Adoption Voices

This is a new adoption opportunity through our affiliation with Buckner Adoption & Maternity Services (a division of Buckner International) which has been placing children from Russia since 1995.  Buckner Adoption & Maternity Services received its accreditation from the Russian Federation in 2008.

July 30 - August 16, 2010 . . . Angels from Abroad visit North Texas Families

May 12, 2010 . . . US and Russia Meet to Discuss Bi-Lateral Agreement on Adoption

April 15, 2010 . . . Buckner Russia Staff Report Russian Adoptions Continuing

History

Family Requirements
 
About the Children

Adoption Process

Adoption Costs
  
Post-Adoption Services 

Humanitarian Aid in Russia

Host a Russian Child

Have more questions?

Ready to begin the process?

Download an Adoption Application

Hague FAQ for New Adoptive Families

A recent UNICEF report states that there are more than 750,000 children and teenagers living in Russian institutions.  The annual number of children left without parental care has more than doubled over the last 10 years despite falling birth rates.  Some 10,000 young people graduate from the state-run orphanages every year.  And at least 40% of these graduates eventually end up in prisons or in prostitution while one in ten will commit suicide.

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• Heterosexual married couples, who are between the ages of 25 - 50 years old, are eligible to adopt. 

• Single heterosexual women who are living alone and are between the ages of 25 - 50 years old are also eligible to adopt

• There should be no more than 45 years age difference between the parents' age(s) and the age of the child whom they are adopting.

• Couples must have been married a minimum of 2 years.  Second marriages must be a minimum of 3 years.

• No more than 15 years age difference between husband and wife

• Families may not have more than 5 children under the age of 18 already living in their home to be able to adopt

• U.S. citizens in all 50 states are eligible to adopt from this program

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Children of different ethnic backgrounds are available including children of Caucasian, Roma, Asian, and Eurasian descent.

• Single children and sibling groups are available for adoption
• Children generally range in age from 14 months - 15 years old at the time of arrival in the U.S.
• Younger children are generally 12 months old at the time of referral
• Older children ages 3 to 15 years old are available for adoption with some children with special needs also available
• Children receive limited medical care while in the orphanage
• Only limited medical records are available regarding the care of each child

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• Families need to complete a psychological evaluation prior to completion of their home study
   

• Families complete a home study and submit with their dossier for the Russian government's approval
   

• Wait time for a referral of a child older than 3 years of age once a family's dossier has been submitted is approximately 6 - 9 months.  Wait time for a referral of a boy younger than 3 years old is 9 - 12  months and the wait time for a referral of a girl younger than 3 years old will be 24+ months.
   

• After the acceptance of a child referral, a family can anticipate traveling to Russia on the first trip in approximately 2 weeks - 4 weeks to meet their child. 

• Families must travel and are required to make 2 trips in order to receive their child and finalize the adoption in a Russian court hearing.  The first trip is between 3 - 5 days and the second trip averages 3 - 24 days.  Families would have the option of making 3 trips to complete their child's adoption with the second trip being 3 days and the third trip lasting 11 days.
   

• Both parents are required to travel on two trips, but only one parent has to travel on the third trip.
   

• Single mothers are required to have a travel companion accompany them.
   

• Families are responsible for their own travel arrangements to & from Russia.  Dillon will arrange for all in-country travel and lodging through our Buckner contacts.
   

• Families will travel individually or in small groups.
   

• Families will have the opportunity to visit the orphanage where their child lived and meet his/her caregivers and friends.  Families will also receive all available medical and social information on the child during the first trip.
   

• Families will have opportunities for sightseeing and shopping to learn more about their child's culture and birth country, which may add additional time in-country.

• Register the child's adoption with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow.
   

• Register the child's adoption in the U.S. after completing 3 post-placement visits with the family's caseworker, which usually takes 12 -24 months

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Specific fees are only due after a particular service has been rendered in the adoption process and are considered non-refundable after payment has been received.  All fees are subject to change and services are charged at the rate that is current at the time of billing.

ESTIMATED RUSSIA PROGRAM ADOPTION COST:  $33,290 - $34,355
(Estimate includes agency, international, and travel fees ONLY.)

Other fees and expenses families will incur during the adoption process include:

• home study and post-placement services,

• USCIS fees,

• refundable deposit*, and

• out-of-pocket expenses related to the family's state of residence and the country adopting from.  

