding". This is a list sent out to adoption agencies each month with children who are eligible for matching. The eligible children are typically 8 years old and above, are part of a sibling group, or have a special developmental need of some kind. Ask your adoption agency to view the most recent list.

Other good adoption resources include the Inter-Country Adoption Board of the Philippines, the U.S. State Department and the Christian Alliance for Orphans.