Dillon International has relationships with licensed home study providers across the U.S. and can assist families living outside our service area in locating a licensed agency near them for these services.  For families living in Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and southern California (counties of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial), Dillon International will provide their home study and post-placement services.  Dillon International's home study & post-placement fees for non-Hague countries is $2,900 and for Hague countries, it is $3,150 (in California these fees are slightly higher).

For a complete breakdown of expected fees and services for the Russia program (through our affiliation with Buckner), please see the Explanation of Fees and Services in Dillon's adoption application packet which can be downloaded from our website.

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*Each family adopting with Dillon International will also be required to pay a $500 Refundable Deposit which will be returned in a lump sum after the family provides Dillon with the following:
1) proof of a will
2) proof of their child's U.S. final adoption decree/ registration
3) copies of their child's in-country adoption documents (exception for Korea)
4) proof of their child's Social Security Number
5) proof of their child's U.S. Certificate of Citizenship
6) submission of all post-placement reports required by their child's birth country
Families must provide this documentation within three (3) years after their child arrives home in order to receive their refund.

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• six months after placement
• one year after placement
• two years after placement
• three years after placement

Monthly medical and progress reports are also required during the first six months of post-adoption support.  Your home study provider will make the following face-to-face contacts during the six month period, depending upon the needs of the child and/or family:

• Infants to 2 years -- 2 visits
• 2 years to 15 years -- monthly visits for the first 6 months

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• Dillon International believes that post-adoption support fosters an overall positive adoption experience for both adoptee and adoptive family

• Our long-term experience has shown us that adoptees develop a better sense of identity, purpose, and boost in their self-confidence from an understanding and appreciation of their birth heritage

• The agency provides a variety of activities and events to allow an adoptee and his/her family to celebrate his/her birth heritage

• Dillon International also provides counseling and assistance to young adult adoptees who want to search for additional background information about their adoption or their birth family

• For more information on specific heritage events, visit the post-adoption section of Dillon's website

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Dillon International is committed to improving the lives of Russia's children whether they are available for adoption or not.  Through our affiliation with Buckner, Dillon's orphanCare International is now able to assist in providing aid to both orphaned children and the local Russian community through Buckner-established programs such as:

• Transitional programs to assist older orphans to begin independent living as adults

• Foster care for approximately 40 children who are waiting to be adopted

• Angels from Abroad program to assist older children to be adopted

• Daily living needs such as shoes, socks, toiletries, etc. for children living in the orphanages

• Construction and renovation of several orpahanages

For more information on how Buckner and Dillon are working together to improve the lives of children in Russia and in other countries, please visit Dillon's humanitarian aid website: www.orphancareintl.org and click on Russia.

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MOSCOW  [April 15] -- Officials with Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services say they have not received any official notification about the suspension of adoptions from the Russian Ministry of Education, the arm of the government that oversees international adoptions.  

According to Buckner’s Russia staff this morning, international adoptions are continuing without interruption. Andrei Pukhlov, director of the Buckner program, said there “has been no official announcement from the Ministry of Education regarding the suspension of adoptions.” 

Numerous stories in the media today announcing the suspension of adoptions quoted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, that agency of the Russian government does not oversee the adoption program and according to other sources, does not have the authority to suspend adoptions. 

“While we have not received any official word, we are watching the situation closely and we will be in touch with our families waiting to adopt from Russia," said Felipe Garza, vice president at Buckner.  

Buckner began adoptions from Russia in 1995. More than 250 Russian children have been placed with families through Buckner in the past 15 years. 

Recent news events surrounding the status of Russian adoption to American families has centered on the case of a 7-year-old boy who was sent back to Moscow alone last week by his adoptive mother in Tennessee. The case of the boy, who was named Artyom in Russia before he was adopted last year, has caused widespread anger here, and Russian officials said new regulations had to be put in place before adoptions by Americans could proceed. 

The U.S. State Department in Washington is sending a high-level delegation to Moscow to hold talks on reaching an agreement, and both countries have expressed hope that the matter can be resolved quickly. 

Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow said they had not received official notification of a suspension and were seeking more information from their Russian counterparts. 

Russia was the third leading source of adoptive children in the United States in 2009, with 1,586, after China and Ethiopia, officials said. More than 50,000 Russian children have been adopted by United States citizens since 1991, according to the United States Embassy. 

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